History BA (Hons) Semester II : Course Pack , University of Delhi

231 Pages·2012·2.847 MB·English

by  Express Learning

HISTORY
BA (Hons) Semester II
Course Pack
University of Delhi
Papers
(cid:132) Ancient India II
(cid:132) Social Formations and Cultural Patterns
of the Ancient and Medieval World
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Copyright © 2012 Dorling Kindersley (India) Pvt. Ltd.
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ISBN 9788131786444
eISBN 9789332511576
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Contents
Preface v
Part I: Ancient India II 1
1 Economy and Society (circa 300 bce–ce 300) 3
2 Changing Political Formations (circa 300 bce–ce 300) 36
3 Towards Early Medieval India (circa ce 400–750) 73
4 Religion, Philosophy, and Society (circa 300 bce–ce 750) 107
5 Cultural Developments (circa 300 bce–ce 750) 128
Part II: Social Formations and Cultural Patterns
of the Ancient and Medieval World 153
6 Roman Republic, Principate, and Empire 155
7 Religion and Culture in Ancient Rome 166
8 Crises of the Roman Empire 171
9 Economic Developments in Europe from
the 7th to the 14th Centuries 174
10 Religion and Culture in Medieval Europe 195
11 Societies in Central Islamic Lands 204
Bibliography 219
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Preface
Th e aim of this book is to give our students a complete overview of the course
which they are going to study in the 1st year in the form of question and
answer. We have also attempted to make students aware of the kind of ques-
tions that they are going to face in their examinations. Th is book covers the
topics of Semester II.
Questions from each chapter have been explained in detail taking refer-
ences from relevant books and articles. We have not been able to use photo-
graphs and other illustrations in this edition due to time constraint, but we
will try to include them in the next volume. We have tried to give a whole-
some view of the course by attempting all possible type of questions that can
be asked to students. We hope students will be benefi ted from our eff ort and
be able to understand the course easily.
Th e fi rst year course in Semester I covers the Paper I ‘Ancient India I’ up
to circa 300 bce and it also covers Paper II ‘Social Formations and Cultural
Patterns of the Ancient World’. It addresses the time period from the beginning
of Human Evolution till Ancient Greek Civilization. Semester II covers Paper I
‘Ancient India II’ till 750 ce and it also covers Paper II ‘Social Formations and
Cultural Patterns of the Ancient and Medieval World.’ It covers the syllabus
till the rise of societies in Central Islamic Lands and various aspects of the
historical developments. Sources for the study of both the courses have been
discussed in detail. Chapters have been divided into diff erent topics and sub-
topics so that the students can easily distinguish with the matter.
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I
Ancient India II
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1
Economy and Society
(circa 300 – 300)
BCE CE
EXPANSION OF AGRARIAN ECONOMY: PRODUCTION RELATIONS
1. Discuss the important changes that took place in agriculture and
irrigation between circa 200 BCE and 300 CE.
Th e post-Mauryan period is important in terms of the expansion of
agriculture beyond Ganges valley into the hitherto forested and virgin
territories—Deccan, Eastern India, and in peninsular India. For a long time
it was believed that these changes in society and economy were due to the
highly centralized Mauryan state’s deliberate interventions (see Sastri, 2000
[1955]; Majumdar, 1998 [1952]). Recent writings no more accept this view
of a highly centralized state-polity maintaining a socio-cultural uniformity
across the length and width of the empire. Instead it is now argued that
Magadha acted as a metropolitan state, and the core area of the empire com-
prised the erstwhile states (Avanti, Gandhara, Kosala, etc.), where state con-
trol was eff ectively established. Th e peripheral areas—e.g., Deccan, Eastern,
and Peninsular India—had less eff ective control of the Mauryan state. Th e
Mauryan Empire comprised varied socio-economic and political systems,
ranging from forest tribes, chieft aincies, erstwhile oligarchic (gana-sanghas)
and monarchical states. Th e Mauryans did not attempt to establish the uni-
form pattern; rather they were more interested in revenue collection coming
from these varied systems (see Th apar, 1981). It also stimulated the expan-
sion of agricultural and commercial activities in the peripheral regions. Th e
region lying beyond the Ganges valley, in Mauryan and post-Mauryan times,
experienced the expansion of agriculture and internal transformation of for-
est tribes. Th erefore, in order to understand the changes in these peripheral
regions, one needs to understand the indigenous socio-political and eco-
nomic developments in relation to Mauryan infl uences. In diff erent regions,
the patterns of change were diff erent. Th e same is true with the infl uence of
Mauryas,the impact of which varied from region to region. For example, the
northern Deccan was ecologically and culturally diff erent from Andhra and
Karnataka. Where the later experienced the megalithic settlements, the for-
mer had none of it. It is noticeable that Ashokan edicts mention about the
troublesome forest people (atavi) of central India. Th e same people arealso
mentioned in the Allahabad prasasti of Samudragupta as being the forest
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