India the ancient past: a history of the Indian subcontinent from c. 7000 BCE to CE 1200

355 Pages·2016·23.754 MB·English

by  Avari, Burjor

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:
(cid:129) three new chapters examining the differences and commonalities between the
north and the south of India;
(cid:129) extended discussion on contested issues, such as the origins of the Aryans
and the role of feudalism in ancient India;
(cid:129) new source excerpts to introduce students to the most significant works in
the historiography of India, and questions for discussion;
(cid:129) study guides, including a list of key issues, suggested readings and a selection
of Internet sources for each chapter;
(cid:129) 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 MBEis 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).
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India: The Ancient Past
A history of the Indian subcontinent
from c. 7000 to 1200
BCE CE
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: 978-1-138-82820-9 (hbk)
ISBN: 978-1-138-82821-6 (pbk)
ISBN: 978-1-315-62700-7 (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.
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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)
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Contents
List of excerpts xi
List of illustrations xiii
Preface to the second edition xv
Preface to the first edition xvii
Acknowledgements xx
Synopsis xxi
1 Introduction 1
Defining terms 1
Why study ancient India? 3
Time, space and people 5
Sources of study 14
2 From Africa to Mehrgarh: the early prehistory of India 20
Earliest phases of human settlement and activity 21
The Neolithic Revolution and the rise of agriculture 28
Development of proto-urban settlements in the late Neolithic period 31
3 The Harappan–Indus–Sarasvati civilisation 38
Phases of progress in Harappan archaeology 40
Understanding the Mature Harappan phase 45
The demise of the Harappan civilisation 59
4 Who were the Aryans? 64
Understanding the Aryans 65
The Aryan expansion 79
The Vedic world of the Indo-Aryans 82
5 Post-Vedic centuries 97
The rise of the state system 98
Persian and Greek intrusions 103
The second urbanisation 106