Question

Name two foreign archaeologists who played an important role in the discovery of India’s past?

Answer 1

Hint: One of the archaeologists is also known as the father of Indian Archeology.
From 1902 to 1928, the other archaeologist served as Director-General of the Archaeological Survey of India. He was in charge of the excavations that led to the discoveries of Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro, two of the Indus Civilization’s most important cities.

Complete answer:
Archaeologists - The study of human activity via the recovery and examination of material culture is known as archaeology. Although archaeology is frequently thought of as a branch of socio-cultural anthropology, archaeologists also use biological, geological, and environmental systems in their research.

Foreign archaeologists -
Sir Alexander Cunningham -
- Sir Alexander Cunningham undertook numerous archaeological expeditions in northern India's ruins. He unearthed one of the most sacred Buddhist shrines, Sarnath, in 1837, and meticulously drew sketches of the statues.
- He authored numerous books and monographs, as well as amassing significant artefact collections. Some of his collections were lost, but the British Museum purchased the majority of his gold and silver coins, as well as a remarkable collection of Buddhist statues and jewellery, in 1894.
- He was also the father of Allan Cunningham, a mathematician.

Sir John Marshall -
- In 1902, Sir John Marshall, India's Director General of Archaeology, worked to preserve historical buildings and monuments across the country.
- When John Hubert Marshall came to India, he was given a very specific and broad mandate. Marshall was a young man of tremendous talent and a great archaeologist even at that tender age, and he was tasked with preserving the subcontinent's historic heritage.
- The finding of a new civilization in the Indus valley was proclaimed to the world by John Marshall, Director-General of the ASI, in 1924.
- Sir John Hubert Marshall served as Director-General of the Archaeological Survey of India.
The following points will help you understand his contribution to Indian archaeology:
i) He directed the excavations at Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro, two of the Indus Valley Civilization's most important cities.
ii) He declared the discovery of an entirely new civilization, the Indus Valley Civilization. Sanchi Stupa was preserved or conserved thanks to his assistance.


Note: Arsh Ali, India's youngest archaeologist, is only 17 years old and has already accumulated 13 years of experience! Arsh has discovered new evidence tying Ashoka's Dhamma to Egypt in one of his current study papers on the dissemination of Buddhism to Egypt by Ashoka.