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

355 Pages·2016·23.754 MB·English
by  AvariBurjor
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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). This page intentionally left blank 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. This page intentionally left blank 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) This page intentionally left blank 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

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