I too would appreciate this information. Some archaeological material is available, but it mostly indicates cities sizes and does not allow percentages of landscape usage to be determined.
You might try:
Julia Shaw, 2015, Buddhist Landscapes in Central India: Sanchi Hill and archeologies of religious and social change, c. third century BC to fifth century
AD, Routledge, London.
Morrison, K, Trade,
Urbanism, and Agricultural Expansion: Buddhist Monastic Institutions and the State in the Early Historic Western Deccan, World Archaeology,
Vol. 27, No. 2, Buddhist Archaeology (Oct., 1995), pp. 203-221.
Cheers,
Greg Bailey
Dear Scholars,
Are there any reliable estimates of land use in ancient India, especially in the main areas of Northern India where Mahâbhârata events take place? I am especially interested in relative precentages and locations of land reserved as forests, or great forests
(mahâ-vanâni), and land actively farmed. Nowadays it seems that in the North Indian plains there are precious few great forests.
Many thanks for any resources, especially links to relevant maps.
Best wishes,
Howard
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