RESEARCHES IN MEDIEVAL ARCHAEOLOGY (HB)

The essays in this volume focus on the surviving remains in India of pre-modern public buildings like sarais, bridges and water-works of different types as well as masonry structures meant to extract Indigo or sugar from plants. Much of this evidence is significant for the study of economic history as well as war technology of the post-turkish conquest Phase. The attempt here is to present this evidence in the perspective of the evolving production technology which appears to have received an impetus with the establishment of Turkish rule. The archaeological data cited in this collection of essays indicate the presence of extensive pre-modern remains along the Mughal highways, many of which have not been recorded so far. These, as well as the remains of medieval water works of different types, make for very promising objects of study for archaeologists as well as students of economic history interested in determining the factors responsible for Indias sluggish transition to modernity. Often found at ground level in the proximity of small towns, these remains are prone to be damaged or even obliterated by the ongoing process of urban expansion and, therefore, they need to be properly listed and brought under the protection of the archaeological survey of India.