SYLLABUS FOR HISTORY HONORS- FIRST YEAR
PAPER I : SEMESTER I
HISTORY OF INDIA I
I. Reconstructing Ancient Indian History
[a] Early Indian notions of History
[b] Sources and tools of historical reconstruction.
[c] Historical interpretations (with special reference to gender,
environment, technology, and regions).
II. Pre-historic hunter-gatherers
[a] Palaeolithic cultures- sequence and distribution; stone
industries and other technological developments.
[b] Mesolithic cultures- regional and chronological distribution;
new developments in technology and economy; rock art.
III. The advent of food production
Understanding the regional and chronological distribution of the
Neolithic and Chalcolithic cultures : subsistence, and patterns of
exchange.
IV. The Harappan civilization
Origins; settlement patterns and town planning; agrarian base; craft
productions and trade; social and political organisation; religious
beliefs and practices; art; the problem of urban decline and the
late/post-Harappan traditions.
V. Cultures in transition-settlement patterns, technological and
economic developments; social stratification; political relations;
religion and philosophy; the Aryan Problem.
[a] North India (circa 1500 BCE-300 BCE)
[b] Central India and the Deccan (circa 1000 BCE – circa 300 BCE)
[c] Tamilakam (circa 300 BCE to circa CE 300)
PAPER IV : SEMESTER II
HISTORY OF INDIA II
I. Economy and Society (circa 300 BCE to circa CE 300):
[a] Expansion of agrarian economy: production relations.
[b] Urban growth: north India, central India and the Deccan; craft
production: trade and trade routes; coinage.
[c] Social stratification: class, varna, jati, untouchability; gender; marriage
and property relations.
II. Changing political formations (circa 300 BCE to circa CE 300):
[a] The Mauryan Empire
[b] Post-Mauryan Polities with special reference to the Kushanas and the
Satavahanas; Gana-Sanghas.
III. Towards early medieval India [circa CE fourth century to CE 750]:
[a] Agrarian expansion: land grants, changing production relations; graded
land rights and peasantry.
[b] The problem of urban decline: patterns of trade, currency, and urban
settlements.
[c] Varna, proliferation of jatis:changing norms of marriage and property.
[d] The nature of polities: the Gupta empire and its contemporaries: post-
Gupta polities – Pallavas, Chalukyas, and Vardhanas.
IV. Religion, philosophy and society (circa 300 BCE- CE 750):
(a) Consoloidation of the brahmanical tradition: dharma, Varnashram,
purusharthas, samskaras.
(b) Theistic cults (from circa second century BC): Mahayana; the Puranic
tradition.
(c) The beginnings of Tantricism
V. Cultural developments (circa 300 BCE – CE 750):
[a] A brief survey of Sanskrit, Pali Prakit and Tamil literature.
Scientific and technical treatises.
[b] Art and architecture – forms and patronage; Mauryan, post-Mauryan,
Gupta, post-Gupta
PAPER I : SEMESTER I
HISTORY OF INDIA I
I. Reconstructing Ancient Indian History
[a] Early Indian notions of History
[b] Sources and tools of historical reconstruction.
[c] Historical interpretations (with special reference to gender,
environment, technology, and regions).
II. Pre-historic hunter-gatherers
[a] Palaeolithic cultures- sequence and distribution; stone
industries and other technological developments.
[b] Mesolithic cultures- regional and chronological distribution;
new developments in technology and economy; rock art.
III. The advent of food production
Understanding the regional and chronological distribution of the
Neolithic and Chalcolithic cultures : subsistence, and patterns of
exchange.
IV. The Harappan civilization
Origins; settlement patterns and town planning; agrarian base; craft
productions and trade; social and political organisation; religious
beliefs and practices; art; the problem of urban decline and the
late/post-Harappan traditions.
V. Cultures in transition-settlement patterns, technological and
economic developments; social stratification; political relations;
religion and philosophy; the Aryan Problem.
[a] North India (circa 1500 BCE-300 BCE)
[b] Central India and the Deccan (circa 1000 BCE – circa 300 BCE)
[c] Tamilakam (circa 300 BCE to circa CE 300)
PAPER IV : SEMESTER II
HISTORY OF INDIA II
I. Economy and Society (circa 300 BCE to circa CE 300):
[a] Expansion of agrarian economy: production relations.
[b] Urban growth: north India, central India and the Deccan; craft
production: trade and trade routes; coinage.
[c] Social stratification: class, varna, jati, untouchability; gender; marriage
and property relations.
II. Changing political formations (circa 300 BCE to circa CE 300):
[a] The Mauryan Empire
[b] Post-Mauryan Polities with special reference to the Kushanas and the
Satavahanas; Gana-Sanghas.
III. Towards early medieval India [circa CE fourth century to CE 750]:
[a] Agrarian expansion: land grants, changing production relations; graded
land rights and peasantry.
[b] The problem of urban decline: patterns of trade, currency, and urban
settlements.
[c] Varna, proliferation of jatis:changing norms of marriage and property.
[d] The nature of polities: the Gupta empire and its contemporaries: post-
Gupta polities – Pallavas, Chalukyas, and Vardhanas.
IV. Religion, philosophy and society (circa 300 BCE- CE 750):
(a) Consoloidation of the brahmanical tradition: dharma, Varnashram,
purusharthas, samskaras.
(b) Theistic cults (from circa second century BC): Mahayana; the Puranic
tradition.
(c) The beginnings of Tantricism
V. Cultural developments (circa 300 BCE – CE 750):
[a] A brief survey of Sanskrit, Pali Prakit and Tamil literature.
Scientific and technical treatises.
[b] Art and architecture – forms and patronage; Mauryan, post-Mauryan,
Gupta, post-Gupta
PAPER II : SEMESTER I
SOCIAL FORMATIONS AND CULTURAL PATTERNS
OF THE ANCIENT WORLD
I. Evolution of humankind; Palaeolithic and Mesolithic cultures.
II. Food production : beginnings of agriculture and animal husbandry.
III. Bronze Age Civilisations, with reference to any one of the following: i) Egypt (Old Kingdom); ii) Mesopotamia (up to the Akkadian Empire); iii) China (Shang); iv) Eastern Mediterranean (Minoan)—Economy, social stratification, state structure, religion.
IV. Nomadic groups in Central and West Asia; ‘Debate’ on the advent of iron and its implications
V. Slave society in ancient Greece : agrarian economy, urbanisation, trade.
VI. Polis in ancient Greece: Athens and Sparta; Greek Culture.
PAPER V : SEMESTER II
SOCIAL FORMATIONS AND CULTURAL PATTERNS
OF THE MEDIEVAL WORLD
I. Roman Republic, Principate and Empire—slave society in ancient Rome: agrarian economy, urbanisation , trade.
II. Religion and culture in ancient Rome.
III. Crises of the Roman Empire.
IV. Economic developments in Europe from the 7th to the 14th centuries: organisation of production, towns and trade, technological developments. Crisis of feudalism.
V. Religion and culture in medieval Europe:
VI. Societies in Central Islamic Lands:
[a] The tribal background, ummah, Caliphal state; rise of Sultanates
[b] Religious developments : the origins of shariah , Mihna ,Sufism
[c] Urbanisation and trade