The Age of Iron in South Asia : Legacy and Tradition

Prof. Vibha Tripathi teaches in the Department of Ancient Indian History, Culture and Archaeology at the Banaras Hindu University. Her areas of interest are Proto-Historic and Early Historic Archaeology. She has contributed to wide ranging subjects, viz. ancient ceramics, metallurgy, drainage pattern, settlement system, socio-cultural history and palaeo-environment. She received her Bachelor?s and Master?s degree from the University of Allahabad and her Ph.D. degree from Banaras Hindu University. She is widely travelled, attending libraries, visiting museums and participating in Seminars in several countries. She has devoted herself to iron age studies for two decades. The present book is an outcome of her sustained interest in this field. Her studies make use of all possible source like literature, ethnography, tradition, scientific analysis besides archaeological data for a holistic reconstruction of the past. Her academic dynamism is also reflected in her active participation in seminars, symposia and workshops on issues related to these themes. There are a large number of research articles to her credit, published in national and international journals of repute. She has authored books like The Painted Grey Ware: An Iron Age Culture of Northern India, Indus Terracottas (co-author), Archaeometallurgy in India (edited volume). Currently she is working on aspects of mining and metallurgy in ancient India in collaboration with engineers of mining and metallurgy departments with a view to explore the contributions India has made in the fields of science and technology.