[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) › c7.508 # Republics in Ancient India, c. 1500 B.C.–500 B.C. c7.508 Republics in Ancient India, c. 1500 B.C.–500 B.C. c7.508 - **Language:** English ### [c7.508](https://indike.org/pramana/ins.polity.sharma-1968.c7.508) The \*vidatha\* cannot be compared with the Roman \*comitia\* because the latter was a political institution like the \*samiti\* of the Vedic aristocracies. The \*comitia centuriata\* was the assembly of the \*curiae\* or wards at Rome.¹ Such wards were not only unknown to Vedic Indians, but also even to the later republics of the Buddhist period. The \*comitia\* also dealt with "election to certain priesthoods, and other religious matters",² whereas there is no evidence to show that the \*vidatha\* did so on the tribal level. In fact, the latter cannot be compared with the former in any respect. Moreover, Sharma seems to be contradicting himself in comparing the \*vidatha\* with each of the thirty Roman \*curiae\*. In that case he admits that the \*vidatha\* was a local body and even then the analogy cannot go further because the \*curia\* was a political constituency, which the \*vidatha\* was not. Hence the comparison is unsuitable. - [Previous: c7.507](https://indike.org/pramana/ins.polity.sharma-1968.c7.507) - [Next: c7.509](https://indike.org/pramana/ins.polity.sharma-1968.c7.509) - [Up: c7](https://indike.org/pramana/ins.polity.sharma-1968.c7) --- Source: [https://indike.org/pramana/ins.polity.sharma-1968.c7.508](https://indike.org/pramana/ins.polity.sharma-1968.c7.508) · Pramāṇa