Explain why patriliny may have been particularly important among elite families.
Patriliny is the system through which descent from father to son and grandson is traced. The principle of patriliny would have been essential for the elite families for the following reasons: Continuity of Dynasty: As per the Dharmashastras, it was an established belief that the son carried forward the dynasty. That was the main reason that the families wished for sons not for daughters. A couplet of Rigveda also substantiates this view. In this couplet, a father at the time of the marriage of his daughter wishes that she should have the best songs with the grace of Lord Shiva. Inheritance: In royal families, the acquisition of the throne was included in the inheritance. After the death of a king, his eldest son was supposed to inherit the throne. After the death of the parents, the property was to be equally divided among all the sons. In fact, parents avoided disputes in the family after their death. Most of the royal families followed the patriliny since 600 B.C. But sometimes this system had exceptions also.
Discuss whether the Mahabharata could have been the work of a single author.
How do historians reconstruct the lives of ordinary people?
Discuss whether kings in early states were invariably Kshatriyas.
How important were gender differences in early societies? Give reasons for your answer.
On Map 1, use a pencil to circle sites where evidence of agriculture has been recovered. Mark an X against sites where there is evidence of craft production and R against sites where raw materials were found.
Look at Fig. 1.30 and describe what you see. How is the body placed? What are the objects placed near it? Are there any artefacts on the body? Do these indicate the sex of the skeleton?
Discuss the evidence that suggests that Brahmanical prescriptions about kinship and marriage were not universally followed.
Describe some of the distinctive features of Mohenjodaro.
Describe the salient features of mahajanapadas.
Were the ideas of the Upanishadic thinkers different from those of the fatalists and materialists? Give reasons for your answer.
Figs. 4.32 and 4.33 are two scenes from Sanchi. Describe what you see in each of them, focusing on the architecture, plants and animals, and the activities. Identify which one shows a rural scene and which an urban scene, giving reasons for your answer.
Describe some of the distinctive features of Mohenjodaro.
How important were gender differences in early societies? Give reasons for your answer.
Would you agree that the drainage system in Harappan cities indicates town planning? Give reasons for your answer.
In what ways was the Buddhist theory of a social contract different from the Brahmanical view of society derived from the Purusha sukta?
Discuss the role of the begums of Bhopal in preserving the stupa at Sanchi.
Why do you think women and men joined the sangha?
This is what a famous historian of Indian literature, Maurice Winternitz, wrote about the Mahabharata: “just because the Mahabharata represents more of an entire literature ... and contains so much and so many kinds of things, … (it) gives(s) us an insight into the most profound depths of the soul of the Indian folk.” Discuss.
Discuss the evidence that suggests that Brahmanical prescriptions about kinship and marriage were not universally followed.
To what extent were agricultural practices transformed in the period under consideration?