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1. Economic Conditions
during 6th Century BC
Dr. Virag Sontakke
Assistant Professor
Department of A.I.H.C. & Archaeology,
Banaras Hindu University

2. Economic
Conditions
during 6th
Century
BCE

3. Introduction
• The 600 BCE was a significant period.
• Marked the beginning of Early historic period.
• Rise of a large number of cities.
• Transformation from Janpada to Mahajanpada
• Sixteen Mahajanpadas
• Period of religious reform.
• Stable political situation
• These cities had many artisans and traders.
• Data gathered from Archaeological excavations
• Ample literary reference

4. Changes in Culture
1. Large Cities
2. New area under settlement
3. Growth of Populations
4. New land under cultivations
5. Beginning of new art and crafts
6. Usage of coins
7. Exploitations of raw material
8. Transport and communications
9. Broad area as regional territory
10.Writing

5. Sources
• Brahmanical texts: Puranas
• Epics:
• Buddhist Text: Vinaya Pitaka,
Sutta Pitaka, Nikaya, Jatakas
• Text: Panini’s Ashtadhyayi
• Greek Writers: Scylax,
Hecateus and Herodotus
• Jain Agama
• Archaeological Excavations
• Coins
• Smritis: Grihyasutras,
Srautsutras and Dharma
sutras, Apastamba.
• Brahmanas and
Upnishadas:
a) Janapadas
b) Mahajamapadas.
• Buddhist Text:
a) Big Cities
b) Clans
c) Princes,
d) Rich and poor
e) Towns and
f) Villages
• The Jatakas:
a) Cities
b) Geographical divisions.

6. Archaeological Evidence
• Excavations:
1. Rajghat
2. Ahichchhatra,
3. Hastinapur
4. Kausambi and
5. Ujjaini,
6. Sravasti,
7. Vaisali
Large Scale use of Iron
Change in material
culture
New ceramics
• Material Culture:
1. Urban settlement
2. Brick structures
3. Houses,
4. Structures,
5. Towns
6. Fortifications
7. Palaces
Ceramics
1. NBPW
2. Punch-marked coins

7. Mahajanpada
• Gradual development of cities and town
• Change in Material Culture: Copious use of iron,
coinage, Artistic decoration etc.
• Change in settlement pattern
• Variety and types of house
• Knowledge of writing
• Manufacturing workshops
• Early Buddhist and Jaina texts: 16 Mahajanapadas.
• Magadh, Vajji, Koshala, Kuru, Panchala, Gandhara
and Avanti, Ashmak, Anga were important
Mahajanapadas.

9. Economic Model
Economy
1.Agriculture
1.Animal
Husbandry
1.Art and
Craft
1.Industrie
s
1.Coins
Trade

10. Agriculture
• Main source of economy
• New area brought under cultivation
• Fertile ganga-Yamuna doab
• Excavations revealed iron ploughs
• Agriculture Equipment: spade, sickle, knife
• Panini: Double crop System
• Mahabharat and Ramayan: Agriculture and animal
husbandry are important source of income.
• Grains: rice, barley, wheat
• Pulses and legumes
• Agriculture become important source of income
• Surplus production and selling
• Pushes to Urbanization

11. Animal Husbandry
1. Supportive source of economy
2. Animals used in agriculture
3. Transportation was increases
4. Dairy production
5. Meet, bones, leather etc. of animals used
6. Buddhists text: protection of cattle
7. Suttanipata: animals not slaughtered as they are
source of grain and strength.
8. Archaeological Excavations: Bones of cattle, sheep,
goat, horses and pigs etc.

12. Various Professions
• Reference of 18 professions
• Trader
• Iron, Gold & copper smith
• Carpenter
• Cobbler
• Potters
• Ivory carvers
• Garland makers
• Brick makers
• Elephant tamers
• Stage managers,
• Soldiers,
• Writers,
• Archers,
• Hunters
• Barbers
• Dancers and
• Musicians
• Painters
• Magicians

13. Economy Rural Economy
Urban
Economy

14. Rural/Village Economic conditions
Rural Economy
generally based on
1. Agriculture
2. Animal Rearing
3. Timber Items
4. Craft items
5. Labours
• Buddhist texts: three types of
villages:
1. The typical village:
inhabited by various castes
and communities.
2. Peripheral villages: Art and
craft villages.
3. Border villages: consisting
of hunters, fowlers etc., who
were leading a simple life

15. Rural/Village Economic conditions
• Establishment of new settlements
• Agriculture remain primary source
• Expansion of agriculture
• Rich agricultural hinterland was cultivated.
• Surplus production
• Circulation of coins supported this development.
• Animal Rearing
• Supply of forest material
• Mineral and other resources

16. Growth of Rural Economy
Village
supplied
surplus
produce to
the towns
Towns
supplied
other
necessities to
the villagers.

17. Urban Economy
1. Big States
2. Transition from Janpadas to Mahajanpadas
3. Semi rural to Urban settlements
4. Increase the number of cities
5. Brick houses
6. Fortified cities
7. Variety of material culture
8. Variety of Artisans
9. Merchants
10.Traders

18. Features of Urban Economy
Surplus food production
Crafts specialization
Emergence of new art & craft
Political organisation
Centres of exchange
Coins
Writing
Resource utilisations
Internal Trade
External Trade

19. Urban Economy: Archaeological
Excavations
1. New ceramics: northern Black polished wares
(NBPW),
2. Houses: made of bricks
3. Fortified settlements
4. Coins
5. Copper, gold, silver and Iron objects
6. Semi-precious stone beads
7. Terracotta animal and human figurines;
8. Terracotta objects of games and amusement;
9. Objects of bone and ivory
10. Glass objects;
11. Shell bangles
12. Specific system of distribution.

21. old city walls
6th century BCE of
Rajgir

22. Early
Historic
Period

24. Sishupalgarh

25. Emergence of New
Manufacturing
1. Ceramic Industry
2. Terracotta figurines, modelling
3. Brick making
4. Textile
5. Carpentry and wood-working
6. Metal-working
7. Stone-working
8. Glass industry
9. Bone and ivory-working
10. Garland-makers,
11. Makers of bows and arrows,
12. Comb,
13. Baskets,
14. Perfume,
15. Liquor oil and
16. Musical instruments.
Emergence of New
Cities
1. Rajgir
2. Pataliputra
3. Kashi
4. Vaishali
5. Shravasti
6. Ayodhya
7. Mithila
8. Taxila
9. Kusinara
10. Pawa
11. Ujjain
12. Indraprastha
13. Ahichchhatras
14. Kannauj
15. Bairat
16. Mathura

26. NBPW:
Northern Black Polished Ware

27. Iron Objects
From Atranjikheda
Period IV
After Upinder Singh, 2017
A History of Ancient and Early Medieval period

28. Ornaments

29. a) Specimens of ancient jewellery
found in the Sakiya Tope
b) Ornaments and textile from
Bharhut

30. Emergence of cities
1. Pura: town, city with
fortification
2. Nagar: Fortress or
town
3. Nigma: market town
4. Rajdhani: capital
5. Nagaraka: small town
6. Mahanagara: big
cities (Champa,
Rajgruha, Shravasti,
Saket, Kaushambi
and Kashi)

33. Merchants/ Setthi/ Gahapati
• New cities brought new class of Merchants
• Plenty of Merchants/ Guilds reference found in texts
• Setthi: A trader +“a person having the best”.
• Setthi: Had acquired considerable prestige and power.
• Brahmanical sources: Vaishyas were associated with
trading.
• Setthi lived in cities Varanasi, Rajgriha
• Mahavagga: setthi puta Kolivisa
• Anathpindaka: gahapati
• These groups formed professional unions.

34. Trade
• Buddhist Text: movement of 1000 carts
• Caravans paying tax and tolls
• Kammikas (Custom officials): collecting taxesc
• Taxila & Charsadda: can be connected to Iran,
Mesopotemia
• Silver, Gold, Lapis lazuli: probably obtained from
central Asia
• Bengal to Myanmar for Jade
• Buddhist Text: Sea travel
• Anguttara Nikay: Sea merchents
• Jatakas: Sea voyages
• Surparaka Jataka:
• Dipvansh and Mahavansha: King of Ceylon travels by
sea

35. a) Anatha Pindika’s gift of the Jetavana
Park
b) Jetavana remains at Shravasti

36. Item of Exchanges
1. Cotton: Kashi
2. Wool: Gandhara
3. Horses: Sind and Kamboja
4. Gold: South
5. Iron: Vindhya, Eastern India
6. Shell Bangles: western coast
7. Lapis lazuli: Afghanistan
8. Ivory: Kalinga
9. Shell: eastern coast
10.Silver: Afganisthan/Rajusthan
11. Amethyst, Topaz: eastern India (Singhbhum)

37. Trade and Trade Routes
• Trade: Internal and
External
• Uttarapatha and
Dkashinapatah
• Internal Trade: Roads,
Rivers
• External: Sea, Road
• IMP Centres: Tamluk,
Sopara, Bharukaccha,
Gandhara
• Inland Trade Route:
1. Sravasti to
Pratisthana;
2. Sravasti with
Rajagriha;
3. Taxila to Sravasti;
4. Kashi to western coast.

38. Trade Route
1. North to South-west.
Savatthi to Patitthana (Paithan) and back.
beginning from the south as Mahissati,
Ujjeni,Gonaddha, Vedisa, Kosambi, and Saketa.
2. North to South-east.
Savatthi to Rajagaha.
beginning at Savatthi), Setavya, Kapilavastu, Kusindra,
Pava, Hatthi-gama, Bhanclagama, Vesali, Pataliputta,
and Nalanda.
3. East to West.
The main route was along the great rivers

39. River Routs
• Uttarapath: land-cum-river route
• Buddhist texts: trading through river
• Sites situated on the bank of major rivers
• Ganga, Yamuna, Ghaghra, Sarayu, Son,etc
• Ashthadhyayi & Jataka: ferries
• Reference of Buddhist monks movements

40. Trade:
Cultural contacts between
Mahajanpadas

41. Coins
• Coins supported the economy
• The age of barter was almost close.
• Coin called as Kahapana (Karsapana).
• Coins accelerated trade and commerce.
• Known as Punch marked coins
• Merchants or guilds, guaranteeing its standard.
• Surplus money was probably hoarded in jars

43. Examples of flourishing Economy
1. Various wealthy traders emerges
2. Anathapindak constructed first monastery for
Buddha and Sangha
3. The gahapati Mendaka donated 1,250 cows to the
Buddha and Buddha Sangha.
4. A gahapati of Saket is referred to as giving 16,000
coins, to the physician, Jivaka, in return for his
services.

44. Conclusion
• C. 600 BCE saw transition from rural to urban economy.
• Stable political condition strengthen the economy
• Emergence of new villages and cities
• Archaeological excavation proved changes in material
culture
• Agriculture remained principle source
• Occurrence of new class of trade and traders
• Coinage played vital role in the development economy.
• Rural Economy: Agriculture, cattle rearing, small crafts,
forest items
• Urban economy: Traders, Guilds, Various professionals
• Rise of Internal and External trade network
• All these factors were responsible for the growth of f
Second Urbanisation.