Book Review: ANCIENT CHOLISTAN - Archaeology and Architecture

[joe at sfbooks.com]

(A copy of this message has also been posted to the following newsgroups:
sci.archaeology)

Reposting from soc.culture.pakistan.history.

While the following is, patently, a puff piece, and regrettably
uninformative about the book itself (I really wish I could tell whether
this was the truly-at-last full report on Mughal's explorations, or simply
a book about them), the comments on Mughal's work are essentially
unexaggerated, and come from the most respected scholars.

I'll be looking for this book.

Joe Bernstein

From: "Ms. Iraj S. Ali" <iraj at gnu.ai.mit.edu>
Subject: Book Review: ANCIENT CHOLISTAN - Archaeology and Architecture
Message-ID: <moinaE44DIw.Ar8 at netcom.com>
>
>ANCIENT CHOLISTAN: Archaeology and Architecture 
>BY: Mohammad Rafique Mughal
>ISBN 969 0 01350 5.  Copyright @ 1997
>PUBLISHED BY: Ferozsons, 60, Shahrah-e-Quaid-e-Azam, Lahore, Pakistan
>Tel: 042-6301196-98, Fax: 042-6369204
>
>
>    REVIEWS: 
>
>    "This book is a  splendid  report  on   the   pioneering  archaeological
>    research  undertaken  by  Dr.  M.  Rafique   Mughal  in  Cholistan.  His
>    discoveries along the Hakra River have  revolutionized our understanding
>    of the Harappan Civilization. Dr.  Mughal's  contribution to South Asian
>    archaeology ranks with those of  Sir  John Marshall, Ernest J. H. Mackay
>    and M. S. Vats  and  their  excavations  of  Mohenjo-Daro  and  Harappa.
>    Rafique Mughal is our modern day Sir Aurel Stein". 
>
>    Dr. Gregory L. Possehl, Professor  and  Chairman, Dept. of Anthropology,
>    University of Pennsylvania, USA.  In  his  book on Harappan Civilization
>    and Rojdi (1989), he wrote,  "Mughal's  findings on the Pakistan side of
>    the border represent one of the most  impressive archaeological feats of
>    this century in the subcontinent". 
>
>
>    "This  volume  represents  a  monument  in  the  study  of  South  Asian
>    archaeology. Rafique Mughal offers us  a pioneering analysis of Harappan
>    settlement patterns and new  insights  into  the formative processes and
>    nature of the Indus Civilization". 
>    - Dr.  C.  C.  Lamberg-Karlovsky,   Professor  and  Chairman,  Dept.  of
>    Anthropology, Harvard University, USA. 
>
>
>    "This survey is a landmark in  the  history  of  the  archaeology of the
>    Indo-Pakistan  subcontinent,   providing  us  with  a clear image of the
>    evolution of the settlement patterns from the prehistorical periods till
>    the historical time..." 
>    -Dr. Jean-Francois Jarrige, Director, Musee Guimet, Paris France. 
>
>
>    "A magnificent  job  and  a  landmark   accomplishment   not  only  for
>    discovering and recording  so  many  sites  but  for  the  sensitive and
>    meaningful way the author  has  described  them.  Everyone  will have to
>    acknowledge that the scale of contribution of Dr. Mughal is foundational
>    to the whole study of  the  early  human  culture  in  that  part of the
>    subcontinent". 
>    -Professor Walker A. Fairservis  Jr.,Dept  of  Anthropology and History,
>    Vassar College, USA. 
>
>
>    "Mughal's exploration and research  in  this formidable region certainly
>    ranks as an Herculean  accomplishment  and  as one of the most important
>    scholarly contributions to South  Asian  archaeology since the discovery
>    of Mohen-jo-Daro". 
>    -Dr. Louis Flam, in Studies in the  Archaeology  of  India and Pakistan,
>    1986. 
>
>
>    "A brilliant script which has  opened  new chapter of Harappan research.
>    Mughal's careful research and  analysis  will  provide a source of study
>    for generations". 
>    -Dr. Michael Jansen, Professor and Dean, Aachen University, Germany. 
>
>
>
>    ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Dr. Mohammad Rafique Mughal, T.I. 
>
>    The author is an  eminent  archaeologist  and  scholar  of international
>    repute who was awarded Tamgha-i-Imtiaz in recognition of his outstanding
>    contributions. 
>
>    Born  in  1936  at  Gujranwala,  received  MA  degree  in  History  with
>    Archaeology  from  Punjab   University,  Lahore  in  1958,  and Ph.D. in
>    Anthropology from prestigious  University  of Pennsylvania, USA in 1970.
>    As Visiting Professor,  he  taught  at  the  University  of  California,
>    Berkeley,  USA  in  1977,  Pennsylvania   University,  1989  and  Punjab
>    University, 1982 and 1992. He was  appointed  Archaeological  Advisor to
>    the Government of Bahrain for two  years  in  1980. He was also a Senior
>    Fulbright Scholar at the University of Pennsylvania during 1988-89. 
>
>    In Pakistan, he held several positions  in the Department of Archaeology
>    and Museums during his 38  years  long  career  and  finally as Director
>    General of Archaeology  and  Museums  for  about  three  years until his
>    retirement in September 1996. As  field  archaeologist  he organized and
>    directed 40 major archaeological field  projects. His most brilliant and
>    outstanding work was in Cholistan  during  1974-77, the results of which
>    are presented in this book. As director of conservation of monuments and
>    development of museums,  nearly  50  schemes  were  prepared  under  his
>    supervision. 
>
>    He has served on the Boards of several organizations relating to culture
>    and heritage. on the international level,  he is an elected Member of La
>    Societe Asiatique,  Paris;  German   Archaeological  Institute,  Berlin;
>    International Union of  Prehistoric  and  Protohistoric  Sciences,  Gent
>    (Belgium) and Honorary Fellow  of  Society  Antiquarian,  London. He has
>    participated in several  international  symposia and conferences and has
>    traveled extensively. 
>
>    Dr. Mughal has produced number of  research  papers  among which several
>    were published in scholarly journals of England, France, Italy, Germany,
>    USA, Japan, Iran and India.  In  addition,  he  has written six book and
>    more are in press. 
>
>(End)