In the post-Mauryan period, the techniques of cloth-making, silk- weaving, and the manufacture of luxury articles developed. Mathura was a great center for the manufacture of a special type of cloth which was called shataka.
The narrative texts of the Sangam literature are called Melkannakku. These are 18 major works consisting of eight anthologies and ten idylls. They are considered the works of heroic poetry in which heroes are glorified and perpetual wars and cattle raids during that time are frequently mentioned.