Ancient History Archives

The Age of Satavahanas

January 5, 2023May 15, 2023 pcsclasses

The Age of Satavahanas The Age of Satavahanas: According to most modern scholars the age of the Satavahana began in the late second century BCE and lasted until the early third century CE. In the Deccan and in central India, the Satavahanas succeeded the Mauryas although after a gap of 100 years. They were considered to be identical to the Andhras who were mentioned in Puranas, however, the name Andhra does not occur in Satavahana inscriptions. Founder of the Kingdom: The founder of the Satvahana dynasty was Simuka, who was…

Post-Mauryan India and Central Asian Contacts

January 3, 2023August 10, 2023 pcsclasses

Post-Mauryan India and Central Asian Contacts Post-Mauryan India – time period (200 B.C. to 300 AD) The successors of Asoka were not able to keep the vast Empire intact, after the death of Asoka. The provinces started declaring themselves independent. Kalinga declared itself independent, and further Satavahanas established their independent rule in the south. The foreign invasion also affected the territory of north India. As a result of these conflicts, the Mauryan rule was confined to the Gangetic valley and it was soon replaced by the Sunga dynasty. Sunga Dynasty:…

The Mauryan Empire

December 17, 2022March 9, 2023 pcsclasses

The Mauryan Empire With the foundation of the Mauryan Empire, political unity was achieved in India for the first time. Due to the accuracy of chronology and sources, the history writing of this era also becomes clear. The Mauryan dynasty was founded by Chandragupta Maurya who took advantage of the Nandas in the last days of their rule. He overthrew the Nandas with the help of Kautilya and established the rule of the Maurya dynasty. Sources of the Mauryan Empire Literary Sources: Kautilya’s Arthasatra: Kautilya has written the book Arthasatra…

Persian and Greek Invasions in India

December 8, 2022 pcsclasses

Persian and Greek Invasions in India During the first half of the sixth century B.C. several small principalities such as Kamboja, Gandhara, and Madras fought one another. The North–West area did not have a powerful kingdom, and it was wealthy and could be easily entered through passes in the Hindukush. The Achaemenian rulers of Iran expanded their empire at the same time as the Magadhan princes and took advantage of this political disunity on the northwest frontier. The Iranian ruler Darius penetrated northwest India in 516 BC and annexed the…

The Rise of the Magadhan Empire

December 2, 2022June 14, 2023 pcsclasses

The Rise of the Magadhan Empire Among all the kingdoms of North India, Magadha emerged powerful and prosperous. In the aspects of political activity in north India, it became the nerve center. The political history of India from the sixth century B.C onwards is the history of the struggle between the states Magadha, Koshala, Vatsa, and Avanti for supremacy, and ultimately the kingdom of Magadha emerged to be the most powerful and succeeded in founding an empire. During the reign of Bimbisara and Ajatasatru, the prosperity of Magadha reached its…

Sixteen Mahajanapadas

November 22, 2022May 15, 2023 pcsclasses

Sixteen Mahajanapadas Mahajanapadas: They were sixteen strong kingdoms that existed in ancient Indian history from the sixth century BCE onwards. At the age of the Buddha, sixteen large states called Mahajanapadas existed. The Jain texts also contain references to the existence of sixteen Mahajanapadas. The Mahajanapadas were mostly situated north of the Vindhayas and extended from the northwest frontier to Bihar. Sixteen Mahajanpadas according to Anguttara Nikaya: According to Anguttara Nikaya, the sixteen Mahajanapadas were: Anga, Magadha, Kasi, Kosala, Vajji, Malla, Chedi, Vatsa, Kuru, Panchala, Matsya, Surasena, Asmaka, Avanti, Gandhara,…

Buddhism: Teaching, Spread, and Causes for Decline

August 18, 2022September 13, 2022 pcsclasses

Buddhism: Teaching, Spread, Causes for Decline and contribution to Indian Culture Causes of origin of Buddhism: The complex rituals and sacrifices during the later Vedic period were not acceptable to common people. Expansive Sacrificial ceremonies. The confusion of people about the ‘superstitious beliefs and mantras’. The highly philosophical nature of the teaching of Upanishads which were not easily understood by all. Complex languages of these religious teaching. The teaching language of Buddha was simple and easily understood by people. Other regions also played a significant role in the growth of…

Jainism: Origin, Doctrines, Spread, and Causes of Decline

August 14, 2022September 13, 2022 pcsclasses

Jainism: Origin, Doctrines, Spread, and Causes of Decline Cause of origin: The primary cause of the origin of the religion was the religious unrest in India in the 6th Century B.C. In society, many complex rituals and sacrifices were advocated during the Later Vedic period which was not acceptable to the common people. The sacrificial ceremonies were too expansive, and the superstitious beliefs and mantras confused people. These are not easily understood by all people. The Brahmans stated themselves as upper Varna with the highest status in society and demanded…

The Vedic Culture: 1500-600 B.C.

August 3, 2022September 13, 2022 pcsclasses

The Vedic Culture: 1500-600 B.C. Main contents in the post: The advent of the Aryans The original home of Aryans The Vedic literature and their importance The Rig Vedic age and its culture Tribal conflict Political organization Social life Economic Condition Religion The Later Vedic age and its culture Phases of Vedic culture: The period of 1500 to 600 B.C can be divided as: Early Vedic Period or Rig Vedic Period (1500 B.C – 1000 B.C) Later Vedic Period (1000 B.C – 600 B.C) The advent of the Aryans After…

Identity of Aryan Culture

July 31, 2022December 23, 2022 pcsclasses

Identity of Aryan Culture The post, Identity of Aryan culture is important for various purposes of study, for UPSC IAS, PCS, UPPSC, BPSC, and other History graduation exams. The texts consist of traits of Aryan: The principal (identity of Aryan cultural) traits of Aryan culture are set out by Vedic, Iranian, and Greek literary texts and cognate terms found in the proto-Indo-European languages. The texts helped in reconstructing the material and other aspects of Aryans Culture comprising the Rig Veda, the Zend-Avesta, and Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey. The time of…