Since 1971, every other year archaeologists and art historians meet in one of Europe’s university cities for the South Asian Archaeology conference, the principal platform for face-to-face scholarly exchange in this special field. The fifteenth meeting of the Association of South Asian Archaeologists was held in Leiden (The Netherlands) from 2 to 6 ]uly, 1999. Its proceedings collect 52 of the papers, covering the variegated arts, crafts, materials and techniques of the subcontinent. Each methodologically rooted in specific disciplines (such as archaeology, art history, epigraphy or numismatics), together these contributions create a vivid image of an impressive civilization that continuously revitalizes itself over a multi-millennia span of time.