Dimensions of Imperial Control: The Vijayanagara Capital

Sinopoli, Carla M.; Morrison, Kathleen D.

doi:10.1525/aa.1995.97.1.02a00110

Cited by 98 publications

(32 citation statements)

References 28 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Archaeological research on the later medieval period in North India has been due, and remains largely limited to, the works of Ramanlal N. Mehta (1979). For recent research on Vijayanagara, see Sinopoli and Morrison (1995). 23.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Finding the “Early Medieval” in South Asian Archaeology

Hawkes¹

2014

asi

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The concept of an “early medieval” period (c. 600–1300 c.e. ) in the study of South Asia’s past is well established, yet remains ill defined and poorly understood. As a result, debates regarding grand explanative frameworks, not to mention the meaning and use of the term medieval, have dominated the study of the period. Important though these concerns are, what underpins them, and something that is rarely considered, is how sources and methodologies affect the study of the period. Historiographic review of scholarship on the early medieval reveals that from its inception, the period has been studied exclusively through the examination of documentary sources and monumental remains within the fields of history, literary and religious studies, and art history. Archaeology has been used to support historical theories, largely in order to provide further empirical “proof ” of a perceived decline in trade and urbanism. The continued use of archaeological evidence in this way has meant that the full potential of archaeological inquiry has not been fulfilled, and the impetus for new archaeological research has been stifled. As a result, the early medieval is arguably the most poorly represented period archaeologically in the entire subcontinent. Critical assessment of the limited amount of archaeological evidence that does exist reveals a number of methodological and theoretical concerns that bring into question its applicability and use. These shortcomings not only force one to question historical interpretations, but also limit what can be said, archaeologically, about the period. It is argued that many of the wider uncertainties surrounding the definition and meaning of the early medieval stem from this absence of archaeological research. What is urgently needed is a revitalization of the archaeological approach to the study of the period; some ways are suggested in which this might be achieved in terms of methodological approaches, and questions that could be asked.

show abstract

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Finding the “Early Medieval” in South Asian Archaeology

Hawkes¹

2014

asi

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…In the latter sample, local elites, individual donors, and organized groups seem more important. This differential view of royal, official, and local elite activity should have a direct bearing on ongoing historical debates about the nature of Vijayanagara political authority and control, showing the differential fields of action for different categories of elites (Kulke, 1995;Sinopoli and Morrison, 1995).…”

Section: Disciplinary Traditions Of Analysis: Field Techniquementioning

confidence: 99%

“…The impressive architectural and archaeological remains of the city have been a focus of research for nearly a hundred years (Michell, 1985; for a review see . Outside the city, the Vijayanagara metropolitan survey project has conducted regional survey and test excavations Sinopoli and Morrison, 1995) in the countryside surrounding the capital. The historical record of the Vijayanagara period (e.g., Gopal, 1985aGopal, , b, 1990Filliozat, 1973;Krishnaswami Ayyangar 1919;Nilakanta Sastri and Venkataramanayya, 1946) is neither primitive ethnography nor narrative account but is, instead, a spatially and temporally variable database recording the social and economic transactions of multiple, often competing interests.…”

Section: The Vijayanagara Empire and Inscriptional Datamentioning

confidence: 99%

Inscriptions as artifacts: Precolonial south india and the analysis of texts

Morrison

Lycett

1997

J Archaeol Method Theory

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

This paper examines one assemblage of texts from southern India, stone inscriptions of the ldjayanagara period, and considers both how these texts have been studied and how that history of research has structured our understanding of the past. We ask how these texts might be interpreted differently, (1) under different conditions of sampling and recovery, with a specific focus on in-field locations of inscriptions, and (2) as sources of information combined with archaeological data. We suggest that traditional source-side criticism of texts might be profitably expanded routinely to include contextual analysis, such as archaeologists apply to studies of artifacts.

show abstract

“…Settlement pattern archaeology is extremely limited. Sharma's (1991, p. 17) observation that there has been no study of rural habitations associated with Medieval cities is contradicted by only one well-published example, that of the extensive survey of the Vijayanagara region (Morrison, 1990(Morrison, , 2000Sinopoli and Morrison, 1995). Textual sources are abundant, including numerous inscriptions related to temple donations that provide detailed evidence for economic configurations (e.g., Heitzman, 1997;Stein, 1960).…”

Section: Urban Developments Of the Medieval Periodmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Archaeology of South Asian Cities

Smith

2006

J Archaeol Res

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Urbanism in the Indian subcontinent occurred in three distinct time periods in which cultural cohesion over large regions is archaeologically demonstrated through the architecture and artifacts of social, ritual, and economic activity. In the Indus (2500-1900 B.C.) and Early Historic (3rd century B.C. to 4th century A.D.) periods, cities were not necessarily tied to political territories or guided by strong political leaders, but by the Medieval period (after the 9th century A.D.), urban zones were the base for political growth, warfare, and aggrandizement. The comparison of these three eras is undertaken within a framework for defining cities that balances quantitative criteria such as population size and areal extent with two types of qualitative criteria: internal specialization on the basis of materials found within archaeological sites, and external specialization on the basis of data recovered through regional analysis. Cities from the three eras also are evaluated from the perspective of the ordinary inhabitant through the examination of the social, religious, and economic factors that prompted and rewarded urban residence. While the Indus and Early Historic cities were attractive because of the networks of opportunity found there, Medieval cities additionally benefitted from a "push" factor as ordinary inhabitants allied themselves to urban areas in times of political stress and uncertainty.

show abstract

Dimensions of Imperial Control: The Vijayanagara Capital

Cited by 98 publications

References 28 publications

Finding the “Early Medieval” in South Asian Archaeology

Finding the “Early Medieval” in South Asian Archaeology

Inscriptions as artifacts: Precolonial south india and the analysis of texts

The Archaeology of South Asian Cities

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About