India: The Ancient Past: A History of the Indian Subcontinent from c. 7000 BCE to CE 1200

495 Pages·2016·14.52 MB·English

by  Burjor Avari

India: The Ancient Past
India: The Ancient Past provides a clear and systematic introduction to the
cultural, political, economic, social and geographical history of ancient India from
the time of the pre-Harappan culture 9,000 years ago up until the beginning of the
second millennium of the Common Era. Through topics such as the Indus-
Saraswati civilisation, Vedic and heterodox religions, the political economy, and
social life in the Indian kingdoms, the book engages with methodological and
controversial issues.
This fully revised and updated second edition includes:
• three new chapters examining the differences and commonalities between the
north and the south of India; • extended discussion on contested issues, such as
the origins of the Aryans and the role of feudalism in ancient India; • new
source excerpts to introduce students to the most significant works in the
historiography of India, and questions for discussion; • study guides, including
a list of key issues, suggested readings and a selection of Internet sources for
each chapter; • specially designed maps to illustrate different time periods and
geographical regions.
This richly illustrated guide provides a fascinating account of the early
development of Indian culture and civilisation that will appeal to all students of
Indian history.
Burjor Avari MBE is Honorary Research Fellow in the Department of History at
Manchester Metropolitan University. He has taught history at school and
university levels for over five decades. His previous publications include Islamic
Civilization in South Asia: A History of Muslim Power and Presence in the Indian
Subcontinent (Routledge, 2013).
India: The Ancient Past
A history of the Indian subcontinent from c. 7000 BCE to
CE 1200
Second edition
Burjor Avari
Second edition published 2016
by Routledge
2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN
and by Routledge
711 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10017
Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business © 2016 Burjor Avari
The right of Burjor Avari to be identified as author of this work has been asserted by him in accordance with
sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilised in any form or by any
electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and
recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the
publishers.
Trademark notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks or registered trademarks, and are used
only for identification and explanation without intent to infringe.
First edition published 2007 by Routledge
British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the
British Library Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Names: Avari, Burjor, author.
Title: India : the ancient past : a history of the Indian subcontinent from c. 7000 BCE to 1200 CE / Burjor
Avari.
Description: Second edition. | New York, NY : Routledge, 2016. | “First edition published 2007.” | Includes
bibliographical references and index.
Identifiers: LCCN 2015042418| ISBN 9781138828209 (hardback : alk. paper) | ISBN 9781138828216 (pbk. : alk.
paper) | ISBN 9781315627007 (ebook) Subjects: LCSH: India – History. | India – History – 1000–1526.
Classification: LCC DS451 .A87 2016 | DDC 934/.01 – dc23
LC record available at http://lccn.loc.gov/2015042418
ISBN: 978-1-13882820-9 (hbk)
ISBN: 978-1-13882821-6 (pbk)
ISBN: 978-1-31562700-7 (ebk)
Typeset in Times New Roman
by Florence Production Ltd, Stoodleigh, Devon, UK
Dedicated to the memory of my dear parents, teachers and good friend
David Melling.
A vision for India
Where the mind is without fear and the head is held high; Where knowledge is
free;
Where the world has not been broken up into fragments by narrow domestic
walls; …
Where the clear stream of reason has not lost its way into the dreary desert sand
of dead habit; …
Into that heaven of freedom, my Father, let my country awake.
(From Gitanjali, by Rabindranath Tagore, Nobel Laureate, 1913)
Contents
List of excerpts
List of illustrations
Preface to the second edition
Preface to the first edition
Acknowledgements
Synopsis

1 Introduction
Defining terms
Why study ancient India?
Time, space and people
Sources of study
2 From Africa to Mehrgarh: the early prehistory of India
Earliest phases of human settlement and activity
The Neolithic Revolution and the rise of agriculture
Development of proto-urban settlements in the late Neolithic period
3 The Harappan–Indus–Sarasvati civilisation
Phases of progress in Harappan archaeology
Understanding the Mature Harappan phase
The demise of the Harappan civilisation
4 Who were the Aryans?
Understanding the Aryans
The Aryan expansion
The Vedic world of the Indo-Aryans
5 Post-Vedic centuries
The rise of the state system
Persian and Greek intrusions
The second urbanisation
Dissent and heterodoxy
Varieties of literature
6 The Mauryan state: imperialism and compassion
Chandragupta Maurya and his court
Ashoka and his Dhamma
The Mauryan world
7 Between the Mauryas and the Guptas
New dynasties and new centres of power
The international trade of India
New trends in Indian religions
Secular literature, sciences and the arts
8 The era of the Imperial Guptas
The empire and the emperors
Gupta society: a world in transition
Indian achievements in the Gupta period
9 Feudal north India
The dynastic landscape
Kingship in the feudal age
Aspects of northern economy and society
Arab and Turco-Afghan invasions of the north
10 The ascendancy of the south
The dynastic landscape
Kingship and authority in a southern kingdom
The economy of the south
Caste and gender in the south
11 Across north and south: cultural unity and diversity
The religious landscape
Art and architecture
Literature and thought
Cultural influences abroad

Select glossary of Indic terms
Select glossary of archaic Indic place names
Classification of ancient Indian texts by subject
Bibliography
Index