a. Coins : From the coins of ancient times it has been possible to know the dates and even the personal tastes of the kings and emperors who issued them. For example, much of the history of the Kushanas has been reconstructed from the copper and gold coins struck by them. Again coin of Samudragupta, a Gupta king of our country, exhibits him as playing on a harp. This naturally makes us understand that he was fond of instrumental music.Kushana coin.
b. Copper-plates : In India,in particular, a typical type of records has been found. These are known as the Copper-Plates. These are an important source of our knowledge about the ancient Indian history. For, in these plates are recorded the gifts made to an individual, temple or the deity. The copper-plates were usually hung up on the walls of the temples.
c. Papyrus : In ancient times there was no paper that we use today. People used to write on terracotta slabs, that is, thin tiles made of clay and sand. In Egypt, for instance, the ancient people used to write on the leaves of a kind of plant called Papyrus. It is from Papyrus that the word paper has come. Such materials to write upon were used when people acquired the knowledge of writing and reading. Thus were written the books which give us elaborate details about the history of the people of the different parts of the world of the ancient times. The Vedas, the Ramayana and the Mahabharata are the ancient literatures of India.It must, however, be remembered that what we have been able to know about the history of the ancient people is not their full history. We have, at best, known only a part of their history. Scholars have been carrying on researches to find more materials about ancient history of man.