ANCIENT INDIAN
HISTORY
IMPORTANT LISTED
pages and topics to be
read from
UPINDER SINGH
A History of Ancient and
Early Medieval India
Delhi: 9560082909 | Bengaluru: 9900540262
www.theiashub.com Vikas Ahlawat
Ex-IPS, 2019 & Ex-IRS, 2017
A History of Ancient and Early Medieval India
Chapter Outline – Introduction: Ideas of the
Early Indian Past
• Page 7 to 9- Changing Interpretations of Early
Indian History
• Page 9 to 11- New histories, Unwritten Histories (one read)
Chapter 1 - Understanding Literary and
Archaeological Sources
• Page 17 – 18- The Vedas
• Page 18 – 19- Epics - Ramayana and Mahabharata
• Page 21 – 22- Puranas
Vedas • Page 22 - 23 - The Dharmashastras
• Page 27 - 28 - Sangam Literature
• Page 31 -32 - The Nature of Ancient Indian
Historical Traditions
• Page 33 - 34 - The Accounts of Foreign Writers
• Page 47 - 48 - Classification of Inscriptions
• Page 49 - 50 - Inscriptions as a Source of History
Ancient Coins • Page 51 - 54 - Numismatics (The study of Coins)
• Page 55 - 57 - Coins as a source of History
Chapter 2 - Hunters of the Palaeolithic and
Mesolithic Ages
• Page 68 - 78 - The Palaeolithic age
• Page 78- 79 - Palaeolithic art
Paleolithic Art of the
• Page 80 - 81 - Life ways of Palaeolithic Hunter gatherers
Old Stone Age • Page 81 - 89 - Mesolithic age
• Page 89 - 93 - Mesolithic art
Chapter 3 - The Transition to food gathering
• Page 102 - 128 - Neolithic & Chalcolithic
• Page 128 - 131 - The life of early farmers and cultic beliefs
Chapter 4 - The Harappan Civilization
• Page 138 - 139 - Origin
Mesolithic Period • Page 140 - 145
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A History of Ancient and Early Medieval India
• Page 145 - 146 - Relationship b/w early and mature
Harappan phases
• Page 147 - 149 - General Features
• Page 149 - 156 - Harappan cities
• Page 156 - 170 - Imp topics like subsistence base, crafts,
trade, etc
• Page 171 - 173 - Religious & Funerary practices
• Page 174 - 175 - The Harappan people
• Page 176 - 178 - The Ruling elite
• Page 179 - 180 - Decline
• Page 180 - 181 - Significance of Late Harappan phase
Chapter 5 - Cultural Transitions:
The Harappan Civilization
2000–600 BCE
• Page 184 - 185 - Vedas as source
• Page 187 - 197 - The Culture reflected in Rig Veda
• Page 198 - 210 - The later Vedic age texts
• Page 211 - 240 - Archaeology
• Page 242 - 244 - Indian Megaliths
• Page 245 - 253 - Archaeology
Indian Megaliths
• Page 253 -254 - Impact of iron technology
• Page 254 - 255 - Correlating Literary & Archaeological
evidence
Chapter 6 - North India:
600-300 BCE
• Page 258 - 259 - The Sources
• Page 260 - 264 - 16 Great states
• Page 265 - 269 - The Ganas
• Page 269 - 273 - Growth of Magadhan empire
• Page 274 - 275 - Persian & Macedonian Invasions
• Page 275 - 276 - Land and agrarian expansion
• Page 276 - 278 - Information about Atranjikhera
• Page 278 - 279 - Emergence of City life
• Page 279 - 286 - Archaeology
• Page 287 - 299 - Important topics
• Page 300 - 319 - Renunciatory Tradition Vedic and Later Vedic Age
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A History of Ancient and Early Medieval India
Chapter 7 - The Mauryan Empire
(324–187 BCE)
• Page 322 - 323 - Kautilya’s Arthashastra
• Page 324 - 326 - Megathenes’s Indica
• Page 326 - 328 - Ashoka’s Inscriptions
Ashoka Edicts in Junagadh - • Page 329 - Archaeology
Inscriptions by Emperor Ashoka
• Page 330 - 333 - Mauryan dynasty
• Page 334 - 338 - Profiles of Cities
• Page 339 - 351 - Important topics
• Page 351 - 356 - Ashoka’s Dhamma
• Page 356 - 366 - Sculpture and Architecture
• Page 366 - 367 - Decline of the Mauryas
Chapter 8 - Interaction and Innovation
(200 BCE–300 CE)
• Political and Economic History of Kushana & Satavahanas
based on numismatic evidence / Coinage
• Page 461-463 - Gandhara, Mathura & Amravati Art -
Ajanta Cave Art - Padmapani • Page 391 - 403 - Info about Cities
Chapter 9 - Aesthetics and Empire
(300–600 CE)
• Page 490-496 - Land Ownership in Ancient India, Types
of Land, Measures & Tenures
• Page 528-532 - Ajanta Art
• Page 505 - Fa Hien Accounts as source
Chola art and architecture
Chapter 10 - Emerging Regional
Configurations
• Page 562-564 - Harshavardhana as a patron
• Page 552-553 - Women Queens in Early Medieval
• Page 637-641 - Temple Architecture - Cholas
• Temple Architecture - Orissa
Temple Architecture Khajuraho • Temple Architecture - Khajuraho
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