female chastity, the evidence of the surviving aboriginal tribes and certain traditional practices strongly suggest that patterns of premarital sex experimentation usual in cultures of the Southeast Asian co-tradition were present in the earlier period. Polyandry was probably approved in some tribes, as among the Toda, but it is unlikely that it was a general practice, since this institution seems to be uniformly linked with a paucity of natural resources and control of population through female infanticide. That there was a lively interest in sex can be deduced from the fact that, of the eight classical Tamil anthologies which have survived. three contain 400 love poems each. The early literature gives no descriptions of the functions of division chiefs, nor of the extent to which the divisions were politically organized. Kingdoms cutting across division lines were certainly present from very early times. The main functions of such kingdoms seem to have been to make war and collect taxes. The early history of Southern India is one of almost continuous warfare, and it is amazing that such a high level of culture could have been maintained. Apparently the wars were carried on by professional soldiers, and subjects changed hands with little interruption of their daily lives. Megasthenes notes the importance of popular assemblies in the government of Southern India. In his time and in later times there was a strong democratic tradition in government. Although this would seem to be inconsistent with the long record of warlike dynasties, even kings hesitated to act without consulting the representatives of the people. At lower levels, social units of every size and sort were governed by elective assemblies operating through committees. Such bodies existed not only for villages and districts but also for trade guilds and religious groups. The pattern of village organization as recorded in the 10th century A.D., when it was already considered ancient, was especially interesting. The land was held by the village as a corporation, and its use, and indeed all aspects of village life, were controlled by an assembly. Members of the assembly were chosen by lot and served for one year. All persons with property rights in the village, including women, were eligible to serve if they were of good character and had some knowledge of Hindu law. Committees appointed from the council were in charge of the care of gardens, land usage, irrigation, land survey, village servants, justice, the collection and payment of taxes, temples, and charities. It is impossible to reconstruct Southern Indian religion of the pre-Brahmanic period. It seems certain that there were numerous tribal deities, some of which were equated with natural phenomena, while, |