Illustration by Abro

Although the discipline of archaeology is very old and the Greek historian Thucydides also mentioned old (and ruined) cites of past civilisations, the discipline became modernised and technical in the 18th century when archaeologists excavated a number of ancient civilisations that were buried beneath the earth.

The knowledge of the past extended the domain of history and enriched it with new material that helped society understand the evolutionary process of civilisation.

In the early period, archaeologists were mostly concerned with excavate palaces, temples and mausoleums of rulers and aristocrats. The reason was that such discoveries thrilled the world as the royal monuments displayed the grandeur and glory of past empires and rulers. Moreover, the archaeologists discovered gold and silver and valuable artefacts of the ruling classes which provided enough material (and incentive) for historians to construct the history of the past.

The study of social history has become more popular in recent years

When the tomb of Tutankhaman, the Egyptian Pharaoh was excavated, archaeologists found his treasures which consisted of his crown, gold sarcophagus, vases, jars and other items of daily use. The same process was followed after the discovery of the Mesopotamian, Persian, Greek, Roman and Indus valley civilisations. Archaeologists systematically listed the artefacts found on the sites. Most of these findings are displayed in the different museums of the world.

After exhausting the excavation and research of the royal monuments of the past, the archaeologists turned their attention from the ruling classes to the common people.

It was difficult to excavate the dwellings and houses of common people as they were made of mud bricks and lost form eventually, becoming mounds of earth and leaving behind only a few traces of their existence. However, there were other sources available to construct the history and culture of common people.

For instance, the tools and instruments which archaeologists found in excavations helped them to construct the history of peasants and artisans. Paintings and inscriptions on the walls of temples and pyramids in Egypt became a rich source of information about the daily lives of common people in the ancient times. Some depict the social and cultural life of common people like peasants busy cultivating land, labourers building monuments, while others portray festivals and rituals.

Ancient literature, consisting mostly of epic poems and legends, is yet another source of information. For example, the epic of Gilgamesh, the king of Uruk, narrates the glimpses of the life of common people and their response to the rulers. This legend was found as a cuneiform tablet and is considered one of the oldest works of literature from Mesopotamia.

In the early period, archaeologists were mostly concerned with excavate palaces, temples and mausoleums of rulers and aristocrats. The reason was that such discoveries thrilled the world as the royal monuments displayed the grandeur and glory of past empires and rulers.

Located on the west bank of the Nile, Deir el-Medina, an ancient Egyptian village was excavated in 1922 by a team of archaeologists. The excavations resulted in one of the most comprehensively documented accounts of community life in the ancient world that spans almost 400 years.

Since the houses of the village were not badly damaged, it became possible to construct the daily lives of the villagers. According to this construction, the peasants devoted their time to cultivating land. The women were engaged mostly in domestic work, looked after cattle, ground wheat and cooked food, and in their spare time would engage in weaving and spinning. The houses were built with mud bricks and consisted of one or two rooms with open courtyards. It appeared that the inmates either slept on the roof or in the courtyard. One can also deduce from the findings that the inhabitants of the village cooperated with each other and celebrated seasonal festivals with music and dance.

In the subcontinent, some evidence has also been found of a village near Fatehpur Sikri whose inhabitants were workers who built the capital city of Akbar. Perhaps it would take some time to retrieve the traces of their daily life. These inhabitants must have been artisans who contributed to the fascinating buildings of the city which are still intact and tell the story of their glorious past.

The new trend in archaeology is to unfold and discover the life of ordinary people of the past which is the beginning of shedding light on their contribution in history. In historiography, history from below is becoming popular as are the attempts of archaeologists to retrieve the history of common people whose contribution so far remained unacknowledged.

Published in Dawn, Sunday Magazine, June 7th, 2015

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