Y2 - Technical Talk 7

Details:

Date: Tuesday, 23rd December 2025

Time: 7.00 pm

Topic: Mapping the archaeological heritage of South Asia: Introducing the MAHSA project and its approach to the large-scale mapping and surveying of archaeological sites in the Indus River Basin

 

NOTE - Talk open to all!! 

Guest Speaker:  Cameron Petrie

Abstract

The Mapping Archaeological Heritage in South Asia (MAHSA) project is working alongside a range of stakeholders to document archaeological heritage in an online geospatial database platform using the open-source Arches software. The project aims to provide open access to as much archaeological data as possible, while also transforming the way heritage is managed at both local and national levels.

Pakistan and India each have a rich archaeological heritage, including their being the loci of early instances of ancient urbanism. 

With rapid expansion of modern urbanisation and agriculture in the sub-continent, archaeological heritage is often under acute threat. MAHSA has been working to bring together professionals involved in urban planning, agriculture, and heritage to explore current and future prospects for research, monitoring and collaboration within and between these areas of research and policy.

The talk will provide an overview to the MAHSA project and the challenges it faces in large-scale digital mapping and modelling of heritage data. It focusing on the various software and database applications that aid in creating an open-source database with the goal of making it understandable and reusable, in-line with FAIR data principles, while also following CARE data guidelines. 

About the Speaker

Cameron Petrie is Professor in South Asian and Iranian Archaeology at the Department of Archaeology, University of Cambridge. He has led several large-scale international research projects, most recently as Principal Investigator of the Mapping Archaeological Heritage in South Asia (MAHSA) project. His research primarily focuses on the investigation of ancient complex societies. He is particularly interested in the rise of complexity, the social and economic aspects of state formation, the impact that the growth of states and empires has on subjugated regions, and the relationships between humans and the environment. He has extensive field and research experience at archaeological sites dating from the Neolithic up to the medieval period in India, Pakistan and Iran.