6 - Theory of Archaeological Excavation

Summary

For an ASI archaeologist, the trench is the micro-area “where real [asli] archaeology happens.” The director of the Dholavira site underscored for me the ontological authenticity: “Real archaeology is done in the trench. It is in the trench you connect with the ancient civilization. The site is about the big picture. The trench is where you dirty your hands [hum apne haath trench ki mitti mein gande karte hai].” We were cautiously crouching on the floor of a trench in the citadel, with brushes in our hands, clearing up a little patch of earth where a small scatter of carnelian beads had been unearthed. We were on the floor of a mature Harappan room, surrounded on three sides by stone-cut bricks, parts of which were concealed in the balk that cut across the room (Figure 6.1). There was a hearth tucked in one corner of the northeastern wall of the room that had been excavated a few days ago. Half an hour earlier, I was sitting with the director in his mud and thatch hut (boonga) chatting about the state of cricket in India, when a young laborer, gasping for breath, barged into our room and informed us that a necklace had been discovered in the citadel. We rushed to the trench. Upon our arrival, the director pulled out the knife from the back pocket of his trousers and scraped the earth where a few “typical Harappan” carnelian beads were discovered. After a few temperate jabs and mild scratching of the surface, he complimented the trench supervisor:

Good job! I knew this was a very rich trench [English words used]. You will find more antiquity. Take the measurements properly [sahi] and expose this carefully [dhyan se]. Don't dig any more, just clean up. Prepare the subject for photography. I want an in situ picture. This is beautiful evidence [bahut sundar evidence hai].

Soon after, we sat on top of the balk of the half-meter-deep trench. The director had stepped back. He was observing as the trench supervisor got on her knees and carefully exposed the carnelian necklace with a tiny paintbrush and surgical instruments (part of a high school biology dissection-box). The laborers meanwhile were instructed by her to clear the floor of dirt and “prepare the subject for photography.” As we were observing, the director explained, “The trench is the whole and soul of archaeology [English words used].