History of Ancient India: Vol. IX - Science and Technology, Medicine

The achievements of ancient India in the fields of science, technology and medicine have been highlighted in this volume. The various dimensions of ancient Indian mathematics (including calculus), physical and chemical thoughts, astronomical ideas and notions of geography have been clearly brought forward in the ‘science’ section of the book. In the technology section, metallurgy has received detailed, metal-by-metal analysis and this has been supplemented by articles on water-management, textile technology, manuscript preparation, etc. Both the theoretical and surgical dimensions of the ancient Indian medical system have also been clearly discussed. On the whole, the present volume offers a detailed perspective on the issues of ancient Indian mathematical thoughts and ideas of physics, chemistry, and geography and related issues along with both the theoretical and practical features of ancient Indian medical knowledge. The articles on technology also give an objective analysis of many aspects of ancient Indian technological system.

Dilip K Chakrabarti is emeritus professor of south Asian archaeology at Cambridge University