The Archaeological Research and Conservation Program India and Pakistan (ARCPIP) 2012-2014 is a new Track 2 grant supported by the US Department of State that is being led by Dr. J. M. Kenoyer from the University of Wisconsin in collaboration with Hazara University in Pakistan and Maharaja Sayajirao University in Baroda. Archaeologists and conservation specialists at from all three institutions will engage in collaborative research, including excavation and artifact analysis, museum development and outreach, and conservation of structural remains and artifacts.
The project will encourage the participation of women faculty, staff, and students in the excavations and in the analysis, conservation, and display of the newly discovered objects. Websites with updates of current and future projects are being developed and linked between all three institutions. This is the first collaborative archaeological and conservation project involving Indian, Pakistani, and US scholars and students.
In December 2012 and January 2013, Kenoyer spent a month in India followed by a month in Pakistan during which he worked closely with the Indian and Pakistani partners to plan collaborative projects. Two Indian scholars (one woman) were able to spend 20 days in Pakistan interacting with the faculty and students from Hazara University during February and March. Additional scholars from both India and Pakistan will be traveling to the partner institution to interact with colleagues and visit historical sites.
This project has the potential to bring together multiple lines of archaeological research on the languages, cultures, religions and socio-economic developments of ancient South Asia. The scholars involved in the project have been working towards this goal for many years and their commitment to collaborative research will ensure that this type of collaboration continues in the future. Thanks to connectivity through the internet, it will be possible to sustain direct interaction regardless of brief fluctuations in accessibility due to travel restrictions.