India : The Ancient Past : A history of the Indian sub-continent from c.7000 BC to AD 1200

by: Avari, B.

Price: 32,00 EURO

1 copy in stock

 
India: the ancient past : a history of the Indian sub-continent from c. 7000 BC to AD 1200

Author:Burjor Avari

Summary:Presents the story of the development and establishment of India's culture and civilization from early pre-history through to the early second millennium. This work includes topics such as Harappan Civilization, the rise of Hindu culture, the influx of Islam in the 8th and the 11th/12th centuries, and key empires, states and dynasties.

Contents:
List of extracts p. ix
List of illustrations p. xi
Preface p. xiii
Four major eras of ancient Indian history: a summary of key themes p. xvii
Introduction p. 1
Three terms in context: 'India', 'ancient', 'Hindu' p. 1
Why study ancient India? p. 3
Time, space and people p. 5
Primary sources and the historians p. 13
From Africa to Mehrgarh: the early pre-history of India p. 22
Earliest phases of human settlement and activity p. 22
The Neolithic Revolution and the rise of agriculture p. 27
The Early Harappan phase: proto-urban settlements of the late Neolithic
period
p. 29
The Harappan Civilisation p. 38
Phases of progress in Harappan archaeology p. 40
Understanding the Mature Harappan phase p. 43
The eclipse of the Harappan Civilisation p. 52
The Indo-Aryans in the Vedic Age p. 60
The Aryan background p. 61
The Aryan expansion p. 66
The Vedic world p. 69
Formative centuries of the pre-Mauryan era p. 86
Politics and the geography of power p. 86
Two foreign intrusions p. 91
Second urbanisation and the rise of heterodoxy p. 93
Varieties of literature p. 98
The paradox of Mauryan imperialism p. 105
Advising and observing at the court of Chandragupta Maurya p. 106
The Dhamma of Ashoka p. 110
The Mauryan world p. 115
Diffusion and dynamism after the Mauryas p. 128
New dynasties and new centres of power p. 128
The international trade of India p. 133
New trends in Indian religions p. 138
Secular literature, sciences and the arts p. 143
Stability and change under the imperial Guptas p. 155
The empire and the emperors p. 157
Gupta society: a world in transition p. 162
The 'flowering' of Gupta Classical culture p. 167
The post-Gupta era and the rise of the south p. 181
North India fractured p. 182
Chalukyas and Pallavas: the Deccan and the deep south p. 185
Political and economic perspectives p. 187
Cross-currents of culture p. 194
Regionalism and feudalism: Rajput, Pala and Rashtrakuta kingdoms p. 203
Three regional kingdoms p. 203
Political economy in the feudal era p. 208
Cultural highlights of the age p. 215
Chola domination in the south and Turco-Afghan plunder in the north p. 227
State and society under the Cholas p. 228
Turco-Afghan incursions into north India p. 232
Fortunes of three Indic religions p. 238
Literature and great temples p. 244
Afterword: India post-AD 1200 p. 255
Glossary of Indic terms p. 257
Glossary of selected ancient Indic place-names p. 259
Classification of ancient Indian texts by subjects p. 260
Bibliography p. 264
Index p. 279

India : The Ancient Past : A history of the Indian sub-continent from c.7000 BC to AD 1200

by: Avari, B.

• ISBN-13: 9780415356169 / 978-0-415-35616-9
• ISBN-03: 0415356164 / 0-415-35616-4
• Routledge, London, 2007

Price: 32,00 EURO

1 copy in stock