Review: Harald Hauptmann (2024) Lords of the Mountains, Pre-Islamic Heritage along the Upper Indus in Pakistan, (ed.) Luca Maria Olivieri. Heidelberg University Publishing.

Abstract

This monograph on the history and archaeology of the mountain areas towards the Western Himalayas and beyond, known as Gilgit-Baltistan or formerly ‘Northern Areas of Pakistan’, opens with reference to ‘iha uttarāpatha’ meaning ‘here the upper (northern) path’ (p. 7). It is one of the books of advanced academic value because of its discussions and interpretations on the complex archaeological data. Throughout the book, the debate on the efforts of earlier contributions, and critical analysis based on the field experience and personal observations of Hauptmann are noticeable, providing theoretical results. Therefore, this effort concludes the extensive field activities of the Author in the mountain area of Gilgit-Baltistan, from 1989 until his demise in 2018, continuing the tradition of Karl Jettmar (1918 2002) and Ahmad Hasan Dani (1920-2009).