The Historical perspective : The Indian scene -- The Modern ruling class -- The Difficulties facing the historian -- The Need to study rural and tribal society -- The Villages -- Recapitulation -- Primitive Life and Prehistory : The Golden age -- Prehistory and primitive life -- Prehistoric man in India -- Primitive survivals in the means of production -- Primitive survivals in the superstructure -- The First Cities : The Discovery of the Indus culture -- Production in the Indus culture -- Special features of the Indus culture -- The Social structure -- The Aryans : The Aryan peoples -- The Aryan way of life -- Eastward progress -- Aryans after the Rigveda -- The Urban revival -- The Epic period

From Tribe to Society : The New religions -- The Middle way -- The Buddha and his society -- The Dark hero of the Yadus -- Kosala and Magadha -- State and Religion in Greater Magadha : Completion of the Magadhan conquest -- Magadhan statecraft -- Administration of the land -- The State and commodity production -- Asoka and the culmination of the Magadhan Empire -- Towards Feudalism : The New Priesthood -- The Evolution of Buddhism -- Political and economic changes -- Sanskrit literature and drama