The Role of India in the Diffusion of Early Cultures

Abstract

During the last three decades considerable archaeological evidence has been produced for prehistoric and early historic India which demands the attention of historical geographers?particularly those interested in problems of longterm cultural diffusion. In this paper three episodes in the cultural history of south Asia are examined from a geographical point of view, viz (A) The eastward diffusion of Indus valley urban cultures c.1500 bc (B) The diffusion of Early Iron Age cultures in the first millennium bc (C) The expansion of Gangetic civilization after c.500 bc In each episode the importance of the forest frontier is noted and the function of two corridors of diffusion (the Gangetic corridor and the Deccan corridor) examined. Indian civilization is seen as a product of the interplay of desert and forest environments and south Asia as a notable area for the transformation of cultural complexes by trans-regional adaptations.