In the 1,500 years following the Harappan civilisation’s decline, the Indian subcontinent witnessed diverse developments. This period saw the composition of the Rigveda by communities along the Indus and its tributaries. Agricultural settlements flourished in north India, the Deccan Plateau, and parts of Karnataka. The Deccan and southern regions also had pastoral populations. New funerary practices emerged, notably in central and south India, where elaborate stone structures, or megaliths, were constructed from the first millennium BCE. These often included burials with a variety of iron tools and weapons.

Around the sixth century BCE, significant changes were evident. Early states, empires, and kingdoms started to form. These political shifts were underpinned by changes in agricultural organisation and the emergence of new towns across the subcontinent. Historians study these developments using various sources, such as inscriptions, texts, coins, and visual materials. However, they acknowledge the complexity of piecing together these historical narratives, as these sources do not provide a complete account of the period.

A significant period in Indian epigraphy (the study of inscriptions) which took place in the 1830s, was marked by the contributions of James Prinsep, an officer in the mint of the East India Company.

Decipherment Of Ancient Scripts

James Prinsep deciphered Brahmi and Kharosthi, two ancient scripts used in early Indian inscriptions and coins. This was a groundbreaking achievement, as it unlocked the ability to read and interpret ancient texts, inscriptions, and coinage which were crucial for understanding early Indian history.

Identification Of King Piyadassi/Asoka

Upon decipherment, Prinsep discovered references to a king named Piyadassi, meaning “pleasant to behold”. Some inscriptions also identified this king as Asoka, who was known from Buddhist texts as one of the most significant rulers of ancient India. The identification of King Asoka in inscriptions provided a tangible link between historical and archaeological records.