This presentation is prepared for the BA students, to get the basic ideas and informations regarding the topic.

1. Economic Conditions
during 6th Century BC
Dr. Virag Sontakke
Assistant Professor
Center for Advanced Studies
Department of A.I.H.C. & Archaeology,
Banaras Hindu University
virag@bhu.ac.in

2. Economic
Conditions
during 6th
Century
BCE

3. Introduction
• The c 600 BCE saw the religious and economic reform
movements in India.
• This period saw the rise of a large number of cities in
India.
• These cities had many artisans and traders, who began
to use coins naturally, facilitated trade and commerce.
• These changes were due to the steady growth of social
discrimination and economic transformation.

4. Changes in Society
1. Large Cities
2. New area under occupations
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

5. Sources
• Brahmanas and Upnishadas
• Grihyasutras, Srautsutras and Dharma sutras,
Apastamba.
• The grammar of Panini provides brief references
• Greek Writers: Scylax, Hecateus and Herodotus
• Buddhist Text: Vinaya Pitaka, Sutta Pitaka, The
Jatakas
• Jain Agama
• Archaeological Findings:
• Coins

6. Picture of the Society: Literary Evidence
• Brahmanas and Upnishadas: refer many Janapadas
and Mahajamapadas provides insights into the
settlement of agricultural communities.
• Buddhist Pitaka: Tells about the preachers, princes,
rich, poor and towns and villages of that period.
• The Jatakas: Give us graphic descriptions of the
contemporary society.
• These texts have clear references to various regions
and geographical divisions.

7. Archaeological Information
• Excavations carried out at Ahichchhatra, Hastinapur. Kausambi
and Ujjaini, Sravasti, Vaisali etc. are mentioned in the texts of
this period.
• Excavations yielded the remains of the houses, buildings, towns
and objects used by the people.
• The archaeological finds from this period indicate the use of a
deluxe pottery called the NBPW
• In the 6th century B.C.E people were using iron tools on a large
scale.
• Prosperous agricultural settlements and towns have also been
reported in the excavations.
• Thus, the archaeological and literary sources put together
provide us with a more complete picture of the Indian society
between the 6th centuries B.C.E.

8. Gradual Growth of the Society
• Gruh (head of the the family): Gruhpati
• Kulas (head of the families): Kulpati
• Vis (head of the Local Community): Vishpati
• Jana (Town): Janapati
• Mahajanpad

9. Janpad
• In the early Vedic society the members of Jana were
pastoral groups roaming in search of pastures.
• In the later Vedic phase Jana took up agriculture and
began to settle down called Janapadas.
• Iron made drastic change in economy and
development.
• Some of the Janapadas were to develop into
Mahajanapadas by the sixth century B.C.E.
• This happened as a result of a series of changes in the
internal socio-political structure of the Janapadas.
• One such important change was the expansion of
agricultural communities.

10. Mahajanpada
• The sixth century BCE is often regarded as a major
turning point in early Indian history.
• It is an era associated with early states, cities, the
growing use of iron, the development of coinage, etc.
• Towards the end of this period the society had acquired
the knowledge of writing and the earliest script of
ancient India is called the Brahmi script.
• It also witnessed the growth of diverse systems of
thought, including Buddhism and Jainism.
• Early Buddhist and Jaina texts mention, amongst other
things, sixteen states known as Mahajanapadas.
• Magadh, Vajji, Koshala, Kuru, Panchala, Gandhara and
Avanti were important Mahajanapadas.

12. Condition of Cities
1. The establishment of sixteen Mahajanapadas along
with their capita cities and standing armies would
not have been possible if agricultural produce could
not sustain non agriculturists.
2. The location of the capital towns of this period
having variety of crafts and trades in river Valleys
with broad flood plains and on main trade routes
also presupposes some surplus food production.
3. Each Mahajanapada had a capital city, which was
often fortified. Maintaining these fortified cities
required resources.

13. Economic Paradigm
Economy
Agriculture
Animal
Husbandries
Art and
Craft
Industries
Coins
Trade

14. Agriculture
• Introduction of iron metal
• Excavations revealed iron ploughs
• New iron equipments started utilized (spade, sickle)
• New area brought under cultivation
• Agriculture become important source of income
• Surplus production and selling
• Pushes to Urbanization

15. Agriculture pattern
• Panini: Double crop System
• Mahabharat and Ramayan: Agriculture and animal
husbandry are important source of income.
• Fields were divide according to crop pattern
• Cereals like rice, barley, wheat and millets were
produced over the wider areas.

16. Animal Husbandry
1. Buddhists text insisted on the protection of cattle
and Suttanipata states that they should not be
slaughtered because they constituted a source of
grain and strength.
2. The preservation of cattle wealth for agricultural
purposes was encouraged.
3. The rice producing economy was supplemented by
domestication and hunting of animals.
4. Archaeologists have recovered large number of
bones of cattle, sheep, goat, horses and pigs etc.
from the number of archaeological sites.
5. Thus, the animals were not only used for draught
and the plough of fields but a section of the society
was also used as a food.

17. Traders
1. Shopkeeper,
2. Retailer,
3. Trader,
4. Pedlars,
5. Selling pots and pans,
6. Carpenters,
7. Ivory carvers,
8. Garland makers
9. Smiths can be mentioned.

18. Trade
• Apart from the big merchants and landlords many
small scale traders are also mentioned.
• These groups formed professional unions.
• No one else but a family member could take up that
profession.
• This local division of different kinds of works and the
hereditary character of various professions gave them
the character of guilds.
• They used to have a head who would look after their
interests.
• The King was supposed to respect the internal rules of
the guild and protect it.
• The presence of the guild indicates increased trading
and manufacturing activity.

19. Merchants
• It was possibly from the ranks of the Gahapatis that an
important class of traders emerged.
• Through the sale of their produce they built up a
certain amount of capital which was used for trading.
• Setthi word frequently used for trader in the Buddhist
sources meaning 'a person having the best’.
• It shows that the people who dealt with money matters
had acquired considerable prestige and power.
• The Brahmanical sources generally looked down on
trading and the Vaishyas, who were generally
associated with trading.
• The traders lived in cities and their emergence is
related to the emergence of towns and cities in the
period.
• These merchants traded over very large areas.

20. Professions
1. Wandering dancers and musicians moved from
village to village and impressed their audiences with
their skills.
2. Tricksters,
3. Elephant tamers,
4. Stage managers,
5. Soldiers,
6. Writers,
7. Archers,
8. Hunters and
9. Barbers
were some of the groups which mentioned.

21. Economy Rural Economy
Urban
Economy

22. Rural/Village Economic conditions
• Economy of Villages
1. Agriculture
2. Animal Rearing
3. Timber Items
4. Craft items
5. Provide labours

23. Rural/Village Economic conditions
• The Pali texts speak of three types of villages:
1. The typical village inhabited by various castes and
communities.
2. Suburban villages were in the nature of craft villages.
3. Border villages consisting of hunters, fowlers etc.,
who were leading a simple life

24. Rural/Village Economic conditions
• As a rich agricultural hinterland was cultivated.
• Expansion of agriculture transition was being made
from a subsistence economy to a market economy.
• The introduction of coinage facilitated this
development.
• Coins led to greater mobility, accelerated trade and
commerce.
• Good mode of transportation facilitated intercourse
over a vast area which resulted in the growth of a
complex rural and urban economic system.

25. The rural Economy
• The rural economy developed through the establishment of
new settlements by shifting surplus population from the
overpopulated areas, and also by rehabilitating the
decaying villages.
• In such cases cattle, seed, money and irrigational facilities
were given by rulers.
• Remission of taxes and other concessions were allowed.
• Retired officials and priests were granted lands in such
area.
• The chief occupation in the rural area remained to be
agriculture.
• The village supplied surplus produce to the towns and the
towns supplied other necessities to the villagers.
• Whereas agriculture was the main occupation cattle
rearing and certain small crafts connected with land, forest
and animals catering to local requirements, were the other
features of the rural economy.

26. Urban Economy
1. Increase the number of cities
2. Variety of Artisans
3. Merchants
4. Traders

27. Literary Sources
1. Various kinds of traders: the shopkeepers (apanika),
retailers (Kraya-Vikrayika) and the money investors
(Setthi-Gahapati).
2. With the emergence of cities a class of washermen,
scavengers, beggars and sweepers also came into
existence.
3. The services of sweepers, and the people involved in
cremating corpses were essential for-cities.
4. The group of beggars also emerged as a result of the
breakdown of kin-based society and increasing
demands on the produce by the rulers.

28. Features of Urban Economy
Crafts specialization
Trade
Use of metallic money
Centres of exchange
Surplus food production
Political organisation
A literate society
Internal Trade
External Trade

29. Urban Economy
• The urban economy was dominated by traders and
craftsmen who produced goods for a wider market on a
larger scale.
• The urban economy revolved found two important
features-
a) Industry with a larger number of professionals and
craftsmen.
b) Secondly, trade both internal and external.

31. Urban Occupations
1. The merchants, played vital role in the system of distribution.
2. The material remains discovered from the various
archaeological sites of northern India such as pottery
(particularly NBPW),
3. Terracotta animal and human figurines;
4. Terracotta objects of games and amusement;
5. Objects of bone and ivory;
6. Coins;
7. Stone beads and ither household objects
8. Glass objects;
9. Beads;
10. Copper and Iron objects
11. Bricks structure
12. Shell bangles
Indicate existence of various crafts industries which can be
classified under the following heads

33. Industries
1. Ceramic Industry
2. Terracotta figurines, modelling
3. Brick making
4. Dress material
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.

34. NBPW:
Northern Black Polished Ware

37. Procession of Prasenajit
of Kosala leaving
Sravasti to meet
the Buddha,
Sanchi, MP

38. Item of Exchanges
1. The cotton cloth of Kasi attracted quite a large
numbers of buyers.
2. Woollen blankets brought from the distant north-
western province of Gandhara
3. Horses brought from Sind and Kamboja would also
be on sale.
4. Bangles of conch shell, beautiful ornaments of gold
and combs and ornaments made of ivory and various
kinds of precious stones were also in high demand
among the aristocracy.

39. Trade and Trade Routes
• Trade, both inland and foreign was in vogue
• Merchants made fortunes by dealing in articles like silks,
muslin, amour, perfumes, ivory, ivory works and jewellery etc.
• Traders travelled long distances from great rivers of the
country, and even undertook coastal voyages to Burma and Sri
Lanka from Tamluk in the east and from Broach in the west.
• Inland, the traders followed certain well established routes:
1. Sravasti to Pratisthana;
2. Another linked Sravasti with Rajagriha;
3. Base of the Himalayas from Taxila to Sravasti;
4. Kashi with the ports of western coast.
• Long distance trade was, however, centred in the towns as
centres of production and consequently of distribution besides
being better protected.

42. Major Routes
• The one trade route was from
Kaushambi, through Gangetic
plain, to Punjab and then
Taxila joining the routes to
Iran, Central Asia, European
countries and several countries
of Asia.
• Another route started from
Rajagraha and, passing
through Kosambi and Ujjayini,
was connected with the port of
Baroach from where the trade
was carried on with western
countries through sea-route.
• One important route passed
through the entire Gangetic
plain and reached the
boundary of Burma
• Another route connected
northern plain with the sea-
coast of south-east.

43. Coins
• The age of barter was almost drawing to a close.
• Now the ordinary medium of exchange was a coin
called Kahapana (Karsapana).
• Known as Punch marked coins
• It was of copper and silver and marks were punched on
it by merchants or ruler's guilds, guaranteeing its
standard.
• Banks seems unknown, and surplus money was either
converted into ornaments, or hoarded in jars and
buried in the ground, or put in the custody of a friend.

46. Marks on Punch Marked Coins

48. Examples of flourishing Economy
1. The gahapati Mendaka donated 1,250 cows to the
Buddha and Buddha Sangha.
2. A gahapati of Saket is referred to as giving 16,000
coins, a male-slave and a female-slave to the
physician, Jivaka, in return for his services.
3. It all proved the existence of a flourishing
agricultural economy though, of course, it led to
gross economic inequality among the people in
villages as well.

49. Conclusion
• The transition was from the subsistence economy to market
economy.
• The food producing economy was immensely strengthened by
the use of iron implements, transplantation of paddy, and by
religious sanction for the preservation of cattle.
• Trade and the system of coinage also played vital role in the
development of urban economy.
• Agriculture, cattle rearing and certain small crafts connected
with land, forest and animals were the chief features of rural
economy,
• Urban economy was dominated by a large number of
professionals and craftsmen who produced for wider
circulation and more consumption.
• This led to greater mobility, increased trade and trade routes
and resulted in the growth of a complicated rural and urban
economic system.
• All these factors were responsible for the growth of f Second
Urbanisation.