Excavations near the ancient site of Pataliputra have unearthed a collection of clay tablets inscribed with what experts identify as Pre-Mauryan Dharma-Sutras. These tablets, carbon-dated to the 4th century BCE, contain aphorisms regarding the ethical conduct of various social groups, highlighting a period of intense philosophical debate before the rise of the Mauryan Empire. The inscriptions focus on the concept of 'Anrishansya' (non-cruelty) as a primary virtue.
Archaeologists suggest that these tablets may have belonged to a local academy of scholars who specialized in the interpretation of Vedic social laws. The find is particularly valuable because it contains variations in ethical prescriptions that differ from the standardized texts of later centuries, suggesting that early Indian philosophy was far more heterogeneous and locally adapted than previously documented. The site also yielded several ritual objects used in the performance of philosophical debates.