History of India: From the Earliest Times to the Sixth Century B.c.

by Romesh Chunder Dutt, A.V. Williams Jackson (Editor)

The waves of Hindu conquests rolled onwards, and the aborigines submitted themselves to a higher civilization and a nobler creed. Rivers were crossed, forests were cleared, lands were reclaimed, wide wastes were people, and new countries hitherto aboriginal witnessed the rise of Hindu power and of Hindu religion. Where a few scanty settlers had penetrated at first, powerful colonies grew; where religious teachers had retired in seclusion, quiet villages and towns arose. Where a handful of merchants has made their way by some unknown river, boats plied up and down with valuable cargoes for a civilized population. --from Chapter "Expansion of the Hindus" First published in 1906, this classic nine-volume history of the nation of India places it among the storied lands of antiquity, alongside Egypt, China, and Mesopotamia. Edited by American academic ABRAHAM VALENTINE WILLIAMS JACKSON (1862-1937), professor of Indo-Iranian languages at Columbia University, it offers a highly readable narrative of the Indian people and culture through to the time of its publication, when the nation was still part of the British Empire. Volume I, From the Earliest Times to the Sixth Century B.C., by Bengali historian ROMESH CHUNDER DUTT (1848-1909), features entertaining and enlightening treatments - ancient India and the Rig-Veda - the Indo-Aryans and their literature - food and art in the Vedic age - the Brahmanic period and literature - the Mahabharata - the Ramayana - law, astronomy, and learning - the religious doctrines of the Upanishads - caste in the age of laws and philosophy - Buddhist sacred literature - life of Gautama Buddha - and much more. This beautiful replica of the 1906 first edition includes all the original illustrations.

Genres: India

380 pages, Hardcover

First published June 21, 2011

About the author

1848-1909

Reviews

[Subodh · Rating 3 out of 5]

I did not study History formally after my High School, but thanks to interaction with friends who studied it at the university level I was aware of the 5 volume(or is it six) History of India bu R C Dutt and others. Finally I got around to reading the first volume and it was a pleasant experience. I didn't discover anything new - the book covers familiar territory, but it did help me organize my knowledge of this period in my mind. It is difficult for me to visualize how this book would appeal to someone who has no knowledge of this period of Indian history, but I think it would be a readable and concise introduction to ancient India, the Vedas, Hindu religion and philosophy, and the two major epics - Ramayana and Mahabharata. The book overshoots the time indicated in the title with discussion of Buddhism, Jainism and the six major schools of Indian philosophy - all of which developed much after 600 BCE.

[Jaiveer · Rating 5 out of 5]

good

[Tomal Datta]

Not a detailed, analytical analysis on early Indian history but gives a brief introduction for those interested in the topic.