| This dissertation addresses several aspects of the study of craft production and social and economic organization during the Iron Age (c. 1200 B.C.E. - 400 B.C.E.) and Early Historic Periods (c. 400 B.C.E. - 400 C.E.) in South India. In particular, I examine the techniques and technologies and the organization of production of semi-precious stone ornaments from Kodumanal, Pattanam, and Kadebakele. In addition, I analyzed a large sample of the ceramic assemblage from Kodumanal, and established a typology and a ceramic chronology based on forms and wares.;Kodumanal was a site of intensive production of beads, finger rings, and ear spool ornaments, primarily in high quality, clear crystalline quartz. I analyzed the beads, ornaments, and production waste excavated from Kodumanal, using methods derived from the chaîne opératoire approach. By classifying the products of the different stages in ornament production, I tracked the nature and intensity of ornament production over time in all the excavated trenches. The results of this approach showed that production of quartz beads and ornaments was carried out to varying degrees in different areas of the habitation at Kodumanal, and the scale of production varied significantly over time. There is evidence of segmentation in the stages of production of semi-precious stone ornament production, which may indicate control over production (Kenoyer 1989, 1991, 1995, 2000).;Though it has long been clear that both Black and Red Ware and bleached carnelian beads were important parts of megalithic ritual and daily life, my analysis shows strong conservatism in the kinds of ornaments and pottery interred in megalithic monuments from the Iron Age to Early Historic period. This is in marked contrast with the changing assemblages of ornaments and ceramics used in daily life and discarded in habitation sites.;The significant conclusions of this research show several broad trends over the course of the Iron Age and Early Historic periods. The economic strategies of craft producers were fluctuating over time, and trade became increasingly regular and systematic. Despite the increasing availability of new forms, styles and materials of ornament, there was strong conservatism in the kinds of material culture interred in megalithic practices. |
