Indian HISTORY AncientIndia THEEARLYMAN The Palaeolithic Age G The fossils of the early human being have (500000 BC-9000 BC) been found in Africa about 2.6 million G The palaeolithic culture of India years back, but there are no such developed in the pleistocene period evidence in India. So, it appears that India or the Ice Age. was inhabited later than Africa. G It seems that Palaeolithic men G The recent reported artefacts from Bori belonged to the Negrito race. Homo in Maharashtra suggest that the Sapiens first appeared towards the appearance of human beings in India was end of this phase. around 1.4 million years ago. G Palaeolithic men were hunters and G The evolution of the Earth’s crust shows food gatherers. They had no four stages. The fourth stage is divided knowledge of agriculture, fire or into Pleistocene (most recent) and pottery, they used tools of Holocene (present). unpolished, rough stones and lived G Man is said to have appeared on the Earth in cave rock shelters. They are also in the early Pleistocene. called Quartzite men. G The early man in India used tools of stone G This age is divided into three phases roughly dressed by crude clipping. This according to the nature of the stone period is therefore, known as the Stone tools used by the people and change Age, which has been divided into in the climate. ¡ The Palaeolithic orOldStoneAge ¡ EarlyorLower Palaeolithic ¡ TheMesolithicorMiddleStone Age ¡ Middle Palaeolithic ¡ TheNeolithicorNewStoneAge ¡ Upper Palaoelithic Age Tools Climate Sites Early Handaxes,cleavers Humidity decreased Soan Valley (Punjab) and choppers Middle Flakes-blades,points, Further decrease in Valleys of Soan, Narmada and borers and scrapers humidity Tungabhadra rivers Upper Scrapersandburin Warmclimate Cavesandrockshelters of this age have been discovered at Bhimbetka near Bhopal 2 GENERAL KNOWLEDGE~ Indian History The Mesolithic Age G Neolithic men lived in caves and decorated their walls with hunting and (9000BC- 4000BC) dancing scenes. They knew the art of G It intervened as a transitional phase making boats. In the later phase, between the Palaeolithic Age and the people lived a more settled life and Neolithic Age. lived in circular and rectangular G In this age, climate became warm and houses made of mud and reed. dry, which brought about changes in G Koldihwa in UP revealed a three fauna and flora and made it possible for fold cultural sequence: Neolithic, human beings to move to new areas. Chalcolithic and Iron Age. Mehargarh G The Mesolithic people lived on hunting, in Baluchistan is the oldest Neolithic fishing and food- gathering. At a later site in India (7000 BC). stage, they also domesticated animals. G Important sites include Chhotanagpur G The characteristic tools of the region, Central India and South of the Mesolithic Age are microliths, pointed Krishna river. Belan valley of Vindhays cresconic blades, scrapers, etc, made and middle part of the Narmada valley up of stones. shows all the three phases of Stone Age. G Adamgarh in Madhya Pradesh and Bagor in Rajasthan provide the earliest evidence for the domestication Chalcolithic Culture of animals. (2800BC-700BC) G The people of Palaeolithic and Mesolithic ages practiced painting. G The end of the Neolithic period saw the Bhimbetka in Madhya Pradesh is a use of metals. Copper was the first striking site of Pre-historic painting. metal to be used. G Chalcolithic culture refers to the The Neolithic Age stone-copper phase. People also used (4000 BC-1000 BC) hand-axes and other objects made up of copper ware. G The people of this age used tools and G Chalcolithic people were primarily implements of polished stone. They rural communities. They domesticated particularly used stone axes. animals and practised agriculture. G It is interesting that in Burzahom dogs They were not acquainted with burnt were buried with their masters in their bricks and lived in thatched houses. graves. They venerated the mother Goddess G The neolithic settlers were the earliest and worshipped the bull. farming communities. They produced G The people of Chalcolithic culture were ragi and horse-gram (kulathi). the first to use painted pottery. Black Neolithic sites in Allahabad district are and red pottery painted with white line noted for the cultivation of rice in the design was most popular. sixth millenium BC. They domesticated G The Malwa ware is considered the cattle, sheeps and goats. They wove richest among the Chalcolithic cotton and wool to make clothes. ceramics. G Hand made pottery and use of potter G Important sites of this phase are spread wheel first appeared during the in Rajasthan, Maharashtra, West Neolithic age. Bengal, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh etc. GENERAL KNOWLEDGE~ Indian History 3 IndusValleyCivilisation G Indus Civilisation is one of the four Geographical Spread earliest civilisations of the world along G The civilisation covered parts of Sind, with the civilisations of Mesopotamia Baluchistan, Afghanistan, West Punjab, (Tigris and Euphrates), Egypt (Nile) Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, and China (Hwang Ho). Rajasthan, Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab G The civilisation forms part of the and Maharashtra. proto-history of India and belongs to G Mundigak and Shortughai are the the Bronze age. two sites located in Afghanistan. G The most accepted period is 2500- G West-Sutkagendor on Makran coast 1700 BC (by Carbon-14 dating). (Pak-Iran Border) East-Alamgirpur in It can be divided into following sub-parts Uttar Pradesh (River Hindon). G EarlyPhase 2900-2500BC G North-Manda in Jammu (River Chenab). G Middle (mature) Phase 2500-2000 BC South-Daimabad in Maharashtra (River Pravara) are major sites. G LaterPhase 2000-1750BC G Dayaram Sahni first discovered Harappa in 1921. Some New Discoveries ■ G RD Banerjee discovered Mohenjodaro Ganverivala in Pakistan by Rafeeq Mugal. or Mound of the Dead in 1922. ■ Rakhigarhi in Sind (Haryana) by Rafeeq Mugal. Nomenclature of Indus ■ Dholavira on bank of river Luni in Gujarat Valley Civilisation excavated by RS Bist and JP Joshi is largest and latest excavated site in India. G Indus Valley Civilisation as it flourished along the Indus river. Town Planning G Harappan Civilisation named by John Marshall after the first discovered site, G Town planning was not uniform. A Harappa. unique feature was the grid system i.e. G Saraswati-Sindhu Civilisation as streets cutting across one another at most of the sites have been found at the right angles, dividing the town into Hakra-Ghaggar river. large rectangular blocks. City Province RiverBank Yearof Archaeologist(s) Discovery Harappa PakistaniPunjab Ravi 1921 DayaRamSahni Mohenjodaro Sind Indus 1922 RDBanerjee Sutkagendor Baluchistan Dasht 1931 AurelStein Rangpur Gujarat Bhadur 1931 MSVats Chanhudaro Sind Indus 1931 MGMajumdar Ropar IndianPunjab Sutlej 1953 YDSharma Lothal Gujarat Bhogava 1957 SRRao Kalibangan Rajasthan Ghaggar 1959 BBLal Alamgirpur UttarPradesh Hindon 1974 YDSharma Banawali Haryana Ghaggar 1974 RSBisht 4 GENERAL KNOWLEDGE~ Indian History G The towns were divided into two parts: G Crops produced wheat, barley, dates, upper part or citadel and lower part. peas, sesamum, mustard, millet, ragi, G The fortified citadel on the Western bajra and jowar. At Lothal and Rangpur, side housed public buildings and rice husks were found. members of ruling class. G They were first to produce cotton in G Below the citadel on the Eastern side, the world, which Greek called as Sindon lay the lower town inhabited by the derived from Sind. A fragment of woven common people. cotton cloth was found at Mohenjodaro. G G Underground Drainage System Well irrigation is evident from connected all houses to the street Alladinho, dams and irrigation canals drains made of mortar, lime and from Dholavira. Sugarcane was not gypsum. They were covered with known to Indus people. either brick or stone slabs and equipped with its ‘Manhole’. This Domestication of Animals shows developed sense of health and G Animal rearing was practiced , evident sanitation. from the discovery of the Humped Bull. G The Great Bath (Mohenjodaro) It was G They domesticated buffaloes, oxens, used for religious bathing. Steps at sheep, asses, goats, pigs, elephants, either end leads to the surface. There dogs, cats etc. were changing rooms alongside. G Camel bones are reported at Kalibangan G The Granaries (Harappa) 6 granaries and remains of horse from Surkotada. in a row were found in the Citadel at Harappa. Trade G Houses were made up of burnt bricks. G Agriculture, industry and forest They were often two or more storeyed, produce provided the basis for internal varied in size, with a square courtyard and external trade. around, which had a number of rooms. G Trade was based on barter system. Windows did not face the main streets. Coins were not evident, bullock carts, They had tiled bathrooms. pack animals and boats were used for G Lamp-posts were erected at regular transportation. intervals. It indicates the existence of G Weights and measures were made of street lighting. limestone, steatite etc. Generally in Agriculture cubical shape. They were in multiple of 16. G Agriculture was the backbone of the G Several sticks inscribed with measure civilisation. The soil was fertile due to marks have been discovered. It points inundation in the river Indus and that linear system of measurement was flooding. in use. G The Indus people sowed seeds in the G Foreign trade flourished with flood plains in November, when the Mesopotamia or Sumeria (Iraq), flood water receded and reaped their Central Asia, Persia, Afghanistan and harvests of wheat and barley in April, Bahrain. before the advent of next flood. G Sumerian text refers to trade with G They used wooden plough share Meluha (Indus). Dilmun (Bahrain) and (ploughed field from Kalibangan) and Makan (Makrancoast) were two stone sickles for harvesting. intermediate stations. G Gabarbands or nalas enclosed by dam G Lothal (artificial dockyard), Surkotada, for storing water were a feature in Sutkagendor, Prabspattan, Bhatrao, parts of Baluchistan.