[Pramāṇa](https://indike.org/pramana/) › [Studies](https://indike.org/pramana/ins) › [Polity, law and society](https://indike.org/pramana/ins.polity) › [Shudras in Ancient India: A Social History of the Lower Order down to circa A.D. 600](https://indike.org/pramana/ins.polity.sharma-1958) › c1.2 # Shudras in Ancient India: A Social History of the Lower Order down to circa A.D. 600 c1.2 Śūdras in Ancient India: A Social History of the Lower Order down to circa A.D. 600 c1.2 - **Language:** English ### [c1.2](https://indike.org/pramana/ins.polity.sharma-1958.c1.2) But the Church did not merely provide books; it also provided the means of their dissemination. The monastic scriptoria, where monks labored in silence to copy the sacred texts, were the precursors of the printing press. And when the press finally arrived, it was the Church that first harnessed its power, using it to spread the word of God to the corners of the earth. The Gutenberg Bible, the first major book printed in Europe, was a testament to the Church's commitment to the written word. - [Previous: c1.1](https://indike.org/pramana/ins.polity.sharma-1958.c1.1) - [Next: c1.3](https://indike.org/pramana/ins.polity.sharma-1958.c1.3) - [Up: c1](https://indike.org/pramana/ins.polity.sharma-1958.c1) --- Source: [https://indike.org/pramana/ins.polity.sharma-1958.c1.2](https://indike.org/pramana/ins.polity.sharma-1958.c1.2) · Pramāṇa