Define the term patriliny. Give one example.
Patriliny means tracing descent from father to son, grandson and so on. In ancient India (C. 600 BCE-600CE) patriliny might have been particularly important among elite families because most of the texts (religious and other books) refer mostly about elite families and they do not describe about the ordinary family.
For example, we can take Mahabharata. This epic describes a feud over land and power between two groups of cousins, the Kauravas and the Pandavas, who belonged to a single ruling family, that of the Kurus, a lineage dominating one of the Janapadas.
How was Buddha’s presence shown through symbols? Give two examples.
Discuss how access to property sharpened social differences between men and women in ancient times.
What, according to the Dharmashastras, were the ideal occupations for the four varnas? Give one way in which the Brahmanas tried to enforce these norms.
Describe the position of women with regard to ownership of property in ancient times.
