Time as a Metaphor of History: Early India  (English, Paperback, Thapar Romila)

Time As A Metaphor of History: Early India is a historiographical account of India’s past by Romila Thapar.

Summary of the Book

In this book, Romila Thapar examines the connection between time and history. She charts out India’s past by relying on cyclic and linear concepts of time, trying to analyse the reasons for the differences in the timelines. She writes about the historical consciousness in Early India, explaining that Indian historians have long-since recognized the need for a timeline and a study of the past. She uses early historical records and reports to understand India’s past through them, and tries to explain the differences between a cosmological context of history and a contemporary view on historical forms. This book will help students of history and historiography understand the different ways to understand historical records.

About Romila Thapar

Romila Thapar is an Indian historian and writer. She is known for A History of India, Asoka and the Decline of the Mauryas, Early India: From Origins to AD 1300 and The Past As Present: Forging Contemporary Identities Through History.

Dr. Thapar is a graduate of Panjab university and she obtained her doctorate at the School of Oriental and African Studies, the University of London.