Outline of ancient India

An elaborate periodisation may be as follows:[2]

• Indian Pre-history Age (c. 10,000–3300 BCE)

• Bhirrana Culture   (7570–6200 BCE)
• Mehrgarh culture (c. 7000 –2500 BCE)

• Indus valley civilization (c. 3300–1300 BCE)
• Ahar-Banas culture (c. 3000–1500 BCE)
• Ochre Coloured Pottery culture (c. 2600–1200 BCE)[3]
• Cemetery H culture (c. 1900–1300 BCE)[4]
• Indian Civilizations on peak Indus Valley Civilisation & "First Urbanization " (c. 3300–1750 BCE);

• Iron Age India (c. 1750–345 BCE)

• • Vedic civilization (c. 1500–600 BCE)

• • • Black and red ware culture (c. 1450–700 BCE) in Western Ganges plain[5]
    • Northern Black Polished Ware (c. 1200–500 BCE)[6]
    • Painted Grey Ware culture (c. 1200 or 700–300 BCE)[7]
  • Brihadratha dynasty (c. 1700–682 BCE)
  • Gandhara Kingdom (c. 1500–545 BCE)
  • Kuru Kingdom (c. 1200–345 BCE)
  • Indian Iron Age kingdoms (c. 600–345 BCE)[8]
  • Pandyan Kingdom (c. 600 BCE–650 CE)[9]
• Iron age including Vedic period (c. 1750–600 BCE);

• Pradyota dynasty (c. 682–544 BCE)
• Haryanka dynasty (c. 544–413 BCE)
• Shishunaga dynasty (c. 413–345 BCE)
• Nanda Empire (c. 345–322 BCE)
• Maurya Empire (c. 322–185 BCE)
• Sangam Period (c. 300 BCE–300 CE)
  • Pandyan Kingdom (c. 600 BCE–1650 CE)
  • Chera Kingdom (c. 300 BCE–1102 CE)
  • Chola Kingdom (c. 300 BCE–1279 CE)
• Kalinga Empire (till 250 BCE)
• Maha-Megha-Vahana Empire (c. 250 BCE–300 CE)
• Satavahana Empire (230 BCE–220 CE)
• Kuninda Kingdom (c. 250 BCE–350 CE)
• Shunga Empire (c. 185–73 BCE)
• Kanva dynasty (c. 73–26 BCE)
• Indo-Greek Kingdom (180 BCE–10 CE)
• Kanva empire (75–26 BCE)
• Kushan Empire (30–375 CE)
• Indo-Scythian Kingdom ( c. 12 BCE–395 CE)
• "Second Urbanisation" (c. 600–200 BCE);
• Classical Period (c. 200 BCE–1200 CE);[note 1] Jainism and Buddhism. For Smart, the "classical period" lasts from 100 to 1000 CE, and coincides with the flowering of "classical Hinduism" and the flowering and deterioration of Mahayana-buddhism in India.[10]

• For Michaels, the period between 500 BCE and 200 BCE is a time of "Ascetic reformism",[11] whereas the period between 200 BCE and 1100 CE is the time of "classical Hinduism", since there is "a turning point between the Vedic religion and Hindu religions".[12]

• Muesse discerns a longer period of change, namely between 800 BCE and 200 BCE, which he calls the "Classical Period". According to Muesse, some of the fundamental concepts of Hinduism, namely karma, reincarnation and "personal enlightenment and transformation", which did not exist in the Vedic religion, developed in this time.[13]</ref>

• Pre-Classical Period (c. 200 BCE–320 CE);

• Gupta Empire (c. 240–550 CE)
• Vakataka Empire (c. 250–500 CE)
• Pallava Empire (c. 275–901 CE)
• Kadamba dynasty (c. 345–1347 CE)
  • Banavasi
  • Halasi
  • Hangal
• Western Ganga dynasty (c. 350–1024 CE)
  • Kolar
  • Talakadu
• Vishnukundina Empire (c. 420–624 CE)
• Maitraka dynasty (c. 475–776 CE)
• Rai dynasty (c. 489–632 CE)
• Later Gupta dynasty (c. 490–750 CE)
• "Golden Age" (Gupta Empire) (c. 320–550 CE);

• Chalukya dynasty (c. 500–1200 CE)
  • Eastern Chalukyas
  • Western Chalukya Empire
  • Western Chalukya architecture
  • Mahadeva Temple at Itagi
  • Lakkundi
  • Chaudayyadanapura
  • Annigeri
• Kingdom of Mewar (c. 550–1947 CE)
• Gurjara-Pratihara Empire (c. 550–1036 CE)
• Chahamanas of Shakambhari (c. 551–1194 CE)
• Gauda Kingdom (c. 590–626 CE)
• Brahman dynasty of Sindh (c. 632–724 CE)
• Karkota dynasty (c. 625–855 CE)
• Shahi Kingdom (c. 650–1026 CE)
• Mallabhum (Bishnupur) kingdom (c. 694–1947 CE)
• Varman dynasty of Kannauj (c. 725–770 CE)
• Rashtrakuta Empire (c. 735–982 CE)
  • Ellora
  • Kailash Temple
• Pala Empire (c. 750–1174)
• Ayudha dynasty (c. 770–810 CE)
• Chandela dynasty (c. 831–1315 CE)
• Imperial Chola Empire (c. 848–1280 CE)
• Seuna (Yadava) dynasty (c. 850–1334 CE)
• Paramara dynasty (c. 8th century to 1305)
• Paramaras of Chandravati (c. 910–1220 CE)
• Kingdom of Ladakh (c. 930–1842 CE)
• Solanki dynasty (Chalukyas of Gujarat) (c. 940–1244 CE)
• Kachchhapaghata dynasty (c. 950–1150 CE)
• Kachwaha dynasty (c. 966–1949 CE)
• Kakatiyas (c. 1083–1323 CE)
• Kalachuris of Kalyani (c. 1130–1184 CE)
• Hoysala Empire (c. 1114–1342 CE)
  • Belur
  • Halebidu
  • Somanathapura
• Zamorin kingdom (c. 1124–1806 CE)
• Bhati kingdom (c. 1153–1947 CE)
• Chutia Kingdom (c. 1187–1524 CE)
• Jaffna Kingdom (c. 1277–1619 CE)
• Vijayanagara Empire (c. 1336–1565 CE)
  • Hampi
• Late-Classical period "Rajput Age"(c. 550–1200 CE)
• Medieval Period (c. 1200–1500 CE)

• Music in ancient India
  • Carnatic music
  • Hindustani music

• Vedic Sanskrit
• Proto-Dravidian
• (Scripts)
  • Tamil Brahmi
  • Pallava Script
  • Gupta script
  • Kadamba script

• History of Jainism
• History of Hinduism
  • Exotic tribes of ancient India
  • Historical Vedic religion
    • Vedas
    • Vedic mythology
    • Vedic priesthood
• History of Buddhism

• India (clockwise)
  • National Museum, New Delhi
  • Patna Museum
  • Indian Museum, Kolkata
  • Government Museum, Bangalore
  • Goa State Museum
  • Kutch Museum, Bhuj, Gujarat

• United Kingdom
  • British Museum, London