Robin Coningham
Dados Biográficos
| ID | 228287 |
|---|---|
| NOME | Robin Coningham |
| PRENOMES | Robin |
| SOBRENOME | Coningham |
| ASSINATURA | CONINGHAM R |
| AFILIAÇÕES | Durham University |
| ORCID | 0000-0002-4971-6355 |
| VERIFICADO | Sim |
| TOTAL DE OBRAS | 56 |
| TOTAL DE CITAÇÕES | 243 |
| TOTAL COMO AUTOR | 54 |
| TOTAL COMO EDITOR | 3 |
| PRIMEIRO ANO DE PUBLICAÇÃO | 1991 |
| ANO MAIS RECENTE DE PUBLICAÇÃO | 2025 |
| ÍNDICE H | 10 |
Early Kingdoms and States in South Asia
Comprising the modern nations of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, the Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka, South Asia encompasses an area of some 4.5 million square kilometers. The region, a triangular shape that largely coincides with the Indian tectonic plate, is geographically defined to the north by the Himalayan, Karakorum, and Hindu Kush mountain ranges, as well as the expanses of the Arabian Sea to the west and the Bay of Benga…
Investigations within World Heritage Monument Zones of Kathmandu after the 2015 Mw 7.8 Gorkha Earthquake
This paper presents the results of an extensive study carried out to better understand the causes of collapse of heritage structures within the UNESCO-listed World Heritage Monument Zones of the Kathmandu Valley during the 2015 Gorkha Earthquake. The investigation comprised a field reconnaissance survey, followed by geotechnical investigations (field and laboratory) with the aim of assessing and demonstrating the performance of five exemplar hist…
From village to state, and back again
Many have attempted to identify the causes of the abandonment of Sri Lanka’s first capital, Anuradhapura, but few have documented the characteristics of its de-urbanization. By mapping disruptions to established networks of resource procurement and production across its hinterland settlements, we present evidence that the city reverted to procuring and processing its own materials in its terminal phases, coming to resemble the footprint of a larg…
Enabling equitable and ethical research partnerships in crisis situations
The earthquakes which struck Nepal’s capital in 2015 were humanitarian disasters. Not only did they inflict tragic loss of life and livelihoods, they also destroyed parts of the Kathmandu Valley’s unique UNESCO World Heritage site. These monuments were not just ornate structures but living monuments playing central roles in the daily lives of thousands, representing portals where the heavens touch earth and people commune with guiding deities. Th…
Low-Density Urbanism in Medieval Sri Lanka
A hinterland survey at Polonnaruva has revealed that a planned pluralistic landscape \ndeveloped during the latter part of the Early Medieval period (A.D. 600-1200). This \nrepresents a significant shift in settlement pattern from the organically derived model of \nBuddhist Temporalities found at the antecedent capital, Anuradhapura. In comparison, \nsettlements around Polonnaruva were larger, longer-lived and evenly distributed. This \ncoincided…
The development of pottery production, specialisation and standardisation in the Late Neolithic and Transitional Chalcolithic periods in the Central Plateau of Iran
Archaeology, Cultural Heritage Protection and Community Engagement in South Asia
The antiquity of Jaffna Fort
Pilgrimage and procession
South Asia is home to many of the world’s major religions, and over a century of archaeological enquiry has documented the sites associated with these traditions. Although textual scholarship, augmented by art historical and architectural studies of durable remains, has dominated interpretations, recent archaeological studies have begun to redress this balance by contextualizing monuments within their landscapes and engaging with the varied roles…
Archaeology and cosmopolitanism in early historic and medieval Sri Lanka
Whilst the Early Historic and Medieval periods of Sri Lanka are often presented as a golden age of Sinhalese and Buddhist achievement, there is also substantial evidence for a multiplicity of communities residing within the island during that time.This is unsurprising, given the island's location on trade routes spanning the Indian Ocean, linking its communities with East Africa, the Middle East, South-east Asia and China.The physical evidence of…
Investigation of Neolithic pottery from Ebrahimabad in the central plateau of Iran, utilising chemical–mineralogical and microstructural analyses
The Evolution of Pottery Production During The Late Neolithic Period at Sialk On The Kashan Plain, Central Plateau of Iran
The prehistoric sherds recovered from the North Mound of Tepe Sialk were investigated using XRF, XRD and SEM/EDX analyses. These studies showed the occurrence of a gradual evolution in pottery‐making from the Sialk I to Sialk II periods, eventually leading to the production of bulk red pottery at the final phase of Sialk II. The relative similarity of compositions, homogeneous microstructures and the presence of high‐temperature phases demonstrat…
The Archaeology of South Asia
This book offers a critical synthesis of the archaeology of South Asia from the Neolithic period (c.6500 BCE), when domestication began, to the spread of Buddhism accompanying the Mauryan Emperor Asoka's reign (third century BCE). The authors examine the growth and character of the Indus civilisation, with its town planning, sophisticated drainage systems, vast cities and international trade. They also consider the strong cultural links between t…
From 'collapse' to urban diaspora
John Carswell, Siran Deraniyagala & Alan Graham. Mantai
John Carswell, Siran Deraniyagala & Alan Graham. Mantai: city by the sea. 552 pages, numerous colour and b&w illustrations and tables, CD. 2013. Aichwald: Linden Soft; 978-3-929290-39-4 hardback €65. - Volume 88 Issue 340
Anuradhapura
The third volume of the Anuradhapura series documents the results of six years of settlement survey, excavation and geoarchaeology in the hinterland of the Citadel. Mapping the response of rural communities to the growth of Anuradhapura as Sri Lankan capital and Indian Ocean pilgrimage centre, this interdisciplinary study presents the establishment and consolidation of settlement within the island's Dry Zone and the associated investment in hydra…
R. Allchin & B. Allchin, From the Oxus to Mysore in 1951
Luminescence dating of brick stupas
The domed stupas are among the most distinctive of South Asia's religious monuments and have been shown to be sensitive indicators for their society. Since arguments for economic and political change depend on accurate dating, and since the stupas are largely composed of brick, the authors here assess the potential for dating building sequences by applying optically stimulated luminescence to brick fabric. As so often, good scientific dates obtai…
The earliest Buddhist shrine
Key locations identified with the lives of important religious founders have often been extensively remodelled in later periods, entraining the destruction of many of the earlier remains. Recent UNESCO-sponsored work at the major Buddhist centre of Lumbini in Nepal has sought to overcome these limitations, providing direct archaeological evidence of the nature of an early Buddhist shrine and a secure chronology. The excavations revealed a sequenc…
Appropriating the Past
In this book an international team of archaeologists, philosophers, lawyers and heritage professionals addresses significant ethical questions about the rights to access, manage and interpret the material remains of the past. The chapters explore competing claims to interpret and appropriate the past and the major ethical issues associated with them, including handling the sacred; contested rights over sites, antiquities and artifacts; the involv…
Appropriating the Past
Beeswax Preserved in a Late Chalcolithic Bevelled-Rim Bowl from the Tehran Plain, Iran
This paper presents the observation of lipid residue, identified as beeswax, preserved in the ceramic matrix of a Late Chalcolithic (c. 3700–3000 BC) bevelled-rim bowl (BRB) from the site of Tepe Sofalin on the Tehran Plain. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) was used to separate and identify the lipid constituents preserved in the matrix of a BRB sherd. Lipid biomarkers were recovered including long-chain n-alkanes, n-alkenes, palmitic…
The dry tank
Contextualising the Tabbova-Maradanmaduva ‘Culture’
Terracotta figurines and artefacts discovered throughout Sri Lanka, especially in the North Central Province, have been traditionally assigned to the Tabbova-Maradanmaduva culture. Not a single stratigraphic excavation has been conducted at any site where a terracotta assemblage has been recovered, leading to a variety of divergent opinions as to the date of such artefacts. In addition, the corpus is often presumed to represent ‘folk art’ spontan…
Response to Goonatilake
An abstract is not available for this content so a preview has been provided. Please use the Get access link above for information on how to access this content
From Susa to Anuradhapura
In contrast with artefactual studies of long‐distance trade and exchange in South Asia during the Prehistoric and Early Historic periods ( Ardika et al. 1993 ; Gogte 1997 ; Krishnan and Coningham 1997 ; Tomber 2000 ; Gupta et al. 2001 ; Ford et al. 2005 ), few scientifically orientated analyses have focused on artefacts from the region's Historic period. During excavations at the ancient city of Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka, a number of buff ware cera…
From 'collapse' to urban diaspora
Monks, caves and kings
This paper begins by describing the early history of Buddhism in Sri Lanka as recorded in the two Pali chronicles, the Dipavamsa and the Mahavamsa. Their general approach treats the introduction of Buddhism into the island as a royal package sent by the Emperor Asoka to his Sri Lankan ally Devanampiya Tissa, through the former's son and daughter, Mahinda and Sanghamitta. Buddhism was immediately accepted as the state religion, thus linking it wit…
The dry tank
The state of theocracy
The ancient Sri Lankan city of Anuradhapura is currently the subject of one of the world's largest and most intensive archaeological research projects. Having traced its growth from an Iron Age village to a medieval city, the research team now moves to the task of modelling the surrounding landscape. Three seasons of fieldwork have located numerous sites of which the most prominent in the urban period are monasteries. Here is a clue about how the…
The Archaeology of South Asia
This book offers a critical synthesis of the archaeology of South Asia from the Neolithic period (c.6500 BCE), when domestication began, to the spread of Buddhism accompanying the Mauryan Emperor Asoka's reign (third century BCE). The authors examine the growth and character of the Indus civilisation, with its town planning, sophisticated drainage systems, vast cities and international trade. They also consider the strong cultural links between t…
Paradise Lost
The bombing of the Temple of the Tooth at Kandy in 1998 provides the focus for an analysis of the political targeting of heritage in Sri Lanka
The earliest Buddhist shrine
Key locations identified with the lives of important religious founders have often been extensively remodelled in later periods, entraining the destruction of many of the earlier remains. Recent UNESCO-sponsored work at the major Buddhist centre of Lumbini in Nepal has sought to overcome these limitations, providing direct archaeological evidence of the nature of an early Buddhist shrine and a secure chronology. The excavations revealed a sequenc…
Cheshmeh-Ali Revisited
Were Cities Built as Images
Many ancient city sites display a remarkable regularity in their plan which has led to considerable debate on the symbolism and intentionality which may lie behind these arrangements. Grid plan cities of the Greek and Roman world were discussed by Haverfield almost a century ago, but it was above all the cities of South and East Asia analyzed by Wheatley in his influential Pivot of the Four Quarters (1971) which has given new emphasis to the pote…
Socio-Economic Transformations in the Tehran Plain
Two further seasons of excavations at Tepe Pardis and survey in the Tehran Plain were undertaken in 2006 and 2007. The former exposed over 70 square metres of mudbrick structures dating to the Transitional Chalcolithic, including five kilns. The presence of these kilns, in association with a terracotta slow wheel, confirms the presence of a highly specialised production site. We have also confirmed the presence of kiln debris on the southern side…
Socio-Economic Transformations
An archaeological survey of the plain of Tehran was begun in August 2003, marking the initiation of the second phase of collaborative research between Durham University, the University of Bradford, the University of Leicester, the University of Tehran and the Iranian Cultural Heritage and Tourism Organisation (ICHTO). The survey was launched with three main aims. Firstly, to pilot the collection of data regarding the frequency, distribution, dens…
A geochemical investigation of the origin of Rouletted and other related South Asian fine wares
Pottery of the Rouletted ware family belongs to India's Early Historic period (c. 500 BC to c. AD 200) and has been found as far east as Bali in Indonesia and as far west as Berenike in Egypt. Although they appear similar to Mediterranean products, scientific tests by the authors show that Rouletted ware Arikamedu Type 10 and Sri Lankan Grey ware had a common geological origin in India. Since Grey ware at least pre-dates the arrival of Roman pott…
Location, Location, Location
The Vijayan colonization and the archaeology of identity in Sri Lanka
In my tours throughout the interior, I found ancient monuments, apparently defying decay, of which no one could tell the date or the founder; and temples and cities in ruins, whose destroyers were equally unknown. SIR JAMES EMERSON TENNANT(1859: xxv).There are competing, yet interlinked, identities in Sri Lanka through which people 'establish, maintain, and protect a sense of self-meaning, predictability, and purpose' (Northrup 1989: 55). These h…
Pilgrimage and procession
South Asia is home to many of the world’s major religions, and over a century of archaeological enquiry has documented the sites associated with these traditions. Although textual scholarship, augmented by art historical and architectural studies of durable remains, has dominated interpretations, recent archaeological studies have begun to redress this balance by contextualizing monuments within their landscapes and engaging with the varied roles…
Beeswax Preserved in a Late Chalcolithic Bevelled-Rim Bowl from the Tehran Plain, Iran
This paper presents the observation of lipid residue, identified as beeswax, preserved in the ceramic matrix of a Late Chalcolithic (c. 3700–3000 BC) bevelled-rim bowl (BRB) from the site of Tepe Sofalin on the Tehran Plain. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) was used to separate and identify the lipid constituents preserved in the matrix of a BRB sherd. Lipid biomarkers were recovered including long-chain n-alkanes, n-alkenes, palmitic…
Archaeology and identity in south Asia - interpretations and consequences
Whilst archaeological discoveries initiated by the Europeans have long encouraged a pride in India's past among its educated elite, there is even less evidence of nationalism influencing the practice of Indian Archaeology. TRIGGER 1995: 271In 1995 Bruce Trigger dismissed the role of nationalism within the archaeology of south Asia (1995: 271), apparently ignoring even the archaeological nature of the crest of the new Indian republic - the Sarnath…
Passage to India? Anuradhapura and the Early Use of the Brahmi Script
The island of Sri Lanka, situated off the tip of southern India, is often perceived as the recipient of material culture diffused from more northerly regions. This article counters this model by suggesting that Sri Lanka may have played a pivotal role in the development of Brahmi, South Asia's earliest readable script. Sherds inscribed with this script, recently found at Anuradhapura, with dates of the beginning of the fourth century BC, now repr…
The Evolution of Pottery Production During The Late Neolithic Period at Sialk On The Kashan Plain, Central Plateau of Iran
The prehistoric sherds recovered from the North Mound of Tepe Sialk were investigated using XRF, XRD and SEM/EDX analyses. These studies showed the occurrence of a gradual evolution in pottery‐making from the Sialk I to Sialk II periods, eventually leading to the production of bulk red pottery at the final phase of Sialk II. The relative similarity of compositions, homogeneous microstructures and the presence of high‐temperature phases demonstrat…
Luminescence dating of brick stupas
The domed stupas are among the most distinctive of South Asia's religious monuments and have been shown to be sensitive indicators for their society. Since arguments for economic and political change depend on accurate dating, and since the stupas are largely composed of brick, the authors here assess the potential for dating building sequences by applying optically stimulated luminescence to brick fabric. As so often, good scientific dates obtai…
Stone Tool Production, Distribution and Use during the Late Neolithic and Chalcolithic on the Tehran Plain, Iran
Preliminary investigation of lithic assemblages from six late prehistoric sites on the Tehran Plain provides numerous insights into the production, distribution, use and craft specialisation of fla
Anuradhapura Citadel Archaeological Project
(1992). Anuradhapura Citadel Archaeological Project: Preliminary Report of the Third Season of Sri Lanka-British Excavations at Salgaha Watta, July–September 1991. South Asian Studies: Vol. 8, No. 1, pp. 155-167
Investigation of Neolithic pottery from Ebrahimabad in the central plateau of Iran, utilising chemical–mineralogical and microstructural analyses
New exploration in the Chitral Valley, Pakistan
New survey in the Chitral Valley has doubled the number of recorded Gandharan Grave culture sites in the region and extended their geographical range. The numbers and location of sites indicates that the Gandharan Grave culture was well established in the Chitral valley, suggesting that the valley may have been central to this cultural development, rather than marginal
Anuradhapura Citadel Archaeological Project
(1991). Anuradhapura Citadel Archaeological Project: Preliminary Report of the Second Season of Sri Lankan-British Excavations at Salgaha Watta, June-August 1990. South Asian Studies: Vol. 7, No. 1, pp. 167-175
Anuradhapura Citadel Archaeological Project
(1992). Anuradhapura Citadel Archaeological Project: Preliminary Report of the Third Season of Sri Lanka-British Excavations at Salgaha Watta, July–September 1991. South Asian Studies: Vol. 8, No. 1, pp. 155-167
Anuradhapura Citadel Archaeological Project
(1993). Anuradhapura Citadel Archaeological Project: Preliminary Results of the Excavation of the Southern Rampart 1992. South Asian Studies: Vol. 9, No. 1, pp. 111-122
Anuradhapura Citadel Archaeological Project
Description et resultats de la campagne de prospections geophysiques menees sur le site de la citadelle d'Anuradhapura, afin de reperer et d'identifier le fosse et le mur constituant les fortifications, et d'evaluer les avantages de l'utilisation des techniques geophysiques au Sri Lanka
A Review of Archaeological Textile Evidence from South Asia
Les auteurs proposent dans cet article les resultats d'un travail de prospection des sites ayant recemment livre les temoins de materiel textile (traces sur les produits de metal corrodes, traces imprimees sur les poteries) et d'une evaluation de leur interet quant a une datation plus ancienne de groupes deja connus. Le but est d'apporter de nouveaux elements en vue des recherches futures sur le corpus connu, ainsi qu'une liste des sites protohis…
Monks, caves and kings
This paper begins by describing the early history of Buddhism in Sri Lanka as recorded in the two Pali chronicles, the Dipavamsa and the Mahavamsa. Their general approach treats the introduction of Buddhism into the island as a royal package sent by the Emperor Asoka to his Sri Lankan ally Devanampiya Tissa, through the former's son and daughter, Mahinda and Sanghamitta. Buddhism was immediately accepted as the state religion, thus linking it wit…
Passage to India? Anuradhapura and the Early Use of the Brahmi Script
The island of Sri Lanka, situated off the tip of southern India, is often perceived as the recipient of material culture diffused from more northerly regions. This article counters this model by suggesting that Sri Lanka may have played a pivotal role in the development of Brahmi, South Asia's earliest readable script. Sherds inscribed with this script, recently found at Anuradhapura, with dates of the beginning of the fourth century BC, now repr…
Buddhism ‘Rematerialized’ and the Archaeology of the Gautama Buddha
An abstract is not available for this content so a preview has been provided. Please use the Get access link above for information on how to access this content
Paradise Lost
The bombing of the Temple of the Tooth at Kandy in 1998 provides the focus for an analysis of the political targeting of heritage in Sri Lanka
A Comparison of Kalasha and Kho Subsistence Patterns in Chitral, NWFP, Pakistan
(2000). A Comparison of Kalasha and Kho Subsistence Patterns in Chitral, NWFP, Pakistan. South Asian Studies: Vol. 16, No. 1, pp. 133-142
Were Cities Built as Images
Many ancient city sites display a remarkable regularity in their plan which has led to considerable debate on the symbolism and intentionality which may lie behind these arrangements. Grid plan cities of the Greek and Roman world were discussed by Haverfield almost a century ago, but it was above all the cities of South and East Asia analyzed by Wheatley in his influential Pivot of the Four Quarters (1971) which has given new emphasis to the pote…
The Vijayan colonization and the archaeology of identity in Sri Lanka
In my tours throughout the interior, I found ancient monuments, apparently defying decay, of which no one could tell the date or the founder; and temples and cities in ruins, whose destroyers were equally unknown. SIR JAMES EMERSON TENNANT(1859: xxv).There are competing, yet interlinked, identities in Sri Lanka through which people 'establish, maintain, and protect a sense of self-meaning, predictability, and purpose' (Northrup 1989: 55). These h…
Archaeology and identity in south Asia - interpretations and consequences
Whilst archaeological discoveries initiated by the Europeans have long encouraged a pride in India's past among its educated elite, there is even less evidence of nationalism influencing the practice of Indian Archaeology. TRIGGER 1995: 271In 1995 Bruce Trigger dismissed the role of nationalism within the archaeology of south Asia (1995: 271), apparently ignoring even the archaeological nature of the crest of the new Indian republic - the Sarnath…
Chemical Characterisation of Late Neolithic and Chalcolithic Pottery from the Tehran Plain, Iran
The archaeology of Buddhism
During the first half of the first millennium BCE a number of heterodoxical teachers emerged from the mainstream Hindu belief system within the northern part of the Indian subcontinent, partly as a response to the creation of state and urban forms. One of the most successful and influential of these teachers was the individual known as Siddhartha Gautama, although more widely recognised by his title of Buddha or ‘one who has attained enlightenmen…
Stone Tool Production, Distribution and Use during the Late Neolithic and Chalcolithic on the Tehran Plain, Iran
Preliminary investigation of lithic assemblages from six late prehistoric sites on the Tehran Plain provides numerous insights into the production, distribution, use and craft specialisation of fla
New exploration in the Chitral Valley, Pakistan
New survey in the Chitral Valley has doubled the number of recorded Gandharan Grave culture sites in the region and extended their geographical range. The numbers and location of sites indicates that the Gandharan Grave culture was well established in the Chitral valley, suggesting that the valley may have been central to this cultural development, rather than marginal
Location, Location, Location
Cheshmeh-Ali Revisited
A geochemical investigation of the origin of Rouletted and other related South Asian fine wares
Pottery of the Rouletted ware family belongs to India's Early Historic period (c. 500 BC to c. AD 200) and has been found as far east as Bali in Indonesia and as far west as Berenike in Egypt. Although they appear similar to Mediterranean products, scientific tests by the authors show that Rouletted ware Arikamedu Type 10 and Sri Lankan Grey ware had a common geological origin in India. Since Grey ware at least pre-dates the arrival of Roman pott…
Socio-Economic Transformations
An archaeological survey of the plain of Tehran was begun in August 2003, marking the initiation of the second phase of collaborative research between Durham University, the University of Bradford, the University of Leicester, the University of Tehran and the Iranian Cultural Heritage and Tourism Organisation (ICHTO). The survey was launched with three main aims. Firstly, to pilot the collection of data regarding the frequency, distribution, dens…
The Anuradhapura (Sri Lanka) Project
L’arriere-pays du site d’Anuradhapura, capitale du Sri Lanka pendant 1500 ans classee au patrimoine mondial de l’UNESCO, fait l’objet d’un projet de recherche visant a etablir la relation entre les etablissements ruraux et la ville. Le premier objectif est de modeliser les reseaux entre les communautes rurales et urbaines. Pour ce faire, une premiere phase de prospection a tout d’abord permis d’identifier des sites, evalues ensuite a l’aide de so…
Southern Asia's Oldest Incendiary Missile
A small burnt ball was recovered in 1995 from the basal fills of a ditch surrounding the Bala Hisar, or High Fort, of Charsadda, Pakistan. Associated by Sir Mortimer Wheeler with the siege of the ancient site by Alexander the Great in 327 bce , the ditch forms part of the city's defensive circuit. Using geochemical and microscopic techniques (X‐ray diffraction, micro‐FTIR, SEM and GC–MS) the ball is identified as an artificial composite of minera…
Socio-Economic Transformations in the Tehran Plain
Two further seasons of excavations at Tepe Pardis and survey in the Tehran Plain were undertaken in 2006 and 2007. The former exposed over 70 square metres of mudbrick structures dating to the Transitional Chalcolithic, including five kilns. The presence of these kilns, in association with a terracotta slow wheel, confirms the presence of a highly specialised production site. We have also confirmed the presence of kiln debris on the southern side…
Report of the Council
Report of the Council: Presented at the Annual General Meeting 28 November 2006." Iran, 45(1), pp. iii–iv
History (43 obras) · Archaeology (42 obras) · Geography (38 obras) · Ancient history (33 obras) · History (25 obras) · Archaeology and ancient environmental studies (18 obras) · South asia (18 obras) · Sri lanka (15 obras) · Art (14 obras) · Asian Geopolitics and Ethnography (13 obras)