Apart from my family and the work I do for livelihood, history of ancient world has been of tremendous interest to me for last few years. I stopped studying history as a serious study topic after 10th grade itself. But, seeds of curiosity sown by my 10th grade history teacher (thank you Mrs. Patil) were far from dead, albeit dormant. So, when I started learning about Greek, Roman and Byzantine history, my interest in history started germinating. It interests me not just because of intrigues and wonderful plots it holds, but also because it is universal and says a lot about human nature.
That human nature has some universal elements, but it also has unique characteristics in different parts of the world. For example, premium civilization of the ancient western world, the Greeks, philosophized and created foundation of democracy. But, they constantly fought amongst each other. With their philosophy, they even created formidable fighting machine of their time - the phalanx - to conquer half of the known world with Alexander. But, that was the zenith of their military conquest. Greeks didn't seem to come out of their theoretical discourses, phalanx fighting system and constant squabbling. They were eventually conquered by their western neighbors, the Romans, who excelled in practical applications of every known theory available to them and constantly improvised. From the foundation of Roman republic to the fall of Byzantine Empire, "Romans" ruled most of the civilized world for close to 2,000 years. Difference in human nature could not be seen in any greater contrast than between idealistic Greeks and pragmatic Romans.
It was these kind of intrigues, then, that kept me up at night reading more about my homeland's history. Much of the recent Indian history (from 12th century onwards) was studied during my school days. But, only passing references were made to earlier history....the one that talked about Aryan colonization, rise of religions of the subcontinent, the Mauryans, Shakas, Kushans, the Guptas, and Huns. So, I decided to start my exploration of India from the very beginning - when the Indian subcontinent was formed. Through this blog, I'd like to create a common man's understanding of Indian history. Not being a modern historian myself, I don't claim this to be an accurate or objective representation of events that happened. Sources for these ramblings are various books and online information (yes, including Wikipedia)...so GIGO principle applies here. Also, being my blog, from time to time I will take liberty to present my views on events as they unfold. Take what you like, ignore what you don't. But, post comments either way. Although not a historian, I pride myself being an open minded person....so maybe I will learn from your comments.
That human nature has some universal elements, but it also has unique characteristics in different parts of the world. For example, premium civilization of the ancient western world, the Greeks, philosophized and created foundation of democracy. But, they constantly fought amongst each other. With their philosophy, they even created formidable fighting machine of their time - the phalanx - to conquer half of the known world with Alexander. But, that was the zenith of their military conquest. Greeks didn't seem to come out of their theoretical discourses, phalanx fighting system and constant squabbling. They were eventually conquered by their western neighbors, the Romans, who excelled in practical applications of every known theory available to them and constantly improvised. From the foundation of Roman republic to the fall of Byzantine Empire, "Romans" ruled most of the civilized world for close to 2,000 years. Difference in human nature could not be seen in any greater contrast than between idealistic Greeks and pragmatic Romans.
It was these kind of intrigues, then, that kept me up at night reading more about my homeland's history. Much of the recent Indian history (from 12th century onwards) was studied during my school days. But, only passing references were made to earlier history....the one that talked about Aryan colonization, rise of religions of the subcontinent, the Mauryans, Shakas, Kushans, the Guptas, and Huns. So, I decided to start my exploration of India from the very beginning - when the Indian subcontinent was formed. Through this blog, I'd like to create a common man's understanding of Indian history. Not being a modern historian myself, I don't claim this to be an accurate or objective representation of events that happened. Sources for these ramblings are various books and online information (yes, including Wikipedia)...so GIGO principle applies here. Also, being my blog, from time to time I will take liberty to present my views on events as they unfold. Take what you like, ignore what you don't. But, post comments either way. Although not a historian, I pride myself being an open minded person....so maybe I will learn from your comments.
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