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Grigory Maksimovich Bongard-Levin Григорий Максимович Бонгард-Левин | |
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| Born | 1933 Moscow |
| Died | 2008 Paris |
| Nationality | Russian |
Grigory Bongard-Levin was a Russian historian, South Asianist, and archaeologist known primarily for his publications on ancient India, Central Asia, and Buddhism. Grigory was born on August 26, 1933, in Moscow and was raised in an academic household, as his father was the anthropologist Maxim Grigorievich Levin.[1]
Grigory attended Moscow State University, graduating from the Department of the History of India in 1956. There, he combined philological knowledge with historical analysis to produce notable studies on the early civilizations of South Asia. What made Grigory stand out was that he ensured his work was based on texts, inscriptions, and archaeological evidence, alongside his clarification of the relations of production, social stratification, and state formation in pre-capitalist environments in South Asia.[1]
Despite Grigory's historical materialist tone, he was not a Marxist historian, though his works still remain valuable to a Marxist understanding of ancient South Asia, specifically his work pertaining to the Asiatic modes of production, tributary forms, and uneven development.[1]
Grigory Bongard-Levin died on September 30, 2008, in a hospital in Paris.[1]
Career[edit | edit source]
Grigory's career was marked by his leadership role in bringing Soviet academia and integrating with the international academic community, specifically during the Cold War.[1]
- He served as the head of the Section of Ancient History and then the Center for Indological and Buddhological Studies in the Institute of Oriental Studies
- He also served as the editor-in-chief of the Vestnik Drevnei Istorii (Journal of Ancient History.)
- He served as an academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences.
Grigory was a member of multiple foreign academies like the French Academy of Inscriptions and Belles-Lettres.
Publications[edit | edit source]
These are Grigory Bongard-Levin’s most significant publications:[1]
- A History of India (1979) Co-authored with K. Antonova and G. Kotovsky
A Soviet textbook on Indian history. Grigory wrote the section on Ancient India, where he applied a historical materialist analysis to the political and social developments of India in antiquity.
- The Origin of Aryans (1980) Co-authored with E.A. Grantovsky
It explains the native lands of the Indo-Iranians, using archaeological, linguistic, and mythological sources to trace the Indo-Iranian tribes' migration from the Eurasian steppes into Central Asia.
- Ancient Indian Civilization (1985)
A detailed overview of ancient India, it analyzes the social structure and the daily life of the working people in the pre-Gupta periods.
- Mauryan India (1985)
An in-depth analysis of the Mauryan Empire (322–185 BCE). It uses the inscriptions of Emperor Ashoka and the Arthashastra as sources.
- The Image of India: The Study of Ancient Indian Civilisation in the USSR (1984) Co-authored with A.A. Vigasin
A study of how Russia has studied and viewed India over centuries, showing the cultural connection between Russia and India from medieval travels to modern times.
Awards[edit | edit source]
Grigory was respected internationally, especially by the Government of India, which saw him as a vital cultural link between the USSR and India.[1]
- Nehru Award
The Nehru Award, or the Jawaharlal Nehru Award for International Understanding, is an Indian award presented for promoting international understanding and peace.
- USSR State Prize
The USSR State Prize was a top Soviet honor for scientific achievements. It was one of the Soviet Union's highest civilian honors, typically awarded for major accomplishments in science, mathematics, literature, the arts, and architecture.
- Padma Bhushan
The Padma Bhushan is one of India's highest civilian honors; it is the third-highest civilian award in the Republic of India. The award is given for distinguished service, which, in Grigory's case, was distinguished service in the fields of literature and education.