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BANERJEE : DEVELOPMENT OF JAIN LITERATURE
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in a different way. This chart might help scholars to write the history of Jainism in a proper way.
The main chart has several sub-sections. The authors and works not mentioned in the main chart may be found in sub-sections. All these charts are complementary and supplementary to each other. I believe that there may be many authors and works whose names may not be found in any of the lists, but that will not deter the main purpose of this chart. The readers are only requested to fill in the omitted authors and works within the purview of this chart. This is a sort of working model upon which the literary history of Jainism can be built up. It should be remembered that the entire mass of Jain literary sources cannot be encompassed into the limited space and time. The works which are not published are not included here, except in a few cases which have a history in Jainism. The Jain works in Prakrit (including Māhārāștrī, Saurasenī, Apabhramsa) and Sanskrit are only included.
Prehistoric Age : 4000 B.C. to 1500 B.C.
Chronology by Main Events centuries 4000 B.C. Mesopotamia : Sumerian settlements of Sumer
and Akkadia in the Tigris and Euphrates Valley. Egyptians settled in the Nile Valley Development of Agriculture in Egypt. First written records (Cunneiform writing) in
Mesopotamia 3500 B.C. First Assyrian settlements in Mesopotamia.
Invention of Hieroglyphics in Egypt. 3102 B.C. Epoch of the Kali Yuga and of the Bhārata
War according to one school of astronomers. 3000 B.C. Pyramid texts (completed) 3000-2500 B.C. Chinese settlement in the Yellow River Valley.
