Aspects of Political Ideas and Institutions in Ancient India
Aspects of Political Ideas and Institutions in Ancient India

Author: Ram Sharan Sharma

Publisher: Motilal Banarsidass Publ.

Published: 1991

Total Pages: 504

ISBN-13: 9788120808270

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The present work Aspects of Political Ideas and Institutions in Ancient Indian discusses different views on the origin and nature of the state in ancient India. It also deals with stages and processes of state formation and examines the relevance of caste and kin-based collectivities to the construction of polity. The Vedic assemblies are studied in some detail, and developments in political organisation are presented in relation to their changing social and economic background. The book also shows how religion and rituals were brought in the service of the ruling class.

Guilds in Ancient India
Guilds in Ancient India

Author: Kiran Kumar Thaplyal

Publisher: Taylor & Francis

Published: 1996

Total Pages: 144

ISBN-13: 9788122409031

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An Attempt Is Made Here To String Together Pieces Of Evidence Collected From Various Sources With A View To Throwing Light On Different Aspects Of Ancient Indian Guilds And Presenting Their Systematic Account. The Region Covered Is Northern India And Western Deccan. The Clubbing Together Of These Two Areas Was Prompted By The Consideration Of Their Close Cultural Affinity And Geographical Proximity. The Choice Of The Period 600 Bc-600 Ad Was Determined On The Grounds That By 600 Bc, The Guilds Had Clearly Emerged And By 600 Ad They Were On The Decline. Evidence From Other Areas And Periods Is At Times Referred To For The Sake Of Comparison And Also For Drawing Inferences.Of The Eight Chapters, The First Five Deal Variously With Nature, Scope, Chronology And Limitations Of The Sources, Meaning Of The Terms Nigama And Sreni; Origin And Development Of Guilds; Their Structure; Characteristic Features And Functions. Then Follow Chapters Dealing With Relationship Between Guilds And Caste And Between Guild And State. In The Last Chapter, There Is A Brief Discussion On The Factors Responsible For The Decline Of The Guilds.Certain Important Aspects Related To Guild Organization, Not Adequately Dealt With Under Chapters, Are Elaborated In Eight Appendices Dealing Variously With Srenibala; Sanskrit Terms Connoting Economic Organizations; Significance Of Number Eighteen Tagged To Guilds; Guild Coins; Guild Seals; Problem Of Two Rates Of Interest Offered By Two Guilds Of The Same Age And Place; Various Aspects Of The Celebrated Silk-Weavers Guild Of Mandasor; And Nature Of Single-Craft Villages Of The Jataka Tales.Reference To The View Of Scholars On Issues Under Discussion Has Been Freely Resorted To. At Times Disagreement With Their View Has Been Expressed And New Interpretations Have Been Offered.

The Indian Ocean Trade in Antiquity
The Indian Ocean Trade in Antiquity

Author: Matthew Adam Cobb

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2018-09-03

Total Pages: 265

ISBN-13: 1351732447

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The period from the death of Alexander the Great to the rise of the Islam (c. late fourth century BCE to seventh century CE) saw a significant growth in economic, diplomatic and cultural exchange between various civilisations in Africa, Europe and Asia. This was in large part thanks to the Indian Ocean trade. Peoples living in the Roman Empire, Parthia, India and South East Asia increasingly had access to exotic foreign products, while the lands from which they derived, and the peoples inhabiting these lands, also captured the imagination, finding expression in a number of literary and poetic works. The Indian Ocean Trade in Antiquity provides a range of chapters that explore the economic, political and cultural impact of this trade on these diverse societies, written by international experts working in the fields of Classics, Archaeology, South Asian studies, Near Eastern studies and Art History. The three major themes of the book are the development of this trade, how consumption and exchange impacted on societal developments, and how the Indian Ocean trade influenced the literary creations of Graeco-Roman and Indian authors. This volume will be of interest not only to academics and students of antiquity, but also to scholars working on later periods of Indian Ocean history who will find this work a valuable resource.

Cultural History of India
Cultural History of India

Author: Om Prakash

Publisher: New Age International

Published: 2005

Total Pages: 660

ISBN-13: 9788122415872

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Cultural History Of India Has Been Divided Into Three Parts To Discuss Various Aspects Of Development Of Indian Culture. It Talks About How Religions Such As The Vedic Religion, Buddhism, Jainism, Saivism And Vaisnavism Aimed At Securing Social Harmony, Moral Upliftment, And Inculcated A Sense Of Duty In The Individual. The Development Of Indian Art And Architecture Was A Creative Effort To Project Symbols Of Divine Reality As Conceived And Understood By The Collective Consciousness Of The People As A Whole. The Book Also Focuses On Social Intuitions, Educational Systems And Economic Organisation In Ancient India. Finally, The Book Discusses The Dietary System Of Indians From Pre-Historic Times To C. 1200 A.D. The Basis For Inclusion Of Food And Drinks In The Book On Indian Culture Is That Ancient Indians Believed That Food Not Only Kept An Individual Healthy, But Was Also Responsible For His Mental Make Up.According To The Author, It Is Of Utmost Importance That The Present Generation Imbibe Those Elements Of Indian Culture Which Have Kept India Vital And Going Through Its Long And Continuous History .Cultural History Of India Is An Extremely Useful Journal On Indian History And Culture For All Readers, Both In India And Abroad. It Is Therefore A Must-Read For All Interested In Indias Proud Past, Which Forms The Eternal Bed-Rock Of Its Fateful Present And Glorious Future. It Is An Academic Book Very Useful For Student Of History Aspiring For I.A.S.

The Cambridge Economic History of the Greco-Roman World
The Cambridge Economic History of the Greco-Roman World

Author: Walter Scheidel

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Published: 2007-11-29

Total Pages: 17

ISBN-13: 0521780535

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In this, the first comprehensive survey of the economies of classical antiquity, twenty-eight chapters summarise the current state of scholarship in their specialised fields and sketch new directions for research. They reflect a new interest in economic growth in antiquity and develop new methods for measuring economic development, often combining textual and archaeological data that have previously been treated separately.

Dynamics of Production in the Ancient Near East
Dynamics of Production in the Ancient Near East

Author: Juan Carlos Moreno Garcia

Publisher: Oxbow Books

Published: 2016-10-11

Total Pages: 295

ISBN-13: 178570284X

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The transition between the 2nd and the 1st millennium BC was an era of deep economic changes in the ancient Near East. An increasing monetization of transactions, a broader use of silver, the management of the resources of temples through “entrepreneurs”, the development of new trade circuits and an expanding private, small-scale economy, transformed the role previously played by institutions such as temples and royal palaces. The 17 essays collected here analyze the economic transformations which affected the old dominant powers of the Late Bronze Age, their adaptation to a new economic environment, the emergence of new economic actors and the impact of these changes on very different social sectors and geographic areas, from small communities in the oases of the Egyptian Western Desert to densely populated urban areas in Mesopotamia. Egypt was not an exception. Traditionally considered as a conservative and highly hierarchical and bureaucratic society, Egypt shared nevertheless many of these characteristics and tried to adapt its economic organization to the challenges of a new era. In the end, the emergence of imperial super-powers (Assyria, Babylonia, Persia and, to a lesser extent, Kushite and Saite Egypt) can be interpreted as the answer of former palatial organizations to the economic and geopolitical conditions of the early Iron Age. A new order where competition for the control of flows of wealth and of strategic trading areas appears crucial.

The Culture and Civilisation of Ancient India in HIstorical Outline
The Culture and Civilisation of Ancient India in HIstorical Outline

Author: D D Kosambi

Publisher: Taylor & Francis

Published: 2022-09-01

Total Pages: 251

ISBN-13: 1000653471

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First published in 1965, The Culture and Civilisation of Ancient India in Historical Outline is a strikingly original work, the first real cultural history of India. The main features of the Indian character are traced back into remote antiquity as the natural outgrowth of historical process. Did the change from food gathering and the pastoral life to agriculture make new religions necessary? Why did the Indian cities vanish with hardly a trace and leave no memory? Who were the Aryans – if any? Why should Buddhism, Jainism, and so many other sects of the same type come into being at one time and in the same region? How could Buddhism spread over so large a part of Asia while dying out completely in the land of its origin? What caused the rise and collapse of the Magadhan empire; was the Gupta empire fundamentally different from its great predecessor, or just one more ‘oriental despotism’? These are some of the many questions handled with great insight, yet in the simplest terms, in this stimulating work. This book will be of interest to students of history, sociology, archaeology, anthropology, cultural studies, South Asian studies and ethnic studies.