In the pre-Mauryan period, the early pastoral economy of the Ganges valley had changed to a village economy based on agriculture. This brought with it an element of permanency in the village settlements as against the nomadism of the pastoralists. Agrarian village communities became the general pattern. This was a natural step after the forests spread from the Ganges valley [...]
According to the Greek writers, the Punjab in those days was full of towns which were no doubt the centres of industry and economic prosperity. Many of these figure as forts or centres of defense, such as the famous Massaga (Masakavati) or Aomos (Varana) in the country of the Asvakas already referred to. The free clan called the Glaussai had [...]
A good deal of the economic life of the country, as has been already apparent, was controlled by the State. The State was the largest employer of labour. It controlled and organised the agriculture, industry and the trade of the country. The State had a large part of the agriculture of the country directly in its own hands in its [...]