HIST 258:
Indian Ocean
Emergence of Empire
Political/social organization: India, ca. 600 BCE
to 600 CE
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How have humans organized into polities
over time? How did we arrive at the "state"?
-
What are the social implications of
political evolution?
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How does political change reflect change
in human ecology and environment?
Tribe/clan
[lineage]
Chiefdom
[composed of tribal/clan lineages]
Empire
[composed of chieftaincies]
How were rulers/elites selected?
Tribe
Alpha male/female?
Chiefdom
Choosing the "elect"
Empire
Conquest
Themes: lineage-based clans [ancient
"republics"] to imperial conquest state [Mauryas/Guptas]
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Food: Pastoral to Agricultural
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Demography: Eastward Migration Rice
cultivation
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Territoriality: subcontinental expanse [Asoka's
edicts]
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Bureacracy: Kautilya arthasastra
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Religion: Vedic "brahmanism" to universalist religious
philosophy, Jaina, Ajivika, Sangha...
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Social hierarchy: Brahman><Kshatriya<Vaisya<Sudra
|| mlechha/dasa?