Second urbanisation, coins and towns
Whole chapter · 16–24 focused hours
Mahajanapadas, Magadha and the Mauryas
A first-attempt learner with school-level reading and little retained ancient/medieval history or art history. Later chapters assume the earlier chronological context; History optional and practical arts training are outside scope.
Includes
- Selected explanatory readings, images/maps and source extracts
- Brief chronology or comparison notes
- Available mapped practice, mistake review and one initial recall review
Separate time needed
- Subsequent spaced revision and full mock examinations
- Reading every reference book and optional exercise in full
- Exclude full Buddhist/Jain doctrine and Mauryan visual-art analysis; those have separate Culture homes.
Editorial planning estimate; not measured learner time
- Northern Black Polished Ware towns of the middle Ganga plain: Rajagriha, Shravasti, Kaushambi, Champa
- Punch-marked silver coins (kahapana) and the earliest coin references in Pali texts (nikkha, kamsa, kakanika)
- Setthis, gahapatis, trade routes and the transition to a money economy
- Bali and bhaga as regular taxes, standing armies and the emergence of state structure
Where to study this topic
- Themes in Indian History Part I, Class XII, Theme 2 Kings, Farmers and Towns: Early States and Economies ↗
Theme 2 Kings, Farmers and Towns, pp. 1-25 (printed 28-52)
- R.S. Sharma, India's Ancient Past (publisher page with table of contents) ↗
ch. 17
- Tamil Nadu State Board Class XI History Volume I (lessons 1 to 11), full text ↗
Lesson 3 Rise of Territorial Kingdoms and New Religious Sects, pp. 46-61 (printed 42-57)
Whole chapter reading
- Tamil Nadu State Board Class XI History Volume I (lessons 1 to 11), full text ↗
Lessons 3–4, political/urban transition and imperial institutions; religious doctrine is assigned separately.
- Themes in Indian History Part I, Class XII, Theme 2 Kings, Farmers and Towns: Early States and Economies ↗
Early states, agrarian change, towns, inscriptions and coin evidence
- R.S. Sharma, India's Ancient Past (publisher page with table of contents) ↗
Chapters 15–19, state formation, invasions and Mauryan institutions; use only sections filling gaps in the assigned school-text readings.
Book required