September 2017: Dr. Marta Ameri: “Ships from Dilmun, Magan and Meluhha:” Ancient South Asia and its Contacts with the West in the 3rd millennium BCE

Sunday, Sept 17, 2017 at 3pm                                                  The Helen H. Loeffler Memorial Lecture

Dr. Marta Ameri

Assistant Professor of Art History, Colby College

“Ships from Dilmun, Magan and Meluhha:” Ancient South Asia and its Contacts with the West in the 3^rd millennium BCE

The Harappan, or Indus Valley, Civilization, which flourished in India and Pakistan in the 3^rd and early 2^nd millennia BCE, is known to us today for its unique craft production and its neatly planned cities of baked brick. To the people of Ancient Mesopotamia, it was known as the land of Meluhha, the furthest destination on a well-traveled maritime route through the Gulf and a source of rare stones, exotic animals, and fine woods. Harappan seals and beads found at Mesopotamian sites point to the reality of these contacts, but also raise questions about their frequency and volume. This talk will present a basic overview of the archaeology and material culture of the Indus Valley civilization and then examine the textual and material evidence for contacts between Mesopotamia, the Gulf and the Indus Valley.

THIS LECTURE WILL BE HELD IN SPIRO HALL ROOM 4 at 3pm, Wagner College, 631 Howard Avenue (1 Campus Road), Grymes Hill, Staten Island, NY 10301

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