Inscriptions and the earliest states

In the 1830s, James Prinsep, an officer of the East India Company's mint, deciphered two ancient scripts, Brahmi and Kharosthi. Many inscriptions mentioned a king called 'Piyadassi' (pleasant to behold); he was identified as Asoka. This opened the door to India's early political history.

Inscriptions are writings engraved on hard surfaces such as stone, metal or pottery. They record the achievements of those who had them made. Many are not dated, so scholars date them by palaeography, the study of how the style of writing changed over time.

The sixth century BCE was a turning point: early states, cities, the growing use of iron, coinage, and new ways of thinking, including Buddhism and Jainism.

Early Buddhist and Jaina texts mention sixteen mahajanapadas (great states), such as Vajji, Magadha, Koshala, Kuru, Panchala, Gandhara and Avanti. Most were ruled by kings; some, called ganas or sanghas, were oligarchies, where power was shared by a number of men (often called rajas).

Each mahajanapada had a capital, often fortified. Rulers kept armies and officials, and Brahmanas wrote texts called Dharmasutras that laid down that rulers should collect taxes and tribute from cultivators, traders and artisans. Inscriptions opened the door to this political history.