CONTENTS: Editorial, Introduction-Shankar Goyal, 1. Some Reflections on the Evolution of Society in Early India- C Pande, 2. Notes on Ways of Studying Social History (An essay in honour of Professor S R Goyal)-Irfan Habib, 3. The Many Meanings of Aryan-Kumkum Roy, 4. The Chiefdom and the Kingdom in Valmiki's Ramayana-Romila Thapar, 5. Social Formation in Early Historical Tamijakam: Emerging Perspectives-R Champakalakshmi, 6. The Role of Asoka's Dhamma and Dhammavijaya in Welding the Plural Society of India-Meghna Goyal, 7. Who Married Whom: The Matrimonial Alliance between the Maurya and Seleukid Houses- K K Thaplyal, 8. Images of Women in Early Buddhism-S N Dube, 9. Projections of Womanhood in Ancient India-M V Singh, 10. Hindu Caste System-T P Verma, 11. Caste System in the Age of Harsha-Shankar Goyal, 12. The Making of Early Medieval Indian Society-Shankar Goyal, 13. Changes in Early Medieval India-R S Sharma, 14. Congealing of CXases: A Case from Medieval Kerala-Kesavan Veluthat, Contributors.