A RETROSPECT ON TECHNOLOGY AS AGENTS OF CHANGE IN ANCIENT INDIAN HISTORY
Keywords:
Ancient India, Technology, Social Change, Agriculture, Metallurgy, UrbanisationAbstract
Technology in ancient India functioned not merely as a set of tools or mechanical innovations but as a dynamic social force that actively reshaped economic structures, political authority, cultural interactions, and everyday human life. This article offers a retrospective examination of technology as an agent of historical change in ancient Indian history, drawing upon the interpretations of leading Indian historians such as Romila Thapar, R. S. Sharma, Upinder Singh, Irfan Habib, and scholars of ancient Indian metallurgy. It argues that technological developments—particularly in agriculture, metallurgy, urban planning, textile production, and water management—were deeply embedded within social relations and ecological contexts. Rather than viewing technological change as autonomous or deterministic, the study highlights how human agency, state institutions, craft communities, and environmental constraints shaped both the adoption and consequences of technology. By situating technological practices within lived experiences—of peasants, artisans, traders, and rulers—the article adopts a humane historical perspective. It demonstrates that technological advancements facilitated agricultural surplus, urbanisation, trade expansion, and state formation, while also generating new social inequalities and ecological pressures. The article ultimately contends that technology in ancient India must be understood as a socially negotiated process that both enabled progress and reflected the moral, economic, and political priorities of its time.
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References
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