1. KINGS, FARMERS AND
TOWNS
(c. 600 B.C.E. – 600 C.E.)

2. INTRODUCTION
 Several developments too place in different
parts of the subcontinent during the long
span of 1,500 years following the end of the
Harappan civilization.
 Also mentioned in Rigveda was composed
by people living along the Indus and its
tributaries.
 Agricultural settlements emerged in north
India, the Deccan Plateau, and parts of
Karnataka.
 Evidence of pastoral settlements has been
found in the Deccan and further south.
 New modes of disposal of the dead,
including the making of elaborate stone
structures known as megaliths, emerged in
central and south India from the first
millennium BCE.
 In many cases, the dead were buried with a

3. PRINCEP AND PIYADASSI
 James Princep, an officer in the mint
of East India Company.
 He deciphered Brahmi and Kharosthi
scripts and helped us know about this
period in 1830’s.
 In the scripts he found a mention of a
king called “Piyadassi” meaning
pleasant to behold .
 There is a perception that Piyadassi
must have been used for King Asoka,
grandson of Chandragupta Maurya.

4. THE EARLIEST STATES
•The Sixteen Mahajanpadas
•First Among Sixteen: Magadha

5. The Sixteen Mahajanpadas
 Mentioned in Buddhists and Jainist
texts.
 included- Vajji, Magadha, Koshala,
Kuru, Panchala, Gandhara and
Avanti.
 Some mahajanpadas ware ruled by
a group of kings deciding about
utilization of resources in the
kingdom- called sanghas/ganas.
 Each mahajanpada had its own
capital.

6. First amongst the sixteen :
Magadha
Importance of Magadha:
 Fertile Land- increased
agriculture productivity
 Iron- for making tools
 Forest- provided elephants for
cavalry
 River-water resources provided
cheap transportation
 Ambitious Kings such as
Ajatasattu, Bimbisara,

7. AN EARLY EMPIRE
• Finding about the Mauryas
• Administrating the empire
• How important was the empire?

8. Finding about the Mauryas
Sources:
 Literary:
 Indica by Megasthenes
 Arthashatra by
Kautilya/Chanakya
 Archaeological:
 Sculptures
 Coins
 Inscriptions on pillars and rocks

9. Administrating the empire
 Five major political centres-
Taxila, Tosali, Ujjayni,
Suvaranagiri, Pataliputra
(TTUSP)
 Megesthenes mentioned of a
committee with six sub-
committees for co-ordinating
resources for military
activities.
 Asoka spead the message of
dhamma to hold the empire

10. How important was the
empire?
 Two points- one in favor ; one against
 It is the first empire to be found in Indian
history, so has a great importance.
 But it hardly lasted for 150 years.
 A debate still going among historians
regarding the same.

11. NEW NOTIONS OF
KINGSHIP
•Chiefs and kings in South
•Divine Kings

12. Chiefs and kings in South
 Chiefdoms of the Cholas
Cheras and Pandyas
emerged.
 Chiefs- received goods from
the villagers
 Kings- collected taxes.

13. Divine Kings
 To present themselves as
superior; need to be worshipped.
 First claimed by Kushanas in first
century CE; claiming to be
“devaputra”
 During 4th CE, Prashasti
composed to praise king in Gupta
period.
 Prayag Prashasti written by
Harishena for Samudragupta in
Sanskrit.

14. CHANGING COUNTRYSIDE
•Popular perceptions of kings
•Strategies for increasing production
•Difference in rural society
•Land grants and new rural elites

15. Popular Perceptions of Kings
 No accounts by people
about their kings
 From oral folk tales such as
“Panchatantra” and
“Gandatindu Jataka” were
lately written in Pali in first
millennium CE.
 One story depicts about a
wicked king collecting taxes;
leading people to hide & live
in forest.

16. Strategies for increasing
production
 Another way to meet the
growing demand of taxes was
to increase crop production
 Iron-plough share was used to
turn alluvial soil in areas with
high rainfall.
 Semi arid Region i.e Punjab,
Rajasthan- did not adopt this
technique till 20th C.
 Hilly terrain practiced hoe
agriculture.
 Irrigation through wells and
tanks; canals were less

17. Differences in rural society
 Gahapati- term used in Pali texts meaning
head or master of the household.
 In Tamil literature: Sangam texts- differences
on the basis of resource accessibility.
Vellalar – Land ownwers
Uzahwar – Ploughman
Adimai – Slaves

18. Land grants and new rural elites
 Land grant sources : Copper plates
have been excavated, maybe a symbol
certifying the details of the land.
 Prabhavati Gupta- daughter of
Chandragupta II (Chandragupta Vikram
Aditya)- married in Vakatakas.
 Legal texts suggest that women don’t
have independent access to resources
such as land, but evidences have been
found that she has granted land.
 Other reasons for Land grants:
• Strategy to increase agriculture area
• Win allies- used to strengthen political
power.
• To project themselves as supermen;
they are superior, have some authority.

19. TOWNS AND TRADE
• New cities
• Urban populations: Elites and craftsperson
•Trade in the subcontinent and beyond
•Coins and Kings

20. New cities
 Pataliputra- riverine route town
 Ujjayini- land route town
 Puhar- sea route town (near coast)
 Mathura- commercial, cultural and political
activities centre

21. Urban Population: Elites and
craftsperson
 Elites lived in fortified cities.
 Artefacts excavated
include:Fine pottery bowls,
dishes,
Ornaments,Tools,Weapons,Ve
ssels,Figurines,
 Emerging occupations
included: Weavers,
black/goldsmiths, merchants,
traders, potters, carpenters.
 Role of guilds has also been

22. Trade in the subcontinent and
beyond.
 India had contact with
countries on the eastern side
along with Bay of Bengal as
well as on the western side
with North Africa, West Asia
and some parts of Europe as
well.
 Successful merchants were
called masattuvan in Tamil
and setthis and satthavahas
in Prakrit.
 Wide range of goods was

23. Coins and Kings
 Exchange of goods took place
through coinage.
 Punched mark coins of copper
and silver.
 Coins had inscriptions, pictorial
representations, etc. which was
issued by kings.
 First gold coin were issued in first
century CE by Kushanas ;
vertically identical in weight to
those issued by contemporary
Roman emperors.
 Historians suggest of link with
Roman Empire as well.

24. BACK TO BASICS:
How Are Inscriptions Deciphered?
•Deciphering Brahmi
•How Kharosthi was read?
•Historical evidence from inscriptions

25. Deciphering Brahmi
 Script was used in most of
Ashokan inscriptions.
 From late Eighteen century,
European scholars aided by
Indian pandits worked
backwards from contemporary
Bengali and Devanagri
manuscripts.
 Also assumed inscriptions to
be in Sanskrit, although were
in Prakrit.
 After several investigations

26. How Kharosthi was read?
 Script was used in north-
west.
 Indo- Greek king’s coins
have been found;
inscribed in Greek and
Kharosthi.

27. Historical evidence from
inscriptions
 Ashoka mentioned with
different names in
inscriptions, such as-
“devanampiya”- beloved of
the gods, “piyadassi” –
peasant behold.
 After examining, all these
names refer to Ashoka.

28. THE LIMITATION OF INSCRIPTIONAL
EVIDENCE
 Missing Letters
 Unclear
 Certain things not
mentioned
 Not properly deciphered

29. Thank
You!!
Made By: Ekta Arora
Shifa C.
Nicholson