About Book
Romila Thapar’s Penguin History of Early India – From the Origins to AD 1300 provides a fascinating account of India’s early cultural history. The book takes readers on a journey through India’s evolution, starting from circa 1200 BC. It goes on to provide an account of India’s dynastic history till circa AD 1300. The book helps readers understand the changes in the country’s society and economy through the ages, and explores the evolution of religious beliefs, highlighting the changes that they have undergone with time. The book covers all the kingdoms that were a part of the subcontinent, and delves into details about their culture, economy, and major cities. Some of the chapters from this book are The Politics of Northern India, The Emergence of Empire: Mauryan India, Towards Chiefdoms and Kingdom, Landscapes and People, The Rise of the Mercantile Community, The Peninsula: Emerging Regional Kingdoms, States and Cities of the Indo-Gangetic Plain, and The Peninsula: Establishing Authorities and Structures.
About Author
Romila Thapar is one of India’s most eminent historians, and she specializes in ancient Indian history. Born in 1931, she graduated from Punjab University and went on to pursue her doctorate under A. L. Balsham , a noted historian and indologist, in the School of Oriental and African Studies. She is now Professor Emerita at Jawaharlal Nehru University, where she was previously a Professor of Ancient Indian History. Thapar is known for her works like Asoka and the Decline of the Mauryas, A History of India Volume One, and Ancient Indian Social History: Some Interpretations.