Swaveda
Indian history, plainly written.
A short daily post on Indian history — archaeology, genetics, historical linguistics, and the texts. Plus side-by-side translations of public-domain primary works. Plain language; no chest-thumping in either direction.
Plain language
Aimed at any curious reader, not the seminar room. Sanskrit / Pali / Tamil terms get a gloss on first use.
Tradition ≠ evidence
“The Mahabharata describes…” and “the Mahabharata war happened in…” are different sentences, and we don’t silently merge them.
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Latest articles
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The Barley of Karanpura: What Flotation Samples Reveal About Late Harappan Crop Choice in Rajasthan
Flotation samples from Karanpura, Rajasthan, reveal how Late Harappan farmers adapted to shifting monsoons by prioritizing drought-resistant barley over wheat, challenging theories of sudden agricultural collapse.
Rohan Bhattacharya · Sep 6, 2026
The Wild Silks of Nevasa: What Archaeobotanical Residues Reveal About Chalcolithic Deccan Filaments
Microscopic analyses of mineralized thread residues inside Chalcolithic copper beads from Nevasa challenge the narrative of an early Chinese monopoly on silk technology.
Rohan Bhattacharya · Sep 5, 2026
The Glass Beads of Arikamedu: How Roman Pliny’s 'Luxury' Was Just Everyday Tamil Export Stratigraphy
Excavations at Arikamedu reveal that the ancient Indo-Roman trade was driven by mass-produced glass bead workshops, challenging Pliny the Elder's complaints of a drain on Roman gold for high-status luxury goods.
Rohan Bhattacharya · Sep 4, 2026
Why Neolithic Burzahom Families Lived in Pits—And What Archaeologists Found Inside
Pit dwellings weren't caves. They were deliberate structures—postholes, hearths, and storage pits—dug into earth floors. See what Burzahom's archaeology reveals about early Neolithic shelter design.
Rohan Bhattacharya · Sep 4, 2026
The Eyyal Hoard: Roman Gold in a South Indian Field—What It Reveals About Indian Ocean Trade
In 1946, farmers unearthed a massive cache of Roman gold and silver in Kerala. This hoard reveals how Roman coins acted as raw bullion rather than local currency in ancient Indian maritime trade.
Devika Menon · Sep 4, 2026
Recent translations
All texts →Sanskrit
Arthashastra
Chapter 150 · Book 15, Chapter 1: Paragraphical Divisions of This Treatise
Updated Jul 26, 2026
Sanskrit
Arthashastra
Chapter 149 · Book 14, Chapter 4: Remedies against the Injuries of One's Own Army
Updated Jul 26, 2026
Sanskrit
Arthashastra
Chapter 148 · Book 14, Chapter 3: The Application of Medicines and Mantras
Updated Jul 26, 2026
A note on tone
Swaveda is curious, careful, and dry. There’s no civilizational chest-thumping in either direction here — no “Vedic India invented everything,” no “everything came from outside.” If we get something wrong, tell us. We fix it visibly, with a dated note.