CONTENTS Photographs, Maps, and Figures xii About the Author \ Preface Acknowledgements xx A Reader's Guide xxiii Introduction: Ideas of the Early Indian Past 2 1. Understanding Literary and Archaeological Sources 12 2. Hunter-Gatherers of the Palaeolithic and Mesolithic Ages 58 3. The Transition to Food Production: Neolithic, Neolithic-Chalcolithic, and Chalcolithic Villages, c. 7000-2000 BCE 94 4. The Harappan Civilization, c. 2600-1900 BCE1.32 5. Cultural Transitions: Images from Texts and Archaeology, c. 2000-600 BCE 182 6. Cities, Kings, and Renunciants: North India, c. 600-300 BCE 256 7. Power and Piety: The Maurya Empire, c. 324-187 BCE 320 8. Interaction and Innovation, c. 200 BCE-300 CE 368 9. Aesthetics and Empire, c. 300-600 CE 472 10. Emerging Regional Configurations, c. 600-1200 CE 546 A Note on Diacritics 644 Glossary 645 Further Readings 650 References 656 Index 667 Credits 676