Abstract

In India, archaeological evidence of human presence goes back to very early dates however, very few human skeletal remains have been found prior to 10,000 BP. Archaeological investigations and studies were started after the advent of colonial powers in late 18th century. After independence in 1947 the Archaeological Survey of India and Anthropological Survey of India focused their studies to understand human colonisation of the Indian subcontinent, which resulted into large number of excavations and artefact analyses. Human skeletal remains became an important part of racial classification in the 1960s and 1970s before being gradually used in scientific fields to help understand growth patterns, pathologies and their social and cultural implications, and a wide range of other questions. Present studies are mainly focused on human migrations at different time periods and their impact on the population from various levels. Osteoarchaoelogy in India is becoming more interdisciplinary including molecular biology such as isotopic analysis and is providing new opportunities to know more about population dynamics in the past and present.