From the beginning of modern indological research, the dates of the Buddha have been recognized as having crucial importance for early Indian history. A symposium on "the date of the historical Buddha and the importance of its determination for historiography and world history" was convened under the auspices of the academy of science in Gottingen, Germany. The present volume represents an updated survey of the state of research in this field which is based largely on the results achieved at this symposium and incorporates some more recent investigations. The present volume concentrates mainly on those aspects which are directly relevant for the reconstruction of the early history of Buddhist chronology as well as for the understanding of related developments in India, in Sri Lanka, and in the countries of southeast Asian Theravada tradition. The volume contains papers by Heinz Bechert, Siglinde Dietz, Jens-Uwe Hartmann, Gustav Roth, Heinz Braun, Hajime Nakamura, Herbert Hartel, Hermann Kulke, Georg von Simson, Adelheid Mette, Oskar von Hinuber, Wilhelm Halbfass, Andre Bareau Heinrich von Steitencron, Cornelia Mallebrein, Petra-Kieffer-Pulz, Gunter Gronbold, Claus Vogel, Herbert Franke, and Klaus Rohrborn. The volume contains an exhaustive bibliography.
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