1000 BC to 185 BC

The first peoples of the delta

The Ganges and the Brahmaputra build the largest delta on Earth, and rice farmers settle its higher ground. Ancient Indian texts name its peoples Vanga and Pundra. In the third century BC the Maurya Empire reaches the region: an early Brahmi inscription found at Mahasthangarh, the ancient city of Pundranagara, is one of the oldest written records in Bangladesh.