Ancient India: Land of Mystery

by Dale Brown (Editor)

Discusses the archaeology and civilizations of the Indus Valley, the Indo-Aryans of the Vedic era, the first Buddhists, and the Gupta empire

Genres: History, India, Nonfiction, Research

168 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1992

About the author

Dale^^Brown Time-Life editor/author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.

Reviews

[Dy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A little dry in spots, but it hits a lot of high points with just enough detail to make one want to investigate further.

I am glad that I read this before moving into dryer academic works - it gave me a solid foundation in some of the few known historical figures of India so that the names are recognizable and I don't have to stop and look them up as I read other books. I also really enjoyed the insights in how the Hindu religion changed over time - enough so that I intend learn more about it.

[Dianna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic! I would love to learn more about India’s contributions to early mathematics or what the Arabs called “the Indian science.” My only picky complaint is that it was hard to see the details of some of the black and white photos, and more maps would have been nice. Not to be misleading though, the book was full of wonderful photographs.

[Simon · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is yet another superb volume in Time-Life Books’ Lost Civilizations series. It deals with the birth and growth of civilisation in India from the ancient Harappan fired-brick cities of the Indus river valley, through the later Ganges valley Mauryan Empire of the great Ashoka, to the Gupta Empire of the classical period. There is a final photographic essay on the wonderful ruins of the southern Hindu city of Vijayanagara, sacked in the mid sixteenth century by the Muslims. Though I had studied the Harappan civilsation and knew the details of Alexander the Great’s brief incursion into north-west India, I had very little idea of India’s later history, so this beautifully illustrated book was an eye-opener for me. A pleasure to read and very informative about India’s antiquities and the explorers and archaeologists who rediscovered them, this is an excellent introduction to the subject and has made me want to read more.

[Anjali Jain · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well written and researched narration that forms a good foundation for anyone trying to understand the what, where, how of ancient India.

[Dimitri · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hopefully, this cover girl ( the famous priest from Mohenjo-Daro) will never suffer the sectarian violence that befell his Palmyra counterparts. A good companion to the early chapters of Keay's India: A History.

[Ginny Martinez · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read because of recent trip to India.