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2026
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.19825984 |
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| author | gemsofindology |
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| contents | <p class="MsoNormal">This study asks how pre-modern Indian domestic systems structured environmental and microbial exposure in the absence of formal microbiological knowledge. It investigates whether the integration of architecture, behavioral norms, material selection, and temporal practices produced consistent, analyzable effects on contamination pathways and microbial persistence.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">The study employs a functional-analytical methodology combining archaeological evidence from Indus Valley sites such as Mohenjo-daro and Rakhigarhi, textual prescriptions from normative literature, ethnographic observations of domestic practice, and contemporary research in environmental health and microbiome science. Through spatial reconstruction, behavioral mapping, and functional correlation, it identifies how domestic environments regulated flows of materials and contact without inferring explicit scientific intent.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">The findings demonstrate that domestic systems operated as <strong>layered frameworks of exposure regulation</strong>. Architectural sequencing created gradients of environmental contact; thresholds and behavioral norms filtered entry; courtyards mediated airflow and solar exposure; kitchens transformed microbial states through heat and fermentation; water systems enabled continuous cleansing; material choices such as copper and ash introduced passive antimicrobial effects; and temporal practices regulated controlled food transformation. Together, these elements structured exposure rather than eliminating it.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">The study contributes to the field by introducing the concept of <strong>cultural microbial governance</strong>, defined as the distributed regulation of human–environment interaction through embedded practices. This framework bridges archaeology, anthropology, and environmental health, offering a non-presentist account of how pre-modern systems achieved functional regulation without recourse to modern scientific knowledge.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><strong>Keywords:</strong> <span>Keywords </span>Cultural microbial governance; Environmental exposure; Domestic architecture; Indus Valley Civilization; Built environment; Microbiome; Material culture; Behavioral regulation<span>Top of Form</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span>Bottom of Form</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> </p> |
| format | Recurso digital |
| id | zenodo_https___doi_org_10_5281_zenodo_19825984 |
| institution | Zenodo |
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| publishDate | 2026 |
| publisher | Zenodo |
| record_format | zenodo |
| spellingShingle | Not Ritual, but Regulation: Domestic Space and the Governance of Environmental Exposure in Pre-Modern India gemsofindology Cultural microbial governance Environmental exposure Domestic architecture Indus Valley Civilization Built environment Microbiome Material culture Behavioral regulation <p class="MsoNormal">This study asks how pre-modern Indian domestic systems structured environmental and microbial exposure in the absence of formal microbiological knowledge. It investigates whether the integration of architecture, behavioral norms, material selection, and temporal practices produced consistent, analyzable effects on contamination pathways and microbial persistence.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">The study employs a functional-analytical methodology combining archaeological evidence from Indus Valley sites such as Mohenjo-daro and Rakhigarhi, textual prescriptions from normative literature, ethnographic observations of domestic practice, and contemporary research in environmental health and microbiome science. Through spatial reconstruction, behavioral mapping, and functional correlation, it identifies how domestic environments regulated flows of materials and contact without inferring explicit scientific intent.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">The findings demonstrate that domestic systems operated as <strong>layered frameworks of exposure regulation</strong>. Architectural sequencing created gradients of environmental contact; thresholds and behavioral norms filtered entry; courtyards mediated airflow and solar exposure; kitchens transformed microbial states through heat and fermentation; water systems enabled continuous cleansing; material choices such as copper and ash introduced passive antimicrobial effects; and temporal practices regulated controlled food transformation. Together, these elements structured exposure rather than eliminating it.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">The study contributes to the field by introducing the concept of <strong>cultural microbial governance</strong>, defined as the distributed regulation of human–environment interaction through embedded practices. This framework bridges archaeology, anthropology, and environmental health, offering a non-presentist account of how pre-modern systems achieved functional regulation without recourse to modern scientific knowledge.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><strong>Keywords:</strong> <span>Keywords </span>Cultural microbial governance; Environmental exposure; Domestic architecture; Indus Valley Civilization; Built environment; Microbiome; Material culture; Behavioral regulation<span>Top of Form</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span>Bottom of Form</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> </p> |
| title | Not Ritual, but Regulation: Domestic Space and the Governance of Environmental Exposure in Pre-Modern India |
| topic | Cultural microbial governance Environmental exposure Domestic architecture Indus Valley Civilization Built environment Microbiome Material culture Behavioral regulation |
| url | https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.19825984 |