An Encyclopaedia of Indian Archaeology v1.c9.s19.1

v1.c9.s19.1

The period is dominated by religious edifices and sculptures, which fall within the realm of art history. It is said to be the age of feudalism (Sharma, 1965), when cities declined (Sharma, 1972, pp. 92-101). After the Guptas till the 10th century no ruler issued any coinage and this has led to the belief that trade, internal and external, was limited. This theory has been examined and it has been shown, by the assessment of epigraphic evidence on certain cities or towns, that trade did continue (Chattopadhyaya, 1974, pp. 203-29). Excavations at some cities, particularly in n. India, have shown that the older ones did not die out, though some do show lack of prosperity. The dynasties which ruled over the numerous principalities of the country and some of which assumed imperial dimensions each had its own capital, most of them identified in their ruins. Unfortunately no systematic investigation of late historical archaeology has been undertaken, and what limited excavations have taken place have been an unavoidable exercise to reach the lower (earlier) levels, more to the liking of the archaeologist.