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Theme 2 Kings, Farmers and Towns Early States and Economies (c. 600 BCE…
Theme 2
Kings, Farmers and Towns
Early States and Economies
(c. 600 BCE-600 CE)
5. A Changing Countryside
5.4 Land grants and new rural elites
Agrahara
Prabhavati gupta and Danguna village :star:
Why?
Kings losing power?
Superman image?
Mostly in sanskrit. Some in local languages(Tamil/telugu)
Stone and copper plate inscriptions as transaction record
5.3 Differences in rural society
Sangam text : Vellalar, Uzhavar, Adimai :star:
Agricultural differences >
Term "Gahapati" :star:
5.2 Strategies for increasing production
The Sudarshana
(beautiful) lake in Gujarat
Wells, tanks and canals
Hoe agriculture in North East and central India
Shift to plough agriculture
Transplantation
Ganga and kavery
5.1 Popular perceptions of kings
Anthologies such as jatakas and panchathantra
Panchathantra written in Pali language
Eg:- Gandatindu jataka (about wicked king) :star:
4. New Notions of Kingship
Divine Kings
Guptas with Prashistis. eg:- Praya Prashisti of Samudra Gupta by Harishena in sanskrit
"Devaputra" title
Kushanas with deities (100BCE-100CE)
Colossal statues of Kushanas. eg Mat shrine in Mathura (UP)
Prashistis
Chiefs and kings in the south
Satavanahas (200BCE - 200CE), Sahas - long-distance trade :star:
Sangam Texts
Stable and Prosperous new kingdoms -Chera,chola,pandya in TN and Deccan
3. An Early Empire
How important was the empire?
Ashokan Inscriptions were very different
Mauryan Empire was regarded as a major
landmark. in history
Spectacular archaeological finds
Administering the empire
Pataliputra=>Taxila(PK)-trade,Ujjayini(MP)-trade,Suvarnagiri(KA)-gold,Tosali(OR)-coast :star:
Megasthenes->comittee with 6 sub-committees => Navy,transport,horses,chariots,elephants
Dhamma=>Dhamma mahamattas
Finding about Mauriyas
1) Megasthenes(Greek ambassador for CG.Mauriya)
2) Arthasasthra by Chanakya
3) Ashoka's Inscriptions (Dhamma: elders respect, brahmanas generosity, kindness to slaves and servants, respect for others rel.beliefs/traditions)
1. PRINCEP AND PIYADASSI
James Princep(1830) - epigraphy - Brahmi,Karosthi
Piyadassi("Pleasant to behold") and Ashoka
Context of political history
2. The Earliest States
Mahathas
Powerful
Agriculture
Iron-mines - weapons and tools
Rivers - communication
Rajagaha to Pataliputra(Capital) - fortified
Elephants - from forest
Ambitious kings - Bimbisara,Ajatasattu,Mahapadma Nanda :star: :
16 Mahajanapadas
Thoughts-Buddhism,Jainism
Oligarchies-Ganas/sanghas
Buddha/Mahavira
Army,Bureaucracy
Fortified Capitals
Dharmasutras by Brahmins :star:
Raids for acquiring wealth
6. Towns and Trade
6.3 Trade in the subcontinent and beyond
Rulers often wanted to control land and sea routes
Peddlers, merchants, Seafarers travelled a lot
Masattuvan(tamil), Setthi, Satthavahas (prakrit) will become enourmously rich :star:
Salt, grain, cloth, finished products, metal ores, stone, timber, medicinal plants were traded
Spices. Esp Pepper - high demand in Roman empire :star:
6.2 Urban populations:
Elites and craftspersons
short votive inscriptions in no.of.cities (Ubayam)
Difficult to excavate - bcoz ppl live here even now in most cities
washing folk, weavers, scribes, carpenters, potters, goldsmiths, blacksmiths, officials, religious teachers, merchants and kings.
6.1 New cities
Mathura - Cultural, commercial, social activities
capitals of mahajanapadas
Ujjayini - land route
Pataliputra - river route
Puhar - sea routes
6.4 Coins and kings
Punch-marked coins made
of silver and copper c. sixth century BCE onwards
Coin symbols tell that they were "issued by kings."
merchants, bankers and townspeople issued some of these coins
First coins issued by Indo-Greeks
The first gold coins were issued c. first century CE
by the Kushanas
The widespread use of gold coins indicates the enormous value of the transactions that were taking place.
Coins were also issued by tribal republics such as that of the Yaudheyas of Punjab and Haryana (c. first century CE).
spectacular gold coins were issued by the Gupta rulers
From c. sixth century CE onwards, finds of gold coins taper off. Does this indicate that there was some kind of an economic crisis? OR because collapse of the Western Roman Empire
7. Back to Basics
How Are Inscriptions Deciphered?
7.1 Deciphering Brahmi
Earlier historians thought it as sanskrit
Used in most Asokan inscriptions
Historian worked backwards from Bengali and devanagiri
James Prinsep was able to decipher Asokan Brahmi in 1838. :star:
7.2 How Kharosthi was read
Princepp identified the language of Kharosthi as Prakrit
Mainly used in north west
Indo greek coins (written in greek and kharosthi) helped :star:
7.3 Historical evidence from inscriptions
Titles : devanampiya (beloved of the
gods), piyadassi (pleasant to behold)
Asoka claims that earlier rulers had no arrangements to receive reports.
Ashoka ordered that "Pativedakas" should report the status to him.
8. The Limitations of Inscriptional
Evidence
Not everything politically/economically significant is inscribed
technical limitations: letters are very faintly engraved, and thus reconstructions are uncertain.
exact meaning differs based on place, context