Akash Srinivas
About Me
Born and raised in Bangalore, India, I took a liking to all things old at a very young age. This led me on a path towards archaeology and prehistory. I love all things stones and bones (fossils included), and focus my attention on stone tool technologies of the Palaeolithic. I am interested in figuring out what 'makes us human', and when 'we became human' (in the general sense of the term). This broad interest has taken me to various countries and regions, and lets me indulge in a broad field of interests, including studying stone tool collections, hominin and faunal skeletal elements, geology and landscapes, art and symbolism, as well as theories in archaeological, prehistoric and palaeoanthropological studies.
Current Position
IFRE - Postdoctoral Fellow
Centre for Interdisciplinary Archaeological Research
Ashoka University, Sonipat, INDIA
(1 December, 2023 onwards)
[https://www.ashoka.edu.in/profile/akash-srinvas/]
Adjunct Faculty
Health and Humanities Division
S.L. Bhatia History of Medicine Museum, Library & Archives
St. John's Research Institute, Bangalore, INDIA
(15 April, 2023 onwards)
Research Interests
Palaeolithic archaeology; Palaeoanthropology; prehistory; lithic studies; human evolution, dispersals, adaptations & behaviour; actualistic studies; geoarchaeology; site formation processes; cognition and cognitive archaeology; art and symbolism; application of sciences in archaeology; Plio-Pleistocene environments; Quaternary Sciences; ethnoarchaeology; experimental archaeology; vertebrate palaeontology; archaeological survey and excavation methods; archaeological historiography; archaeological theory; Old World archaeology; South Asian prehistory and archaeology; public archaeology; teaching archaeology; museum studies: documenting and display of archaeological elements, especially prehistoric artefacts; controversies and debates in archaeology.
In short, all things archaeology related (well... maybe except pottery :P ).
Ask An Archaeologist!!
Ever had any questions related to the past?! Curious to find out how archaeologists excavate and discover various details of our history?! Have any doubts about various historical and archaeological claims (especially those from the multiple forwards on WhatsApp and videos shared via YouTube)?! Get all your questions and queries answered by an actual archaeologist!! Contact me by email at: akashsrinivas123 [at] gmail.com, with the subject 'Ask an Archaeologist', and I will do my best to help you with your query!
Fresh off the press!!
Srinivas, A. and N. Lahiri. in press. Report: Peering into the Prehistoric Past of Bandhavgarh National Park, central India. Journal of Lithic Studies 11(1).
Ramanuja, S. and Akash Srinivas. in press. Vasudeva-Kamalaja. Kala: The Journal of Indian Art History Congress, XXVIII (2023-2024).
Srinivas, A. and V. Singh. 2023. Revisiting the ‘Mahadevian’: A typo-technological reanalysis of the lithic assemblages of Mahadeo Piparia, central Narmada basin, Madhya Pradesh, India. Lithic Technology. [https://doi.org/10.1080/01977261.2023.2291228]
Srinivas, A. 2023. Absence does not mean absence: Modern-day land-use and the visibility of the archaeological record (Kibbanahalli Palaeolithic Complex, southern India). In Quaternary Geoarchaeology of India (N. Tiwari, V. Singh and S.B. Mehra eds.). London: Geological Society of London (Special Publications), SP515, pp. 49-63. DOI: 10.1144/SP515-2020-76. [https://www.lyellcollection.org/doi/10.1144/SP515-2020-76]
Srinivas, A. 2021. Towards a Holistic Understanding of the South Asian Palaeolithic Record: The role of core and flake elements in interpretations of lithic techno-complexes. Man and Environment 46(2): 1-15.
Upcoming Engagements
2024: SPAFACON 2024 (Bangkok, THAILAND: 10 June, 2024 to 14 June, 2024)
Session Coordinator, Session 11: ‘Building’ Bridges and ‘Breaking’ Barriers: Actualistic studies and Experimental Archaeology in South and Southeast Asia [https://www.seameo-spafa.org/spafacon2024/session.html]
Srinivas, A., 2024. Palaeolithic Investigations at Morpani, Central Narmada Basin, India at the 8th International Congress of Society of South Asian Archaeology (SOSAA), organised by the Society of South Asian Archaeology, Bihar Museum and the Directorate of Archaeology, Government of Bihar, at Patna, India (4 April, 2024 to 7 April, 2024).
STAY TUNED FOR MORE UPDATES!!