New Delhi, Dec 3 (IANS): Author of several acclaimed books including "Ashoka in Ancient India", Nayanjot Lahiri's latest "Time Pieces: A Whistle-Stop Tour Of Ancient India", has just arrived at the stands.

In the book, published by Hachette India, Lahiri whimsically sifts through intricate clues left behind by the early inhabitants of the Indian subcontinent in plaques and inscriptions, fragments of jewellery, bones and tools, poetry, art and pottery -- to reveal to readers the ancient land in all its variety, splendour, complexity and contradictions.

"Quite unlike the tomes that clinically and chronologically portray the life of the inhabitants of this country roughly up to the third century BCE, the 10 essays in this volume take readers on a merry trip, stopping to draw attention to evidence left behind on how life was lived and contemplated in this ancient land," said Poulomi Chatterjee, Editor-in-Chief and Publisher of Hachette India.

Priced at Rs 399, it is available in both bookstores as well as online.