Sharada’s research primarily lies in the reconstruction of past human-animal and human-environment inter-relationships through the scientific study of bioarchaeological remains. She has analysed faunal remains from more than a dozen sites in India and Europe to delineate the sites’ prehistoric and protohistoric animal utilisation strategies and their taphonomic trajectories. Currently, she is researching the Indus Civilization’s worked bone industry and palaeoproteomics of archaeofaunal remains.
Research Interests: Archaeozoology, Environmental Archaeology, Experimental Archaeology, Application of Sciences in Archaeology
Education:
BA: Mysore University, 2004
MA: Deccan College, Pune, 2006
MSc: Sikkim Manipal University, 2010
MSc: University of Ferrara, Italy and National Museum of Natural History, Paris, France, 2013
Double PhD: Deccan College, Pune (2014); University of Ferrara, Italy and National Museum of Natural History, Paris, France (2018).
Selected Publications:
Recent publications (last 4 years):
2020. A. Pineda, S. Channarayapatna, G. Lembo, C. Peretto, P. Saladie and U. Thun Hohenstein. A taphonomic and zooarchaeological study of the early Middle Pleistocene 3 colluvio level from Isernia La Pineta (Molise, Italy), Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports, 33
2019. U. Thun Hohenstein., S. Channarayapatna, F. D’Argenio, F. Grandi, and C. Peretto. Nuovi Dati Archeozoologici dal Sito di Isernia La Pineta (Molise, Italia). In Atti 8° Convegno Nazionale di Archeozoologia, Lecce, 2015, 3-12. ISBN: 978-88-8305-148-7. Doi: 10.1285/i9788883051487p3.
2018. S. Channarayapatna*, G. Lembo, C. Peretto and U. Thun Hohenstein, Application of GIS to study the distribution of select taphonomic agents and their effects on the faunal remains from 3 Colluvium level of Isernia La Pineta. Quaternaire 29 (1): 31-38.
2018. S. Channarayapatna, P. Valensi and U. Thun Hohenstein, Archaeozoological analyses of large mammals from the prehistoric cave site of Lazaret, France: A case study of Archaeostratigraphic Unit 28. Actas de las IX Jornadas de Jovenes en Investigacion Arqueologica, 399- 407.
2017. U. Thun Hohenstein, M. Bertolini, S. Channarayapatna, M. Modolo and C. Peretto, Bone retouchers from two north Italian Middle Palaeolithic sites: Riparo Tagliente and Grotta della Ghiacciaia, Verona. In: Hutson, J.M., García-Moreno, A., Noack, E., Turner, E., Villaluenga, A., Gaudzinski-Windheuser, S., (Eds.), The Origins of Bone Tool Technologies, Band 35. Römisch-Germanisches Zentralmuseums, Mainz, 235-250.
Recent presentations (last 4 years):
2019. Channarayapatna, S, and A. M. Moigne. “How much can animal teeth tell us? Reconstructing aspects of animal utilization, palaeodiet, and taphonomy through dental mesowear studies.” Paper presented at the Joint Annual Conference of Indian Archaeological Society (IAS), Indian Society for Prehistoric and Quaternary Studies (ISPQS) and History and Culture Society (HCS), Trivandrum, India, November.
2019. Channarayapatna, S. “Quantity vs Context: Interpreting the Remains of Principal Domesticates from the Mature Harappan Household Complexes at Farmana.” Paper presented at the 8 th Postgraduate Zooarchaeology Forum (Working group of the International Council of Archaeozoology) Conference, Yerevan, Armenia, 21 -23 June.
2019. Ravishankar., Joglekar. P., and Channarayapatna, S. Worked bone assemblage from Periods I-III (pre and post iron) of Agiabir, Uttar Pradesh, India: An experimental approach. Poster presented at the 13th meeting of worked bone research group, University of Montréal, Canada, October
2018. Thun Hohenstein, U., Channarayapatna, S., and Moigne, A. M. Assessing prehistoric bison exploitation at the Palaeolithic sites of Isernia La Pineta (Italy) and Caune de l’Arago (France) through a study of their dental remains. Paper presented at the XIII Conference of International Council of Archaeozoology, Ankara, Turkey, September.
2018. Channarayapatna, S and Joglekar, P. P. Wild fauna utilisation strategies in the Eastern Domain during the Early, Mature and Late Harappan Period: new methods and fresh perspectives. Paper presented at the XXIV Conference of European Association for South Asian Archaeology and Art, Naples, Italy, July.
2018. Channarayapatna, S., Lembo, G., Peretto, C., and Thun Hohenstein, U. Understanding the post-depositional taphonomic history of faunal remains from the 3 colluvium level of Isernia La Pineta (Molise, Italy) through GIS application. Poster presented at the 4th Annual Meeting of Prehistory and Protohistory- IAPP: Application of emerging technologies to Italian Palaeolithic and Mesolithic case-studies, Department of Humanities, Ferrara, Italy, February.
2018. Channarayapatna, S and Joglekar, P. P. Biometry and diversity: application of some analytical methods and statistical tools to archaeofauna from the Eastern Domain of the Harappan civilization. Paper presented at the VII Conference of Postgraduate Zooarchaeology Forum, Palermo, Italy, June.
2018. Channarayapatna, S., Thun Hohenstein, U and Peretto, C. Reviewing human subsistence strategies at the Lower Palaeolithic site of Isernia La Pineta (Molise, Italy) through recent archaeozoological investigations on large mammals. Paper presented at the XVIII International Union of the Prehistoric and Protohistoric Sciences, Paris, France, June.
Work Experience:
Assistant Professor, Indian Institute of Technology Gandhinagar (Feb 2019 – present)
Research Fellow, Department of Humanities, Universita’ degli Studi di Ferrara, Italy (2015-2018)