The Geopolitical Orbits of Ancient India The Geographical Frames of the Ancient Indian Dynasties

by Chakrabarti, Dilip K.

• ISBN13: 9780198069898
• ISBN10: 0198069898
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2011-04-01
• Publisher: Oxford University Press

Summary

This book explores how different parts of the Indian subcontinent interacted throughout its ancient history. Giving a survey of political history in ancient India, it shows that the power politics always revolved around certain defined geo-political orbits. Such orbits form useful concepts to understand the geography of the flow of historical events in India. Using events from history, the book showcases how these orbits formed the focal points around which all ancient Indiandynasties tried to expand their political power and interact with other contemporary dynasties. The author argues that the interaction between these explains why different parts of the subcontinent formed one integrated geo-political whole rather than an agglomeration of many regional units. This book will be of considerable interest to scholars and students of ancient Indian history and archaeology.

Author Biography

Dilip K. Chakrabarti is Professor Emeritus of South Asian Archaeology, Cambridge University.

Table of Contents

Preface
1. The Purpose of the Volume
2. The First Orbits: The Dominance of the Gangetic India, Legendary Beginnings to c. 200 BC
3. The Shift of the Focus to Orissa, the Deccan and Malwa, c. 200 BC-c. 300 AD
4. The Re-emergence of the Gangetic Orbit, and the Regional Power Centres, c. 300 AD to c. 800 AD
5. The Supra-Regional Orbits of the North and the South, c. 800 AD to c. 1000 AD
6. The Thrusts and Counter-thrusts of Power, c. 1000 AD to c. 1300 AD
7. The Emerging Historical-Geographical Pattern of India's Ancient Political History
References
Index.