Volume 1

Indian antiquities: or, dissertations relative to the antient geographical divisions, the pure system of primeval theology, the grand code of civil laws, the original form of government, the widely-extended commerce, and the various profound literature of Hindostan: compared, throughout, with the religion, laws, government, and literature, of Persia, Egypt, and Greece. The whole intended as introductory to the history of Hindostan. Upon a comprehensive scale / [Thomas Maurice].

  • Thomas Maurice
Date:
1800-12 [vol. I, 1806]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Indian antiquities: or, dissertations relative to the antient geographical divisions, the pure system of primeval theology, the grand code of civil laws, the original form of government, the widely-extended commerce, and the various profound literature of Hindostan: compared, throughout, with the religion, laws, government, and literature, of Persia, Egypt, and Greece. The whole intended as introductory to the history of Hindostan. Upon a comprehensive scale / [Thomas Maurice]. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    [ 1’ ] antlent Chaldaean history and traditions, and therefore have referred the incidents of the Great War recorded in the Mahabbarat, and all the romantic accounts, given in the same volume, of the battles of the Indian SooRS and Assoors, that Is, the good and evil Genii, to the contests of the sons of Shem and Ham for the empire of the infant-world. In short, I have the most confident hope of being able to demonstrate, as I proceed, that the wars of the Giants and Titans of other nations are known in India under that denomination ; and the evidence which I'shall adduce of the won- derful similitude between the primitive theo- logy and manners of the Chaldasans and In- dians will, I trust, materially serve to confute the romantic ideas that have gone forth into the world of the unfathomable antiquity of the Hindoos, and of the ark of Noah resting upon the Indian Caucasus, instead of Mount Baris in Armenia. After having read with laborious attention whatever has been written concerning Ir.dia by the Persian and Arabian historians, of whom w'c have been favoured w'ith eleoant Latin O versions by Pocock, Erpenius, Goiius, Ilud- son, Reiske, and other great Oriental scholars, I sate down to the serious re-perusal and cx* VOL. I. B amination