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Papers by Rob Con

Archaeometry, 2008

orientated analyses have focused on artefacts from the region's Historic period. During excavatio... more orientated analyses have focused on artefacts from the region's Historic period. During excavations at the ancient city of Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka, a number of buff ware ceramics with a putative organic coating on the interior were recovered (Coningham 2006). Dated stylistically to between the third and ninth centuries AD , analysis of the coatings using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and stable isotope analysis (carbon and deuterium) confirmed that the coatings are bitumen-an organic product associated with petroleum deposits. There are no known bitumen sources in Sri Lanka, and biomarker distributions and isotopic signatures suggest that the majority of the samples appear to have come from a single bitumen source near Susa in Iran. The relationship between the bitumen coatings and the vessels is discussed, and it is suggested that the coatings were used to seal permeable ceramic containers to allow them to transport liquid commodities. This study enhances our knowledge of networks of trade and exchange between Sri Lanka and western Asia during Historic times.

Archaeometry, 2006

A small burnt ball was recovered in 1995 from the basal fills of a ditch surrounding the Bala His... more A small burnt ball was recovered in 1995 from the basal fills of a ditch surrounding the Bala Hisar, or High Fort, of Charsadda, Pakistan. Associated by Sir Mortimer Wheeler with the siege of the ancient site by Alexander the Great in 327 BCE , the ditch forms part of the city's defensive circuit. Using geochemical and microscopic techniques (X-ray diffraction, micro-FTIR, SEM and GC-MS) the ball is identified as an artificial composite of mineral (mostly barite) and flammable resinous organic matter originating from conifers from the Podocarpaceae, Araucariaceae and Cupressaceae. The physical and chemical nature of the find suggests that the ball was ignited in a fire, although whether this was a deliberate or accidental occurrence is impossible to establish. The analytical data, combined with the archaeological context of the find, leads us to evaluate whether the find represents southern Asia's earliest incendiary missile.

Antiquity, 2002

New survey in the Chitral Valley has doubled the number of recorded Gandharan Grave culture sites... more New survey in the Chitral Valley has doubled the number of recorded Gandharan Grave culture sites in the region and extended their geographical range. The numbers and location of sites indicates that the Gandharan Grave culture was well established in the Chitral valley, suggesting that the valley may have been central to this cultural development, rather than marginal.

South Asian …, 2006

The UNESCO World Heritage site of Anuradhapura is one of Asia's major archaeological and pil... more The UNESCO World Heritage site of Anuradhapura is one of Asia's major archaeological and pilgrimage centres. The walled core of the city measured 100 hectares and was surrounded by a 25 square kilometre spread of monasteries (Seneviratne 1994). The Sri Lankan ...

South Asia: Transformations and Continuities (c. 1900–1200 BCE)

From the Indus to Asoka, c. 6500 BCE–200 CE, 2015

Getting random for looking at reality Katugampola, M.; Gunawardhana, P.; Schmidt, A.; Coningham, R.; Manuel, M.; Simpson, I.; Strickland, K.; Adikari, G

Response to Goonatilake

Antiquity, 2011