Marshalling the Past: Ancient India and its Modern Histories

by Nayanjot Lahiri

Iconic sites and ‘monumental’ subjects in Indian history are the core of this fascinating collection of essays. Nayanjot Lahiri ranges from the Indus cities of Harappa and Mohenjodaro to Buddhist Mahabodhi and Sanchi, from the political imprint of the 1857 revolt on bits of Delhi to the partitioning of India’s archaeological heritage in 1947.

Archaeologists find unexpected things during their digs—as does Lahiri. By unearthing new archival material and by looking at the ways in which the personal and the professional mix in their writings, she gives us new facets of two iconic scholars of ancient India, the archaeologist John Marshall and the historian D.D. Kosambi. Both are crucial figures: Marshall headed the group that discovered the Indus civilization; Kosambi changed the way in which ancient Indian history was written after Independence. Lahiri gives us pictures of them that no one else has.

Scholarly, perceptive, and entertaining, Marshalling the Past offers readings of ancient India and its modern histories that will confirm Nayanjot Lahiri’s reputation as one of the most readable historians of her generation.

Genres: History

462 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2012

About the author

Nayanjot Lahiri is a historian and archaeologist of ancient India and a professor of history at Ashoka University. She was previously on the faculty of the department of history at the University of Delhi

Reviews

[Kalpa Moharana · Rating 2 out of 5]

Barring the last essay on Kosambi’s work which was stellar, I found all other chapters insipid. A seemingly conscious attempt to cherry pick certain periods of ancient history and omitting others makes the whole work glaringly incoherent.