Jaya Menon
Areas of Interest & Expertise
- Social Archaeology
- Technology and Craft
- Contemporary Archaeology
- Urbanism
- Heritage
Biography
Jaya has taught archaeology and history since 1996 at The Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda (MSUB), Gujarat; Aligarh Muslim University (AMU), Uttar Pradesh; and, most recently, at Shiv Nadar University.
Jaya pursued PhD was from Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), New Delhi. She has a Master’s degree from Deccan College Post-Graduate and Research Institute, University of Pune, and a Bachelor’s degree from Lady Shri Ram (LSR) College, University of Delhi.
From 2004, she co-directed two archaeological projects, along with Supriya Varma—at the small urban settlement of Indor Khera in Bulandshahr District, Uttar Pradesh, followed by another at Rohana Khurd, in Muzaffarnagar District, Uttar Pradesh that was an archaeological investigation of an ancient village.
Her current project is at Mandu, Madhya Pradesh, where she is part of a team that is documenting and trying to understand the ways in which water was harvested and managed from the medieval to early modern periods.
Jaya is interested in social archaeology, including the archaeology of households and children, as well as issues relating to technology and craft. Her teaching focus has been on contemporary archaeology, aiming to expose students to issues that are of pressing concern in society, such as forced migration, displacement, water, and waste management.
Publications
Book
- Thapar, R., Witzel, M., Menon, J., Friese, K., and Khan, R. (2019). Which of us are Aryans? Rethinking the concept of our origins. Aleph.
Textbook
- Roy, K., Amrit, R., Menon, J., and Varma, S. (2004). Bharat ka itihas. State Council of Educational Research and Training.
Exhibition catalogue
- Cherian, P.J. and Menon, J. (2014). Unearthing pattanam: Histories, cultures, crossings. National Museum, New Delhi.
Journal Articles
- Menon, J. (2023) Household archaeology in South Asia. Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Anthropology. https://doi.org/10.1093/acrefore/9780190854584.013.550.
- Varma, S., Menon, J., and Nair, D. (2021). Ephemeral traces: Archaeology of a medieval rural settlement. The Medieval History Journal, 24 (1 – 2), 281 – 319. https://doi.org/10.1177/09719458211052719
- Pokharia, A.K., Trivedi, A., Tripathi, D., Srivastava, C., Tewari, D.P., Menon, J., Varma, S., Srivastava, A., & Vaishali. (2020). Palaeodiet, palaeoecology and palaeoenvironment during 1200 BCE – 300 CE in the Ganga Plain: A palaeoethnobotanical and palynological approach. The Palaeobotanist, 69, 1 – 25.
- Menon, J., & Varma, S. (2019). Archaeological places: Negotiations between local communities, archaeologists and the state in India. Journal of Social Archaeology 19(2), 141 – 161. https://doi.org/10.1177/1469605319845437
- Varma, S., & Menon, J. (2017). Households at work: An ethnoarchaeological study of variation in ceramic production in North India. Ethnoarchaeology, 9, 3 – 29. https://doi.org/10.1080/19442890.2017.1278862
- Varma, S., & Menon, J. (2016). Terracotta anvils and dabbers from potting households in ancient Indor Khera (Circa 200 BCE – 600 CE). Pratnatattva, 22, 9 – 19.
- Menon, J. (2014). The transmission of craft technologies in the Bronze Age. Studies in People’s History, 1(2), 127 – 141. https://doi.org/10.1177/2348448914549894
- Menon, J., & Varma, S. (2011). Everyday objects, pottery production and non-elite houses in the medieval period at Indor Khera. Journal of History and Social Sciences, II(1).
- Varma, S., & Menon, J. (2011). Craft quarters at the edge of a settlement: Indor Khera 200 BCE — 300 CE. Journal of History and Social Sciences, II(1).
- Menon, J., & Varma, S. (2010). Children playing and learning: Crafting ceramics in ancient Indor Khera. Asian Perspectives 49(1), 85 – 109. https://www.jstor.org/stable/42928773
- Menon, J., & Varma, S. (2010). Reading archaeological evidence: Ceramic and terracotta production at Indor Khera (200 BCE – 500 CE). Indian Historical Review, 37(2), 187 – 216. https://doi.org/10.1177/037698361003700201
- Varma, S., & Menon, J. (2010). Was there a temple under the Babri Masjid? Reading the archaeological evidence. Economic & Political Weekly, XLV(50), 61 – 72. https://www.epw.in/system/files/pdf/2010_45/50/Was_There_a_Temple_under_the_Babri_Masjid_Reading_the_Archaeological_Evidence.pdf
- Menon, J. (2008). Archaeological problems with specialization. Studies in History, 24(1), 137 – 57. https://doi.org/10.1177/025764300702400105
- Varma, S., & Menon, J. (2008). Archaeology and the construction of identities in medieval North India. Studies in History 24(2), 173 – 93. https://doi.org/10.1177/025764300902400202
- Menon, J., Varma, S., Dayal, S., & Sidhu, P.B. (2008). Indor Khera revisited: Excavating a site in the Upper Ganga Plains. Man and Environment, XXXIII(2), 88 – 98.
- Menon, J., Varma, S., Bal, P., Dayal, S., Abid, M., & Ahmed, Z. (2005). Investigation of an early historic site in Uttar Pradesh: Indor Khera. Journal of Interdisciplinary Studies in History and Archaeology, 2(1), 157 – 60.
- Sonawane, V.H, Ajithprasad, P., Bhan, K.K., Krishnan, K., Prathapachandran, S., Majumdar, A., Patel, A., & Menon, J. (2003). Excavations at Bagasra 1996 – 2003: A preliminary report. Man and Environment, XXVIII(2), 21 – 50.
- Menon, J. (2003). Material culture and the construction of identity. Ababhasha, July– September, 64 – 84.
- Varma, S., & Menon, J. (1999). The development of “Harappan Culture” as an archaeological label: A case of Kathiawar. The Indian Historical Review, XXVI, 1 – 22.
- Varma, S., and Menon, J. (1998). Owning a civilization. Summerhill IIAS Review, IV(2), 20 – 21.
- Menon, J. (1995). Craft production in the Harappan Culture. Man and Environment, XX(1), 37 – 55.
Chapters in Edited Books
- Menon, J. & Varma, S. (2022). Work from home: An archaeology of household production. In U. Chakravarti, N. Dayal, B. Jagannathan & S. Singh (Eds.), Of Thieves and Theris, Potters and Pativratas: Essays on Early Indian Social History for Kumkum Roy (pp. 331 – 344). Primus.
- Menon, J. (2019). In the aftermath of the Harappan period (c. 2000 – 500 BCE). In R. Thapar, M. Witzel, J. Menon, K. Friese and R. Khan, Which of Us are Aryans? Rethinking the Concept of our Origins (pp. 94 – 118). Aleph.
- Varma, S., and Menon, J. (2015). Mapping histories and practices of potters’ households in ancient Indor Khera (200 BCE – 500 CE). In K. Roy (Ed.), Looking within, Looking without: Exploring Households in the Subcontinent through Time (pp. 19 – 45). Tulika.
- Varma, S., and Menon, J. (2014). Was there a temple under the Babri Masjid? Reading the archaeological ‘evidence’. In A.G. Noorani (Ed.), Destruction of the Babri Masjid. A National Dishonour (pp. 342 – 360). Tulika.
- Menon, J. (2011). A historian among archaeologists. In P. Patnaik (Ed.), Excursus in History: Essays on some Ideas of Irfan Habib (pp. 133 – 144). Tulika.
- Menon, J. (2008). Archaeology of early historic South Asia: A review. In G. Sengupta and S. Chakraborty (Eds.), Archaeology of Early Historic South Asia (pp. 15 – 38). Pragati Publications and Centre for Archaeological Studies and Training, Eastern India.
- Menon, J. (2006). Technology and tradition: An ethnoarchaeological view. In G. Sengupta, S. Raychoudhury and S. Som (Eds.), Past and Present: Ethnoarchaeology in India (pp. 253 – 67) Pragati Publications and Centre for Archaeological Studies and Training, Eastern India.
- Menon, J. (2005). Urbanism in protohistoric Punjab: Significance of craft production. In R. Grewal (Ed.), Five Thousand Years of Urbanization: The Punjab Region (pp. 39 – 54).Manohar.
- Menon, J., and Varma, S. (2005). Defining tradition: An archaeological perspective. In S. Saberwal and S. Varma (Eds.), Traditions in Motion (pp. 23 – 49). Oxford University Press.
- Menon, J. (2003). Mobility and craft production. In R. Heredia and S. Ratnagar (Eds.), Mobile and Marginal Peoples: Perspectives from the Past (pp. 89 – 120). Manohar.
Chapters in Textbooks
- Menon, J. (2018). Bronze Age Civilizations: Main Features, in Social Formations and Cultural Patterns in the Ancient World, BA History Honours course, Theme III, Unit 7 (pp. 123 – 139). Indira Gandhi National Open University.
- Menon, J. (2017). An introduction to early urbanism, in The Earliest Cities in the Subcontinent. MA course, Urbanization in India, Block 2, Unit 5 (pp. 5 – 13). Indira Gandhi National Open University.
- Menon, J. (2017). Distribution and morphology of Harappan settlements, in The Earliest Cities in the Subcontinent. MA course, Urbanization in India, Block 2, Unit 6 (pp. 14 – 27). Indira Gandhi National Open University.
- Menon, J. (2017). Harappan economy and occupations, in The Earliest Cities in the Subcontinent. MA course, Urbanization in India, Block 2, Unit 7 (pp. 28 – 37). Indira Gandhi National Open University.
- Menon, J. (2017). Harappan urban societies, in The Earliest Cities in the Subcontinent. MA course, Urbanization in India, Block 2, Unit 8 (pp. 38 – 47). Indira Gandhi National Open University.
- Menon, J. (2017). Case study of a major urban centre: Mohenjodaro, in The Earliest Cities in the Subcontinent. MA course, Urbanization in India, Block 2, Unit 9 (pp. 48 – 63). Indira Gandhi National Open University.
- Menon, J. (2007). Bricks, beads and bones, Theme 1 in Themes in Indian History, Part I, Textbook in History for Class XII (pp. 1 – 27). National Council of Educational Research and Training.
- Menon, J. (2006). On the trail of the earliest people, Chapter 2, Our Pasts‑I, Textbook in History for Class VI (pp. 11 – 21). National Council of Educational Research and Training.
- Menon, J. (2006). From gathering to growing food, Chapter 3, Our Pasts‑I, Textbook in History for Class VI (pp. 22 – 31). National Council of Educational Research and Training.
- Menon, J. (2006). In the earliest cities, Chapter 4, Our Pasts‑I, Textbook in History for Class VI (pp. 32 – 42). National Council of Educational Research and Training.
- Menon, J. (2003). Hunting-gathering, farming and pastoral societies, Block 1, Unit 2. School of Social Sciences, Indira Gandhi National Open University.
- Menon, J. (2003). Harappan civilization and other chalcolithic cultures, Block 1, Unit 3. School of Social Sciences, Indira Gandhi National Open University.
Online Articles
- Menon, J. (2017) A bronze age civilization in South Asia. Sahapedia. https://www.sahapedia.org/bronze-age-civilization-south-asia
- Menon, J. (2015). A home on the hill. Journal of Literature and Art, Shiv Nadar University. Bodaki Crossing. http://bodakicrossing.snu.edu.in/index.html
- Menon, J. (2015). Unearthing Pattanam: Histories, Cultures, Crossings. Sahapedia. https://www.sahapedia.org/unearthing-pattanam
Reports
- Menon, J., and Varma, S. (2016). Excavation at Rohana Khurd, District Muzaffarnagar, Uttar Pradesh, Indian Archaeology 2011-12 — A Review (pp. 94 – 105). Archaeological Survey of India.
- Menon, J., and Varma, S. (2016). Excavation at Indor Khera, District Bulandshahr, Uttar Pradesh, Indian Archaeology 2005-06 — A Review (pp. 102 – 103). Archaeological Survey of India.
- Menon, J., and Varma, S. (2015). Excavation at Indor Khera, District Bulandshahr, Uttar Pradesh, Indian Archaeology 2008-09 — A Review (pp. 102 – 114). Archaeological Survey of India.
- Menon, J., and Varma, S. (2014). Exploration at Indor Khera, District Bulandshahr, Uttar Pradesh, Indian Archaeology 2004-05 — A Review (pp. 156 – 59). Archaeological Survey of India.