First published 2024
William Dalrymple examines India's role as a cultural powerhouse during ancient and early medieval times. For a thousand years before India became a recipient of foreign influence, the subcontinent served as the source of major cultural exports that traveled from Afghanistan to Japan. Indian merchants, astronomers, mathematicians, surgeons, sculptors, monks, and missionaries carried their knowledge across vast distances. Dalrymple traces how Indian religions, languages, artistic forms, architectural styles, and mathematical concepts flowed outward to shape civilizations from Angkor to Ayutthaya. Drawing on extensive scholarship, the historian repositions India as the intellectual and philosophical center of ancient Asia. The book reveals how India functioned as an economic and civilizational hub at the heart of Eurasian history, challenging modern perceptions of the subcontinent's historical role.
Genres: history, non-fiction, ancient-history, asian-american, academic, cultural-studies
Vibes: intimate, lyrical, thought-provoking
Tropes: cultural-exploration, historical-nonfiction
Setting: Afghanistan, Angkor, Ayutthaya, India, Japan
Period: Ancient, Early Medieval
425 pages · Hardcover · Bloomsbury Publishing