Latest news with #WorldArchaeologicalCongress
India Today
03-07-2025
- Science
- India Today
DU's rock art researcher now World Archaeologists' congress secretary
Sudeshna Biswas, a PhD scholar from Delhi University, has been elected as the Secretary of the World Archaeological Congress (WAC) -- a major international organisation in the field of archaeology. This historic achievement took place during the 10th WAC Congress held last week in Darwin, is the first time an Indian has held an executive position within the WAC Council. Remarkably, Sudeshna is also among the youngest women to assume this distinguished is currently pursuing her PhD in the Department of Anthropology at DU, where her research focuses on rock art in Central India. Using both ethno-archaeology and cognitive anthropology, her work explores the deeper meaning and context of ancient art found in rock has spent time working closely with tribal communities living near archaeological says these communities hold valuable knowledge about the history and meaning of the rock art. 'I believe they are an important part of our heritage stories,' she from her research, Sudeshna has also served as the Co-Chair of the WAC-10 Student Committee, where she worked with students from around the world to promote inclusive participation in is also a University Gold Medalist and is currently supported by a Senior Research Fellowship from the University Grants Commission (UGC).advertisementShe attended her first WAC meeting at the 9th Congress in Prague in 2022 as a participant and later chaired the WAC-10 Student leadership was instrumental in raising over AUD 37,000 to assist women from low exchange rate countries including Bangladesh, Pakistan, Nigeria, Brazil, India, Chile, Argentina, and Morocco to attend the Darwin on the recommendation of the WAC-10 organisers, Sudeshna stood out among four candidates from India and South election involved voting by representatives from 60 Secretary, she will manage key executive and secretarial functions, support strategic governance, and promote WAC's values emphasising ethical archaeology and inclusive participation the Congress, Sudeshna co-convened a session on 'Rock Art in the 21st Century' alongside Prof. Manoj Kumar Singh and Professor Luiz Oosterbeek from presented two significant papers on the rock art of Gopisur-Satkunda in Madhya Pradesh, exploring its anthropological her gratitude, Sudeshna said, 'I am deeply honoured to serve as WAC Secretary. Despite being the youngest candidate and facing criticism, the support from global scholars strengthened my resolve. I am committed to fostering student involvement, equitable global dialogue, and empowering under-represented communities in archaeology, especially women. Leadership transcends age; it is about dedication to the cause.'FOCUS ON ROCK ART AND INDIGENOUS KNOWLEDGEadvertisementHer research focusses on rock art studies in Central India, with a particular interest in how local communities interpret and interact with ancient symbols and art work draws from both ethnoarchaeology and archaeological anthropology, offering a bridge between material culture and living from her research in archaeology, Sudeshna also works in areas such as tribal studies, socio-cultural anthropology, qualitative methods, and heritage approach blends fieldwork with a study of traditional knowledge systems, especially those relating to rock art and its meaning for indigenous communities.A University Gold Medalist, Sudeshna is among a growing number of Indian researchers contributing to global conversations around heritage and election to the WAC Secretariat may also open doors for greater collaboration between Indian institutions and global archaeological networks.- Ends
Time of India
29-06-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Vadnagar minted Greek coins and learnt quake resistance from W Asia
Ahmedabad: During the excavation at Vadnagar, which lasted for a decade from 2014 to 2024, one of the finds that surprised the archaeologists was 37 terracotta coin moulds. These were not of local powers; instead, they were for the coins of the Indo-Greek monarch Apollodotus II. What surprised the experts was the fact that the period it corresponded to in Vadnagar's 2,500-year-long continuous history was the 5th to 10th centuries CE, whereas the coins in their original form were minted in the 1st-2nd centuries CE. Dr Abhijit Ambekar, superintending archaeologist with the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), who worked on the site for the decade, said that Gujarat, being an important trade hub for the Arabian Sea and Indian Ocean, has yielded a good number of silver Indo-Greek coins, identified as Drachma. "But it is a rare instance of finding moulds. Compared to original die-struck coins, the moulds indicate a cast method of minting. One theory of the find nearly three centuries after the demise of Apollodotus II is that Drachma remained a power currency in trade both through land and sea and remained in demand, prompting its production. Bharuch was a major port of that era," said Ambekar, adding that the production of coinage continued even after the end of the Indo-Greek kingdoms. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Free P2,000 GCash eGift UnionBank Credit Card Apply Now Undo "The discovery establishes Vadnagar as an important hub of trade." The study was carried out with Abhijit Dandekar of Deccan College Postgraduate and Research Institute. You Can Also Check: Ahmedabad AQI | Weather in Ahmedabad | Bank Holidays in Ahmedabad | Public Holidays in Ahmedabad It was one of the four studies related to Vadnagar presented at the tenth edition of the prestigious World Archaeological Congress in Darwin, Australia, which concluded on Saturday. What connected these studies was the north Gujarat town's antiquity and its interconnectedness with other parts of India and the world. Some other presentations included the continuity of the ancient town over 2,500 years, an elliptical structure found in the town reminiscent of similar structures in the Gangetic plains, and timber bonding techniques in architecture for earthquake resistance by Dr Ambekar, Ananya Chakraborty, assistant archaeologist at ASI, and others. Experts said that the common thread that connects the papers includes how the ancient town remained relevant for over two millennia. "For example, in the case of timber bonding – a technique where timber or wood is inserted at regular intervals between stones as a cushion against quakes, is seen in some parts of West Asia," said a researcher. The ancient town has yielded artefacts such as Indo-Pacific beads and shell bangles, establishing it as a production centre, along with hordes of coins, cowries, and artefacts such as torpedo jars, underlining its place as sthalpattan or land port. The presentations also focused on the town planning of Vadnagar, its different development phases from the Kshatrapa period to the British period, and how the town overcame intense periods of drought with water body interlinking and even changing diet completely for decades.
The Advertiser
23-06-2025
- General
- The Advertiser
Rock art a window into the past that needs protecting
Spanish archaeologist Ines Domingo Sanz cried when she first saw ancient Aboriginal rock paintings in Arnhem Land. Multiple layers of artwork, from very faded to more recent ones in vibrant colours, showed the power of the site that people kept coming back to for thousands of years, she recalls. Dr Domingo Sanz, an international rock art expert, is vice president of the World Archaeological Congress which is meeting in Darwin this week, attracting thousands of delegates. Australia had the longest continuing rock art tradition and protecting ancient art sites was necessary to preserve the identity of Indigenous communities, she said. But preservation was also important to the global community as a window into the human past. Rock art sites in Australia have been dated back to 28,000 years, but it was likely there were sites that went back thousands of years before that, Dr Domingo Sanz said. She has studied world heritage paleolithic rock art sites in Europe and elsewhere and also worked with Flinders University on Australian sites in Arnhem Land. "Rock art is what makes us really human, different to other species because it's the capacity of communicating through images which is something that only humans do," she told AAP. "If we erase this rock art, we are erasing the identity of the people who produced it and the identity of the people who inherited it." The congress would address conflict and its threat to archaeological sites and people's culture through the destruction of cultural heritage to impose power over others, Dr Domingo Sanz said. Industrial threats to rock art, such as mining and energy projects in Australia, could be seen as "a kind of passive war in which you are destroying someone else's heritage", she said. Dr Domingo Sanz said there was technology available to help solve such issues, and mining and energy projects could always be sited away from key ancient sites, which in themselves could become tourist draws. Rock art in Spain cannot by law be destroyed or moved, she said. In May 2020, Rio Tinto's destruction of the 46,000-year-old Juukan Gorge rock shelters in the Pilbara left traditional custodians devastated and caused global outrage, prompting the mining giant to apologise. The Juukan incident was now used in archaeology classes as an example of how not do things Dr Domingo Sanz said. "I hope the example will help to protect other sites." Rock art could teach about changes in species, such as now-extinct thylacines and fish being depicted thousands of years ago, as well as indicate changes in weapons or tools used by ancient peoples, Dr Domingo Sanz said. "There are many topics that can be addressed through the study of rock art, so I think this is a key reason why we should protect it." More recent rock art depictions can also inform, such as the portrayals of Asian and European sailing vessels arriving with their foreign crews. "We always hear the story of the colonial arrival to Australia from the Western perspective,"Dr Domingo Sanz said. "That's one side of the story. What about the other side? They didn't write it down, but they depicted it in the art." Spanish archaeologist Ines Domingo Sanz cried when she first saw ancient Aboriginal rock paintings in Arnhem Land. Multiple layers of artwork, from very faded to more recent ones in vibrant colours, showed the power of the site that people kept coming back to for thousands of years, she recalls. Dr Domingo Sanz, an international rock art expert, is vice president of the World Archaeological Congress which is meeting in Darwin this week, attracting thousands of delegates. Australia had the longest continuing rock art tradition and protecting ancient art sites was necessary to preserve the identity of Indigenous communities, she said. But preservation was also important to the global community as a window into the human past. Rock art sites in Australia have been dated back to 28,000 years, but it was likely there were sites that went back thousands of years before that, Dr Domingo Sanz said. She has studied world heritage paleolithic rock art sites in Europe and elsewhere and also worked with Flinders University on Australian sites in Arnhem Land. "Rock art is what makes us really human, different to other species because it's the capacity of communicating through images which is something that only humans do," she told AAP. "If we erase this rock art, we are erasing the identity of the people who produced it and the identity of the people who inherited it." The congress would address conflict and its threat to archaeological sites and people's culture through the destruction of cultural heritage to impose power over others, Dr Domingo Sanz said. Industrial threats to rock art, such as mining and energy projects in Australia, could be seen as "a kind of passive war in which you are destroying someone else's heritage", she said. Dr Domingo Sanz said there was technology available to help solve such issues, and mining and energy projects could always be sited away from key ancient sites, which in themselves could become tourist draws. Rock art in Spain cannot by law be destroyed or moved, she said. In May 2020, Rio Tinto's destruction of the 46,000-year-old Juukan Gorge rock shelters in the Pilbara left traditional custodians devastated and caused global outrage, prompting the mining giant to apologise. The Juukan incident was now used in archaeology classes as an example of how not do things Dr Domingo Sanz said. "I hope the example will help to protect other sites." Rock art could teach about changes in species, such as now-extinct thylacines and fish being depicted thousands of years ago, as well as indicate changes in weapons or tools used by ancient peoples, Dr Domingo Sanz said. "There are many topics that can be addressed through the study of rock art, so I think this is a key reason why we should protect it." More recent rock art depictions can also inform, such as the portrayals of Asian and European sailing vessels arriving with their foreign crews. "We always hear the story of the colonial arrival to Australia from the Western perspective,"Dr Domingo Sanz said. "That's one side of the story. What about the other side? They didn't write it down, but they depicted it in the art." Spanish archaeologist Ines Domingo Sanz cried when she first saw ancient Aboriginal rock paintings in Arnhem Land. Multiple layers of artwork, from very faded to more recent ones in vibrant colours, showed the power of the site that people kept coming back to for thousands of years, she recalls. Dr Domingo Sanz, an international rock art expert, is vice president of the World Archaeological Congress which is meeting in Darwin this week, attracting thousands of delegates. Australia had the longest continuing rock art tradition and protecting ancient art sites was necessary to preserve the identity of Indigenous communities, she said. But preservation was also important to the global community as a window into the human past. Rock art sites in Australia have been dated back to 28,000 years, but it was likely there were sites that went back thousands of years before that, Dr Domingo Sanz said. She has studied world heritage paleolithic rock art sites in Europe and elsewhere and also worked with Flinders University on Australian sites in Arnhem Land. "Rock art is what makes us really human, different to other species because it's the capacity of communicating through images which is something that only humans do," she told AAP. "If we erase this rock art, we are erasing the identity of the people who produced it and the identity of the people who inherited it." The congress would address conflict and its threat to archaeological sites and people's culture through the destruction of cultural heritage to impose power over others, Dr Domingo Sanz said. Industrial threats to rock art, such as mining and energy projects in Australia, could be seen as "a kind of passive war in which you are destroying someone else's heritage", she said. Dr Domingo Sanz said there was technology available to help solve such issues, and mining and energy projects could always be sited away from key ancient sites, which in themselves could become tourist draws. Rock art in Spain cannot by law be destroyed or moved, she said. In May 2020, Rio Tinto's destruction of the 46,000-year-old Juukan Gorge rock shelters in the Pilbara left traditional custodians devastated and caused global outrage, prompting the mining giant to apologise. The Juukan incident was now used in archaeology classes as an example of how not do things Dr Domingo Sanz said. "I hope the example will help to protect other sites." Rock art could teach about changes in species, such as now-extinct thylacines and fish being depicted thousands of years ago, as well as indicate changes in weapons or tools used by ancient peoples, Dr Domingo Sanz said. "There are many topics that can be addressed through the study of rock art, so I think this is a key reason why we should protect it." More recent rock art depictions can also inform, such as the portrayals of Asian and European sailing vessels arriving with their foreign crews. "We always hear the story of the colonial arrival to Australia from the Western perspective,"Dr Domingo Sanz said. "That's one side of the story. What about the other side? They didn't write it down, but they depicted it in the art." Spanish archaeologist Ines Domingo Sanz cried when she first saw ancient Aboriginal rock paintings in Arnhem Land. Multiple layers of artwork, from very faded to more recent ones in vibrant colours, showed the power of the site that people kept coming back to for thousands of years, she recalls. Dr Domingo Sanz, an international rock art expert, is vice president of the World Archaeological Congress which is meeting in Darwin this week, attracting thousands of delegates. Australia had the longest continuing rock art tradition and protecting ancient art sites was necessary to preserve the identity of Indigenous communities, she said. But preservation was also important to the global community as a window into the human past. Rock art sites in Australia have been dated back to 28,000 years, but it was likely there were sites that went back thousands of years before that, Dr Domingo Sanz said. She has studied world heritage paleolithic rock art sites in Europe and elsewhere and also worked with Flinders University on Australian sites in Arnhem Land. "Rock art is what makes us really human, different to other species because it's the capacity of communicating through images which is something that only humans do," she told AAP. "If we erase this rock art, we are erasing the identity of the people who produced it and the identity of the people who inherited it." The congress would address conflict and its threat to archaeological sites and people's culture through the destruction of cultural heritage to impose power over others, Dr Domingo Sanz said. Industrial threats to rock art, such as mining and energy projects in Australia, could be seen as "a kind of passive war in which you are destroying someone else's heritage", she said. Dr Domingo Sanz said there was technology available to help solve such issues, and mining and energy projects could always be sited away from key ancient sites, which in themselves could become tourist draws. Rock art in Spain cannot by law be destroyed or moved, she said. In May 2020, Rio Tinto's destruction of the 46,000-year-old Juukan Gorge rock shelters in the Pilbara left traditional custodians devastated and caused global outrage, prompting the mining giant to apologise. The Juukan incident was now used in archaeology classes as an example of how not do things Dr Domingo Sanz said. "I hope the example will help to protect other sites." Rock art could teach about changes in species, such as now-extinct thylacines and fish being depicted thousands of years ago, as well as indicate changes in weapons or tools used by ancient peoples, Dr Domingo Sanz said. "There are many topics that can be addressed through the study of rock art, so I think this is a key reason why we should protect it." More recent rock art depictions can also inform, such as the portrayals of Asian and European sailing vessels arriving with their foreign crews. "We always hear the story of the colonial arrival to Australia from the Western perspective,"Dr Domingo Sanz said. "That's one side of the story. What about the other side? They didn't write it down, but they depicted it in the art."
Perth Now
23-06-2025
- General
- Perth Now
Rock art a window into the past that needs protecting
Spanish archaeologist Ines Domingo Sanz cried when she first saw ancient Aboriginal rock paintings in Arnhem Land. Multiple layers of artwork, from very faded to more recent ones in vibrant colours, showed the power of the site that people kept coming back to for thousands of years, she recalls. Dr Domingo Sanz, an international rock art expert, is vice president of the World Archaeological Congress which is meeting in Darwin this week, attracting thousands of delegates. Australia had the longest continuing rock art tradition and protecting ancient art sites was necessary to preserve the identity of Indigenous communities, she said. But preservation was also important to the global community as a window into the human past. Rock art sites in Australia have been dated back to 28,000 years, but it was likely there were sites that went back thousands of years before that, Dr Domingo Sanz said. She has studied world heritage paleolithic rock art sites in Europe and elsewhere and also worked with Flinders University on Australian sites in Arnhem Land. "Rock art is what makes us really human, different to other species because it's the capacity of communicating through images which is something that only humans do," she told AAP. "If we erase this rock art, we are erasing the identity of the people who produced it and the identity of the people who inherited it." The congress would address conflict and its threat to archaeological sites and people's culture through the destruction of cultural heritage to impose power over others, Dr Domingo Sanz said. Industrial threats to rock art, such as mining and energy projects in Australia, could be seen as "a kind of passive war in which you are destroying someone else's heritage", she said. Dr Domingo Sanz said there was technology available to help solve such issues, and mining and energy projects could always be sited away from key ancient sites, which in themselves could become tourist draws. Rock art in Spain cannot by law be destroyed or moved, she said. In May 2020, Rio Tinto's destruction of the 46,000-year-old Juukan Gorge rock shelters in the Pilbara left traditional custodians devastated and caused global outrage, prompting the mining giant to apologise. The Juukan incident was now used in archaeology classes as an example of how not do things Dr Domingo Sanz said. "I hope the example will help to protect other sites." Rock art could teach about changes in species, such as now-extinct thylacines and fish being depicted thousands of years ago, as well as indicate changes in weapons or tools used by ancient peoples, Dr Domingo Sanz said. "There are many topics that can be addressed through the study of rock art, so I think this is a key reason why we should protect it." More recent rock art depictions can also inform, such as the portrayals of Asian and European sailing vessels arriving with their foreign crews. "We always hear the story of the colonial arrival to Australia from the Western perspective,"Dr Domingo Sanz said. "That's one side of the story. What about the other side? They didn't write it down, but they depicted it in the art."
The Age
22-06-2025
- General
- The Age
Archaeologists to talk rock art harm at world congress
Industrial threats to Aboriginal rock art and other ancient sites will be in focus when the World Archaeological Congress meets in Australia for the first time. Hosted by Flinders and Charles Darwin Universities, the week-long conference will welcome thousands of delegates from more than 70 countries to Darwin from Sunday. One of the stated aims of the congress is to advance global policy, 'especially as it relates to the protection of heritage'. The event comes just weeks after the federal government gave Woodside's North West Shelf project – which hosts Australia's biggest gas export plant – the green light to keep operating until 2070. The project on Western Australia's Burrup Peninsula is home to renowned ancient rock art at Murujuga, and the energy giant still has to accept conditions on heritage and air quality before the approval becomes official. Loading Scientists are concerned emissions from the nearby gas plant are eroding rock surfaces and harming the famed petroglyphs at the site. In May 2020, Rio Tinto's destruction of the 46,000-year-old Juukan Gorge rock shelters in the Pilbara left traditional custodians devastated and caused global outrage, prompting the mining giant to apologise. Meanwhile, cultural heritage laws in WA and the Northern Territory have come under fire for not adequately protecting sacred and ancient sites.
