Speaking Archaeologically™

Archaeology, ancient history and stone tools: how fascinating do all these words sound to you? Well, they certainly do to me or to anyone at Speaking Archaeologically, a.k.a. the College History Association that has gone too far. Which is why, on the fine Sunday morning of August 11, 2019, as Lord Indra of the Vedas  showered his blessings on his human subjects relentlessly, I headed towards the Natural History Museum in Chandigarh.  It was a nostalgic feeling for me, as the venue for workshop was near my Alma mater. As a student of arts, I had attended numerous workshops, but this one was going to be different, as this one was about stone tools and not much artsy. I was excited as this was the first workshop of the season 2019-2020 at Speaking Archaeologically conducted by one of the members of the Research Wing, Mayank Singh.  We were asked to come prepared with graphs, pencils and tracing papers in advance, so I did. As I stepped into the museum, I saw a group of...

"Imagine standing in a room in a large museum. As you look around the dimly lit gallery, you begin to recognize shapes: a basket, an arrow, a beautifully decorated carving, a shield. Some of the objects are unrecognizable to you. What if these objects could speak? What would they tell you about themselves? How have they been used? Where did they come from? How did they get to this museum? Who do they belong to?"                                                                                                                    - Ari Berk and Carolyn Dunn It was a typical cozy, warm Sunday morning, with the air resplendent with festive vibes, perfect for catching up on all that lost sleep. Yet I ...