Outline of ancient India

The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to ancient India:

Ancient India is the Indian subcontinent from prehistoric times to the start of Medieval India, which is typically dated (when the term is still used) to the end of the Gupta Empire around 500 CE.

General history of Ancient India

An elaborate periodisation may be as follows:

Pre-history (Neolithic Age) (c. 8000–3500 BCE)

Indian Pre-history Age (c.10,000–3300 BCE)
Bhirrana culture (7570–6200 BCE)
Mehrgarh culture (c.7000– c.2500 BCE)

Proto-history (Bronze Age) (c. 3500–1800 BCE)

Indus Valley Civilisation (c.3300– c.1300 BCE), including the "first urbanisation"
Ahar–Banas culture (c.3000– c.1500 BCE)
Ochre Coloured Pottery culture (c.2600–1200 BCE)
Cemetery H culture (c.1900–1300 BCE)

Iron Age (c. 1800–500 BCE)

Iron Age India (c.1800– c.200 BCE) Vedic civilisation (c.1700– c.600 BCE) Black and red ware culture (c.1500–700 BCE) in Western Ganges plain Northern Black Polished Ware (c.1200–500 BCE) Painted Grey Ware culture (c.1200 or 700–300 BCE) Brihadratha dynasty (c.1700– c.682 BCE) Gandhara Kingdom (c.1500– c.545 BCE) Kuru Kingdom (c.1200– c.345 BCE) Indian Iron Age kingdoms (c.600– c.345 BCE) Pandyan Kingdom (c.600 BCE– c.650 CE)

Early Historic (c. 500 BCE–300 CE)

Pradyota dynasty (c.546–408 BCE)
Haryanka dynasty (c.544–413 BCE)
Shaishunaga dynasty (c.413–345 BCE)
Nanda Empire (c.345– c.322 BCE)
Maurya Empire (c.322–185 BCE)
Sangam period (c.300 BCE– c.300 CE) Pandyan Kingdom (c.600 BCE–1650 CE) Chera Kingdom (c.300 BCE–1102 CE) Chola Kingdom (c.300 BCE–1279 CE)
Kalinga Empire (until 261 BCE)
Mahameghavahana Empire (c.2600–300 CE)
Satavahana Empire (230 BCE–220 CE)
Kuninda Kingdom (c.2600–350 CE)
Shunga Empire (c.185–73 BCE)
Kanva dynasty (c.73–26 BCE)
Indo-Greek Kingdom (180 BCE–10 CE)
Kushan Empire (30–375 CE)
Indo-Scythian Kingdom ( c.12 BCE–395 CE)

Classical Period (c. 300–550 CE)

There are varying definitions of this period.

Gupta Empire (c.320–579 CE)
Later Gupta dynasty (c.490–750 CE)
Vakataka Empire (c.250– c.510 CE)
Pallava Empire (c.275–901 CE)
Kadamba dynasty (c.345–1347 CE)
Western Ganga dynasty (c.350–1024 CE)
Vishnukundina dynasty (c.420–624 CE)
Maitraka dynasty (c.475– c.767 CE)
Rai dynasty (c.489–632 CE)

Culture in ancient India

Art in ancient India

Music in ancient India Carnatic music Hindustani music

Languages in ancient India

Religion in ancient India

Science and technology in ancient India

Organisations concerned with ancient India

Museums with ancient Indian exhibits

India (clockwise) National Museum, New Delhi Patna Museum Indian Museum, Kolkata Government Museum, Bangalore Goa State Museum Kutch Museum, Bhuj, Gujarat
United Kingdom British Museum, London

Notes

Subnotes

Sources

Flood, Gavin D. (1996), An Introduction to Hinduism, Cambridge University Press
Khanna, Meenakshi (2007), Cultural History Of Medieval India, Berghahn Books
Kulke, Hermann; Rothermund, Dietmar (2004), A History of India, Routledge
Michaels, Axel (2004), Hinduism. Past and present, Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton University Press
Misra, Amalendu (2004), Identity and Religion: Foundations of Anti-Islamism in India, SAGE
Muesse, Mark William (2003), , archived from on 2013-12-27
Muesse, Mark W. (2011), The Hindu Traditions: A Concise Introduction, Fortress Press
Smart, Ninian (2003), Godsdiensten van de wereld (The World's religions), Kampen: Uitgeverij Kok
Stein, Burton (2010), , John Wiley & Sons, ISBN9781444323511
Thapar, Romila (1978), (PDF), Orient Blackswan

External links

Media related toAncient Indiaat Wikimedia Commons