Programme Head: Sharada Srinivasan

The Heritage Studies at NIAS is a multi-disciplinary programme which seeks to locate the aspect of tangible and intangible heritage, materials heritage and surviving craft practices and related technological dimensions within the educational and academic discourses in social sciences and humanities. It also makes important linkages to science and technology and explores the ramifications for science and civilisation and science and society. Topics of research include archaeological sciences and the applications of scientific techniques in the study of archaeological artefacts, art objects and heritage and the study of materials heritage in particularly archaeometallurgy, the study of metal artefacts, metal working and production and extractive metallurgy and geo-archaeology. The heritage of iron and steel production and bronze casting are especially explored. Ethnographic, ethno-archaeological and social anthropological studies on traditional metal crafts are attempted keeping in mind also the broader issues of sustainability. An extension to conservation involving preservation and restoration of cultural heritage assets is new research theme An India (DST)- Taiwan (NSC) bilateral Symposium on Technology for Preservation and Restoration of Heritage Artefacts and Architecture Design will be held in Taipei in June 2012. The use of space-based applications in the study and documentation of archaeological and heritage sites forms another significant theme. The implications of the use of digital technologies in heritage studies have been recently initiated. Material culture is studied from a range of contexts including Chola and Vijayanagara bronzes and sculpture, megalithic cultures and metal artefacts, Harappan archaeometallurgy, early historic sites such as the Indo-Roman trading port of Pattanam, pre-industrial iron and steel and high-carbon wootz steel from antiquity. Projects range from the UKIERI-I project in collaboration with Exeter University in archaeometallurgy which used multi-disciplinary approaches such as archaeometallurgical survey, GIS techniques in archaeology, materials characterisation and ethnoarchaeology, and UKIERI-II project for PhD in the area of Intangible histories (including topics in archaeology and drama) to the DST supported India Digital Heritage project which also has as its aim the setting up of a knowledge resource for Hampi. The NIAS Heritage Studies programme is working in partnership with numerous national and international institutions including Indian Institute of Science, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Exeter University, Kerala Council for Historical Research, Oxford Research Laboratory for History of Art and Archaeology, Archaeological Survey of India, British Museum, University of Chicago, Tokyo University of Arts, Toyoma University, University of Michigan and University of Chicago, USA.

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