| Description |
1 online resource : text file, PDF |
| Contents |
Cover; Half Title; Title Page; Copyright Page; Dedication; Table of Contents; Preface; Introduction; 1. The Nature of the State; The Political Spectrum; Political Terminology; The King and his Palace; The King and his Territory; Horses, Chariots and Territorial Conquests; The King and the People; 2. The Form of Government; Role of Corporate Bodies: Vidatha, Sabhā, Samiti; The Rituals of Empowerment; The Aśvamedha Sacrifice; The Incipient Rājasūya; 3. The City and the Citadel; Vedic Gods and Walled Settlements; Harappan Citadels and the Ṛgveda; Defensive Architecture; Construction Material |
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Grid PlanMulti-pillared; Numerous Gateways; Fort as a Resource Centre; 4. Merchants and Moneylenders; Routes and Merchandise of the Bronze Age; Commodity Exchange of the Middle Bronze Age; Business Terminology; Professional Traders: Vaṇik and Paṇi; Private Bankers; 5. Cruising the Blue Water; Rivers and the Sea; Cloud Formation and the Water Cycle; Vedic Gods and the High Seas; Tidal Waves, Monsoon Winds and Gulfs; Marine Fires; Resources of the Deep Sea; Seafaring Crafts; Shipwreck and Rescue Operations; Pirates and Loss of Direction; Merchants, Crew Members and Escorts; Nature of the Cargo |
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River-borne Sea TradeSea-borne Wealth and Fame; 6. Caravans on Dusty Tracks; Hazards of the Land Route; Trade in Gem Stones; Trade in Livestock; Donkeys and Camels; Trade in Textiles; Gold, Gold-like Objects and OtherMerchandise; From Priest to King; 7. Crafts and Craft-working; Metals and Metal-working; Functional Objects; Ayas-Copper or Just Metal?; The Smelter (Dhmātā) and the Smith(Kārmār, Karmār); Wood-working and Carpenters (Takṣā); Functional Objects: Pots, Shafts, Carts, Boats; Agricultural Tools; Weavers (Vāsovāya, Vayanti) and Weaving; Leather Workers (Carmamnā) andLeather Working |
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8. The Story of the Cow-taleThe Chorus of Nomadism; Meaning of Go; Buffalo or Mahişa; Permanent Dwellings; 9. Peasants and Plough Lands; Gods and Peasant Activities; Some Crucial Expressions; Kṣetrapati: The God of Plough Lands; Terms for Plough Lands; The Acquisition of Plough Lands; Fights for Acquisition; Resource Crunch, Famines andStarvation Deaths; Irrigation: Need of the Hour; Peasants at Work; Importance of Food Crops; Private Farms and Social Differentiation; 10. Crops and Consumption; Cereal Dishes: Meals and Oblations; Puroḷāśa, Dhānā, Apūpa, Saktu; Non-cereal Food |
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Summer and Winter CropsPlough Lands: Kṣetra and Urvarā; 11. Drainage and Discord; Rains and Irrigation; River Action: Drainage and Soil Fertility; Overground and Underground Drainage; Lift Irrigation: Pulley and Suction; Drought and Discord; 12. Language and Ethnicity; The Harappan Sign System; Variant Physical Types; The Linguistic Scenario; Primary Prākŗts, Vernacular Vedicand the Mantra Dialect; Dravidian and Indo-Āryan; Elamite, Vedic and Old Persian; 13. Ethnicity and Afterlife; Funerary Behaviour in the Ṛgveda; Shifting Cremation Sites; Post-exposure Disposals; Full-burials; Grave Goods |
| Summary |
In a first of its kind, this book attempts a comprehensive account of the old Vedic society with particular focus on the physical conditions of life during the Bronze Age in north western South Asia. Based primarily on textual evidence, the narrative relates wherever necessary to the known archaeological information from the area. With territorial kingdoms, walled urban places, specialized production of craft goods, large scale trade by land and sea, a broad spectrum service sector and a high end surplus producing peasant economy supporting all of these situates the Aryan discourse on an entirely different platform. The book shows that the Aryans of the Rigveda with diverse forms of speech, physical features and funerary behaviour were far from the monolithic concept of a single people and a single culture. Hopefully, the book will help readers to escape the broad misinformation long circulating in history texts for schools, general readers and specialists. Extensive citations are also intended to enable interested readers to access the text on their own and ascertain for themselves what is true and what is false |
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"In a first of its kind, this book attempts a comprehensive account of the old Vedic society with particular focus on the physical conditions of life during the Bronze Age in north western South Asia. Based primarily on textual evidence, the narrative relates wherever necessary to the known archaeological information from the area. With territorial kingdoms, walled urban places, specialized production of craft goods, large scale trade by land and sea, a broad spectrum service sector and a high end surplus producing peasant economy supporting all of these situates the Aryan discourse on an entirely different platform. The book shows that the Aryans of the Rigveda with diverse forms of speech, physical features and funerary behaviour were far from the monolithic concept of a single people and a single culture. Hopefully, the book will help readers to escape the broad misinformation long circulating in history texts for schools, general readers and specialists. Extensive citations are also intended to enable interested readers to access the text on their own and ascertain for themselves what is true and what is false."--Provided by publisher |
| Bibliography |
Includes bibliographical references and index |
| Notes |
Vendor-supplied metadata |
| Subject |
Indo-Aryans -- History
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Indus civilization.
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HISTORY -- Civilization.
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HISTORY -- Asia -- India & South Asia.
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Indo-Aryans
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Indus civilization
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| SUBJECT |
India -- History -- To 324 B.C.
http://id.loc.gov/authorities/subjects/sh85064906
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| Subject |
India
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| Genre/Form |
History
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| Form |
Electronic book
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| ISBN |
9781315101149 |
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1315101149 |
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