Ancient Indian Social History : Some Interpretations

Contents: Acknowledgements. Introduction to the Second Edition. 1. Interpretations of Ancient Social History. 2. Society and Law in the Hindu and Buddhist Traditions. 3. Ethics, Religion and Social Protest in the First Millennium B.C. in Northern India. 4. Renunciation: The Making of a Counter-culture. 5. Dana and Daksia as Forms of Exchange. 6. Social Mobility in Ancient India with Special Reference to Elite Groups. 7. The Image of the Barbarian in Early India. 8. The Historian and Archaeological Data. 9. The Study of Society in Ancient India. 10. Puranic Lineages and Archaeological Cultures. 11. The Tradition of Historical Writing in Early India. 12. Origin Myths and the Early Indian Historical Tradition. 13. Genealogy as a Source of Social History. 14. The Scope and Significance of Regional History. 15. Great Eastern Trade: Other Times, Other Places (Maritime Trade in the First Millennium A.D.). 16. The Museum and History. 17. The Future of the Indian Past. 18. Recognizing Historical Traditions in Early India. Index.

"Drawing on textual and archaeological sources, most of the essays in this edition are on the early history of India upto the end of the first millennium A.D., suggesting some fresh interpretations of the data. 

This revised edition has four new essays. The tradition of historical writing that earlier received little attention is now becoming a subject of interest in relation to pre-modern India. The cliche that Indian civilization lacked a sense of history is open to question and is discussed more fully in one of these essays. The functions of institutions associated with the presentation of history, such as museums are considered in another essay. A further discussion relates to the need for the historian to be aware of the political exploitation of history. The final essay reminds us of the debate generated by such a threat in recent years.

This seminal work by one of India's most eminent historians will be of invaluable use to scholars interested in the study of ancient societies, tradition and culture in the context of social formations, and broadly history."