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Kings, Farmers And Towns
List some of the problems faced by epigraphists.
Some of the problems faced by epigraphist are
1. Technical problems- a. Letters are very faintly engraved, and thus reconstructions are uncertain.
b. Inscriptions are damaged or letters missing.
c. It is not always easy to be sure about the exact meaning of the words used in inscriptions.
d. Not all have been deciphered, published and translated.
2. No overall picture- N everything that we may consider politically or economically significant was necessarily recorded in inscriptions. And the content of inscriptions almost invariably projects the perspective of the person(s) who commissioned them.
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Discuss the evidence of craft production in early historic cities. In what ways is this different from the evidence from Harappan cities?
Describe the salient features of Mahajanapadas.
How do historians reconstruct the lives of ordinary people?
Compare and contrast the list of things given to the Pandyan chief (Source 3) with those produced in the village of Danguna (Source 8). Do you notice any similarities or differences?
List some of the problems faced by epigraphists.
Discuss the main features of Mauryan administration. Which of these elements are evident in the Asokan inscriptions that you have studied?
This is a statement made by one of the best-known epigraphists of the twentieth century, D.C. Sircar: “There is no aspect of life, culture and activities of the Indians that is not reflected in inscriptions”. Discuss.
Discuss the notions of kingship that developed in the post-Mauryan period.
To what extent were agricultural practices transformed in the period under consideration?
Compare Maps 1 and 2, and list the Mahajanapadas that may have been included in the Mauryan Empire. Are any Asokan inscriptions found in these areas?
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