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The history of India includes the prehistoric settlements and societies in the Indian subcontinent; the advancement of civilization from Indus Valley Civilization to the Vedic Civilization of the Indo-Aryan cultures; a second urbanisation, together with a still continuing process of Sanskritization, and the rise of the Śramaṇa movement, including the birth of Jainism and Buddhism; the subsequent development of Hinduism as a synthesis of various Indian cultures and traditions; the onset of a succession of powerful dynasties and empires for almost two millennia throughout various geographic areas of the subcontinent, the growth of Muslim dynasties during the Medieval period; the advent of European traders resulting in the establishment of the British rule; and the subsequent independence movement that led to the Partition of India and the creation of the Republic of India. Evidence of Anatomically modern humans in the Indian subcontinent is recorded as long as 75,000 years ago, or with earlier hominids including ''Homo erectus'' from about 500,000 years ago. But, the Indus Valley Civilization which spread and flourished in the northwestern part of the Indian subcontinent from c. 3200 to 1300 BCE in present-day Pakistan and northwest India, was the first major civilization in South Asia.〔Romila Thapar, ''A History of India'' (Penguin Books: New York, 1966) p. 23.〕 A sophisticated and technologically advanced urban culture developed in the Mature Harappan period, from 2600 to 1900 BCE.〔Romila Thapar, ''A History of India'', p. 24.〕 This civilization collapsed at the start of the second millennium BCE and was later followed by the Iron Age Vedic Civilization, which extended over much of the Indo-Gangetic plain and which witnessed the rise of major polities known as the Mahajanapadas. In one of these kingdoms, Magadha, Mahavira and Gautama Buddha propagated their ''Shramanic'' philosophies during the fifth and sixth century BCE. Most of the subcontinent was conquered by the Maurya Empire during the 4th and 3rd centuries BCE. From the 3rd century BC onwards Prakrit and Pali literature in the north and the Sangam literature in southern India started to flourish.〔Researches Into the History and Civilization of the Kirātas by G. P. Singh p.33〕〔A Social History of Early India by Brajadulal Chattopadhyaya p.259〕 Wootz steel originated in south India in the 3rd century BC and was exported to foreign countries.〔Technology and Society by Menon R.V.G. p.15〕〔The Political Economy of Craft Production: Crafting Empire in South India, by Carla M. Sinopoli p.201〕〔Science in India by B.V. Subbarayappa〕 Various parts of India were ruled by numerous dynasties for the next 1,500 years, among which the Gupta Empire stands out. This period, witnessing a Hindu religious and intellectual resurgence, is known as the classical or "Golden Age of India". During this period, aspects of Indian civilization, administration, culture, and religion (Hinduism and Buddhism) spread to much of Asia, while kingdoms in southern India had maritime business links with the Roman Empire from around 77 CE. Indian cultural influence spread over many parts of Southeast Asia which led to the establishment of Indianized kingdoms in Southeast Asia (Greater India).〔The Cambridge History of Southeast Asia: From early times to c. 1800, Band 1 by Nicholas Tarling p.281〕 The most significant event between the 7th and 11th century was the ''Tripartite struggle'' centered on Kannauj that lasted for more than two centuries between the Pala Empire, Rashtrakuta Empire, and Gurjara Pratihara Empire. Southern India was ruled by the Chalukya, Chola, Pallava, Pandyan, and Western Chalukya Empires. The seventh century also saw the advent of Islam as a political power, though as a fringe, in the western part of the subcontinent, in modern-day Pakistan.〔Al Baldiah wal nahaiyah vol: 7 page 141 ''"Conquest of Makran"''〕 The Chola dynasty conquered southern India and successfully invaded parts of Southeast Asia, Sri Lanka, Maldives and Bengal〔Ancient Indian History and Civilization by Sailendra Nath Sen p.281〕 in the 11th century.〔Societies, Networks, and Transitions, Volume B: From 600 to 1750 by Craig Lockard p.333〕〔Power and Plenty: Trade, War, and the World Economy in the Second Millennium by Ronald Findlay,Kevin H. O'Rourke p.67〕 The early medieval period Indian mathematics influenced the development of mathematics and astronomy in the Arab world and the Hindu numerals were introduced.〔Essays on Ancient India by Raj Kumar p.199〕 Muslim rule started in parts of north India in the 13th century when the Delhi Sultanate was founded in 1206 CE by the central Asian Turks.〔The Princeton Encyclopedia of Islamic Political Thought: page 340〕 The Delhi Sultanate ruled the major part of northern India in the early 14th century, but declined in the late 14th century when several powerful Hindu states such as the Vijayanagara Empire, Gajapati Kingdom, Ahom Kingdom and the Mewar dynasty emerged. The 15th century saw the emergence of Sikhism. In the 16th century, Mughals came from Central Asia and gradually covered most of India. The Mughal Empire suffered a gradual decline in the early 18th century, which provided opportunities for the Maratha Empire, Sikh Empire and Mysore Kingdom to exercise control over large areas of the subcontinent.〔A History of State and Religion in India by Ian Copland, Ian Mabbett, Asim Roy, Kate Brittlebank, Adam Bowles: p. 161〕〔History of Mysore Under Hyder Ali and Tippoo Sultan by Joseph Michaud p.143〕 From the late 18th century to mid-19th century, large areas of India were annexed by the British East India Company. Dissatisfaction with Company rule led to the Indian Rebellion of 1857, after which the British provinces of India were directly administered by the British Crown and witnessed a period of both rapid development of infrastructure and economic stagnation. During the first half of the 20th century, a nationwide struggle for independence was launched with the leading party involved being the Indian National Congress which was later joined by other organizations. The subcontinent gained independence from the United Kingdom in 1947, after the British provinces were partitioned into the dominions of India and Pakistan and the princely states all acceded to one of the new states. ==Chronology of Indian history== James Mill (1773–1836), in his The History of British India (1817), distinguished three phases in the history of India, namely Hindu, Muslim and British civilisations. This periodisation has been influential, but has also been criticised for the misconceptions it gave rise to. Another influential periodisation is the division into "ancient, classical, medieval and modern periods", although this periodization has also been criticised. Romila Thapar notes that the division into Hindu-Muslim-British periods of Indian history gives too much weight to "ruling dynasties and foreign invasions", neglecting the social-economic history which often showed a strong continuity. The division into Ancient-Medieval-Modern periods overlooks the fact that the Muslim conquests occurred gradually during which time many things came and went off, while the south was never completely conquered. According to Thapar, a periodisation could also be based on "significant social and economic changes", which are not strictly related to a change of ruling powers. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「History of India」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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