Robin Coningham and Prishanta Gunawardhana

Part I. The Context: 1. Introduction and definitions; 2. Environment and culture: South Asia's environmental, linguistic and religious patterns; 3. Histories of South Asian archaeology; Part II. The Indus Valley Tradition c.6500-1900 BCE: 4. Food producers: multiple Neolithics (c.6500-2000 BCE); 5. Regionalisation and differentiated communities (c.5000-2600 BCE); 6. An era of integration: the Indus civilisation (c.2600-1900 BCE); 7. Localisation: transformations of a system (c.1900-1200 BCE); Part III. The Early Historic Tradition (c.1900-200 BCE): 8. South Asia: transitions and continuities (c.1900-1200 BCE); 9. The re-emergence of regional differentiation (c.1200-600 BCE); 10. Reintegration: towards an early historic world (c.600-250 BCE); 11. The Mauryans and the Asokan ideal (c.321-185 BCE); Part IV. Conclusions: 12. Conclusions and challenges.