[Pramāṇa](https://indike.org/pramana/) › [Studies](https://indike.org/pramana/ins) › [Polity, law and society](https://indike.org/pramana/ins.polity) › [Republics in Ancient India, c. 1500 B.C.–500 B.C.](https://indike.org/pramana/ins.polity.sharma-1968) › c7.28 # Republics in Ancient India, c. 1500 B.C.–500 B.C. c7.28 Republics in Ancient India, c. 1500 B.C.–500 B.C. c7.28 - **Language:** English ### [c7.28](https://indike.org/pramana/ins.polity.sharma-1968.c7.28) There appears to have been another development of the old tribal governments where the king was selected by the heads of families. In some of these, instead of one king being selected, several kings or nobles appear to have held the supreme authority without any formal consent of the qualified citizens. They ruled the tribe in conjunction with the \*samiti\* which appears to have represented various families of the community.³ These seem the two most obvious stages in the development of non-monarchical institutions vaguely noticeable from our sources. A first stage would be when the chief was selected or consented to by the heads of families, and a second stage when such communities adopted three different kinds of constitutions. After the second stage of development, during the Brāhmaṇa period, most of the non-monarchical communities also fell into line with the old hereditary monarchies and hereditary monarchy ultimately became the universal form of government.⁴ - [Previous: c7.27](https://indike.org/pramana/ins.polity.sharma-1968.c7.27) - [Next: c7.29](https://indike.org/pramana/ins.polity.sharma-1968.c7.29) - [Up: c7](https://indike.org/pramana/ins.polity.sharma-1968.c7) --- Source: [https://indike.org/pramana/ins.polity.sharma-1968.c7.28](https://indike.org/pramana/ins.polity.sharma-1968.c7.28) · Pramāṇa