Contents General Editor's Preface ix Author's Preface xi 1The Iron Age, Surplus and Economic Change,c. 700-c. 350 BC 1 1.1 Iron in Northern India 2 1.2 Iron Age in Peninsular India 9 1.3 Agriculture 12 1.4 Other Aspects of Material Culture 14 1.5 Iron and Production of Surplus 18 1.6 Metal Money 20 1.7 Trade 23 1.8 Long-Distance Trade, Crafts and Cities in the Northwest 26 Note 1.1: Punch-marked Coins 28 Note 1.2: Bibliographical Note 31 2Settlements, Towns and the Social Order 33 2.1 Rural Settlements in Literary Texts 33 2.2 Towns in Literary Texts 35 2.3 Cities: The Archaeological Perspective 39 2.4 Social Groups 46 2.5 Gender Relations, Marriage 56 2.6 Occupational Divisions 59 2.7 Acculturation and the Growth of the Caste System 62 Extract 2.1: The Buddha's Counsel to Sigala 70 Extract 2.2: The Story of Satyakdma 71 Note 2.1: Northern Black Polished Ware (NBPW) 71 Note 2.2: Bibliographical Note 76 3Polities and Formation of States 78 3.1 The Janapadas 78 3.2 Polities in Northwestern India 89 3.3 Mahdjanapadas as Socio-Cultural Regions 92 3.4 State Formation 94 3.5 TheRiseofMagadha 100 Extract 3.1: On the Original Social Contract 103 Extract 3.2: The Dynastic History of Magadha 104 Note 3.1: Problems of Chronology 105 Note 3.2: Bibliographical Note 107 4 The Religious Revolution 109 4.1 The Intellectual Ferment 109 4.2 Ajivikas 112 4.3 The Jaina System 114 4.4 The Dhamma of the Buddha 124 4.5 Brahmanism and Brahmanical Texts 140 Extract 4.1: Spiritual Nihilism 146 Extract 4.2: Treasure that Cannot be Stolen 146 Extract 4.3: The Ajivika Creed 146 Extract 4.4: Mahavira 's Proof of Transmigration of Souls 147 Extract 4.5: The Universal Essence 148 Note 4.1: The Arrival of Writing 148 Note 4.2: Bibliographical Note 151 Chronology 153 Index 154