S. K. Saxena – författare

Hans Ramberg is working in an area of geology where 60 years are a short, often negligible period of time. This is not so in the lives of men. For us it is a time for evaluating past accomplishments and a time for friends to express their appreciation and admiration. Some universities have become famous for this ability to foster eminent scientists in one or several fields. The success of Cambridge University in physics is a well-known example, but if we ask ourselves whether the success of Oslo University in earth sciences is not equally astonishing, then we see that Hans is yet another example of this process; but it is not the whole story. There were certainly promising prospects when he started his studies in geology: V. M. Goldschmidt had just come back from G6ttingen in Germany and Tom Barth had returned from the Geophysical Laboratory in Washington, D.C. Two leaders in geochemistry and petrology at the same time! Hans became a student of Barth, specializing in metamorphic rocks and their problems; but soon the situation changed. Norway was occupied by the Germans and the possibili­ ties for university studies almost vanished. However, in spite of all difficulties he obtained his Ph.D. in 1946 and began participating in the geological mapping of Greenland. In 1947 he went to the University of Chicago and stayed there until 1961 when he came to his present position in the University of Uppsala, Sweden.

Hans Ramberg is working in an area of geology where 60 years are a short, often negligible period of time. This is not so in the lives of men. For us it is a time for evaluating past accomplishments and a time for friends to express their appreciation and admiration. Some universities have become famous for this ability to foster eminent scientists in one or several fields. The success of Cambridge University in physics is a well-known example, but if we ask ourselves whether the success of Oslo University in earth sciences is not equally astonishing, then we see that Hans is yet another example of this process; but it is not the whole story. There were certainly promising prospects when he started his studies in geology: V. M. Goldschmidt had just come back from G6ttingen in Germany and Tom Barth had returned from the Geophysical Laboratory in Washington, D.C. Two leaders in geochemistry and petrology at the same time! Hans became a student of Barth, specializing in metamorphic rocks and their problems; but soon the situation changed. Norway was occupied by the Germans and the possibili­ ties for university studies almost vanished. However, in spite of all difficulties he obtained his Ph.D. in 1946 and began participating in the geological mapping of Greenland. In 1947 he went to the University of Chicago and stayed there until 1961 when he came to his present position in the University of Uppsala, Sweden.

Ancient history is the study of the written past from the beginning of recorded human history to the Early Middle Ages. The span of recorded history is roughly 5,000 years, with Cuneiform script, the oldest discovered form of coherent writing, from the protoliterate period around the 30th century BC. This is the beginning of history, as opposed to prehistory, according to the definition used by mosthistorians. From the big bang, the primeval swamp to the Indus Valley Civilization. There is a tendency to sometimes include the Indus Valley Civilization in prehistory, since technically prehistory includes everything that happened before the Word happened. However, technically again the Indus Valley Civilization did have a script, although it has not been decoded yet. So, it's generally included in Ancient History nowadays. For India, it begins from the Indus Valley Civilization (for which the date is a matter of hot debate, but historians have agreed to disagree on 3000BC) to just after the king Harsha Vardhana, which is around 700-800BC. The uniqueness of this book hence lies in the author's way of reconstructing the chapter under review by delving deep into the areas of the subject.

The modern period has been a period of significant development in the fields of science, politics, warfare, and technology. It has also been an age of discovery and globalization. During this time, the European powers and later their colonies, began a political, economic, and cultural colonization of the rest of the world. The modern era began approximately in the 16th century. Many major events caused Europe to change around the start of the 16th century, starting with the Fall of Constantinople in 1453, the fall of Muslim Spain and the discovery of the Americas in 1492, and Martin Luther's Protestant Reformation in 1517. This book is very according to the syllabuses of the various universities of India and it is useful for students, teachers and researchers.

The medieval period in India was quite eventful. During this period foundation of Indian culture and of social structure was laid, but during medieval period India did not make much progress. In spite of historians opinion it can be said that during medieval period also progress was made and several buildings were constructed during this period. Panipat was merely the beginning of the Mughal rule. Akbar laid its real foundation in 1556. At the time of the battle of Panipat, the political power in India was shared by the Afghans and the Rajputs. After Panipat, the Hindu princes united under Rana Sanga, the Raja of Mewar, resulting in a sizable force. Babur's army showed signs of panic at the size of the huge opposing army. To prevent his forces retreat, Babur tried to instill confidence in his soldiers by breaking all his drinking cups and vessels, and vowed never to drink again if he won. His soldiers took heart, and when the armies met in the battle at Kanwaha, near Agra on March 16, 1527, Babur was able to win decisively. This book is very according to the syllabuses of the various universities of India and it is useful for students, teachers and researchers.

Medieval period falls between the Ancient and modern periods. The medieval period in India was quite eventful. During this period, several changes took place in the country's socio-cultural and political milieus such as rise of feudalism, advent of several Rajput Kingdoms in northern and western India, tripartite struggle between the Palas. Babur's son Humayun was a ruler who was forced to spend long periods in exile. His son Akbar; however, was made of a different mettle. Akbar consolidated his inheritance and expanded what had been the "Delhi sultanate" into a wide empire. A main factor in this success was indubitably his co-option of native Rajput chiefs into his empire-building project. This book deals with the medieval period of Indian history. Most of the historians consider this period as the dark period of Indian history. This book deals with all aspects of medieval Indian history in detail to meet the requirements of the students, teachers, researchers and the common readers.