Near Eastern Seminar Series (NESS) | Dr Michael Spate
Dr Michael Spate
Reconstructing 4000 years of agro-pastoralist niche construction and land use in the Kashmir Valley
Despite its relatively isolating geography, the Valley of Kashmir in the Western Himalayas has an archaeological and historical record that can include some of the oldest Neolithic farming villages in the region, (reported) conferences crucial for the formulation and spread of Silk Road Buddhism and some of the oldest chronologically focussed written histories in South Asia that stretch into geologicalmythological time with surprising accuracy. As a result of these rich archives, studies have tended to focus on site specific (biggest, oldest) archaeologies or on major historical events, with little attention paid to intervening periods, generally considered to be periods of widespread societal collapse.
Dr Michael Spate has recently completed his PhD thesis at the University of Sydney. His research aims to understand long term patterns of environmental change and human adaptation in Central and South Asia using geoarchaeological and palaeobotanical methods. He is currently engaged in ongoing research projects in Kashmir and has previously undertaken fieldwork in Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan.
More information
Please contact Holly Winter
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Everyone is welcome to attend the Near Eastern Seminar Series.
Where
On Zoom
If you haven’t received an email with the Zoom meeting details, please click here to register your interest in the seminar series.
When
24 August 2020, 4:00-5:00pm
The Department of Archaeology is part of the School of Philosophical and Historical Inquiry (SOPHI).