Ethnoarchaeology of Odisha Pottery and Potters’ in Sundar River Valley

This book stands as a significant contribution to the field of Ethnoarchaeology, precisely because it moves beyond the static analysis of sherds and shapes to embrace the “living” history of material culture. By adopting a multidisciplinary lens, the work successfully navigates the complex intersection of anthropology, history, and archaeology, positioning ethnoarchaeology not merely as a sub-discipline, but as a vital bridge for reconstructing past human behaviours. The narrative arc of the book is particularly commendable. By grounding the reader first in the global evolution of ethnoarchaeology and the pivotal role of ceramic studies, it establishes a theoretical rigour that validates the subsequent regional focus. The transition into the Sundar River Valley is seamless; the author provides a necessary environmental and historical context that explains why this specific landscape became a crucible for ceramic development. By integrating data from excavated sites in Odisha, the book provides a diachronic perspective, allowing the reader to see the “cultural sequence” not as a series of disconnected layers, but as a continuous technological evolution. As the book is incomplete without the description ethnographic uses of pottery, so one chapter is purely demonstrating the socio-religious and cultural dimension of pottery in present context solely focus on the potter’s community. In the concluding remarks the book highlighted some of the major issues which could be taken up for further research by the scholar or person interested for ethnography or ethnoarchaeological work.

 Dr. Kshyeera Sagara Rana, M.A. M.Phil, UGC NET, Ph.D (North-Eastern Hill University, Shillong) is currently working as the Assistant Professor of History in Government Autonomous College, Phulbani under Berhampur University. He has over 5 years of experience in teaching and contributed more than 10 research papers in various national and international journals including UGC- CARE, Peer-Review & SCOPUS. For his outstanding contribution in the field of research work, he got the Professor M. Athar Ali Memorial Prize for the best paper submitted at the Session of Indian history congress 80th Session held at Kunnur University, Kerala, 28th-30th December, 2019 and Professor Jagannath Pattnaik Memorial Young Historian Award from Odisha History Congress 45th Annual Session held at Maa Manikeswari University, Bhawanipatna, Kalahandi on 30th-31st January 2026.