NCERT GIST OF ANCIENT HISTORY www.laexias.com https://elearn.laex.in NCERT GIST OF ANCIENT HISTORY INDEX 1. Introduction........................................................................................................................01-01 2. Pre-Historic India.................................................................................................................02-05 3. Harappan Culture................................................................................................................05-07 4. Vedic Culture.......................................................................................................................07-12 5. Mahajanapadas and Rise of Magadha................................................................................12-13 6. Persian and Macedonian Invasions.....................................................................................13-14 7. Jainism and Buddhism.........................................................................................................14-18 8. Mauryan Empire..................................................................................................................18-21 9. Post-Mauryan India.............................................................................................................22-25 10. Gupta Age...........................................................................................................................25-28 11. Post-Gupta Period...............................................................................................................29-35 12. Miscellaneous .....................................................................................................................35-36 www.laexias.com https://elearn.laex.in NCERT GIST OF ANCIENT HISTORY |1| 1. INTRODUCTION For our convenience, Indian History can be divided into three periods. Africa was the original homeland of humans. For this reason Africa is called ‘the cradle of Humankind’. The Ancient India From beginning to 647 AD i.e following two theories are prevalent in connection with from Lithic (Stone) Period to human evolution and development. death of Harsha Medieval India 647 AD to 1757 i.e. from death of Unitary Origin Theory: Humans evolved originally from Harsha to Battle of Plassey homo erectus in Africa and migrated to different regions Modern India 1757 to till date i.e. from Battle of of the earth. Plassey to till date Parallel Origin Theory: Modern human evolved in parallel Understanding Dates- from several dispersed homo erectus population of the BC stands for ‘Before Christ’. world at the same time. AD stands for two Latin words, ‘Anno Domini’, Hominid (human like species) activity in the Indian sub- meaning ‘in the year of the Lord’ (i.e. Christ). So continent can be traced back to 250,000 years ago and it 2012 can also be written as AD 2012. is, therefore, one of the oldest inhabited regions on the Sometimes CE is used instead of AD and BCE planet. However, the earliest known human remains in instead of BC. The letters CE stand for ‘Common India date to 30,000 years ago. Era’ and BCE for ‘Before Common Era’. We use these terms because the Christian Era is now used Earlier India was called as Bharatavarsha or the land of in most countries of the world. In India we began Bharata, after the name of an ancient tribe called the using this form of dating from about two hundred Bharatas. The foreigners came into contact with the years ago. people living on the Sindhu or the Indus, and so they And sometimes, the letters BP meaning ‘Before named the whole country after this river. The word Hind Present’ are used. is derived from the Sanskrit term Sindhu, and in course of time the country came to be known as ‘India’ in Greek, Understanding Historical Evidneces- and ‘Hind’ in Persian and Arabic languages Important Eras Manuscript-this comes from the Latin word in Indian history can be classified as follows. ‘manu’, meaning hand. So, manuscript means Era Timeline Remarks written by hands. Kali 3101 BC Started 20 years after the end of Inscriptions- These are writings on relatively hard Mahabharata war surfaces such as stone or metal. Vikrama 58/57 BC Commenced by Vikramaditya Epigraphy is the study of inscriptions. Saka 78 AD Started by Kanishka. Government Numismatics is the study of coins, including visual of India adopted Saka era along elements such as scripts and images, metallurgical with Gregorian Calendar as National Calendar on 22 March analysis and the contexts in which they have been 1957 found. Gupta 319-20 Started by Chandragupta-1 Hagiography is a biography of a saint or religious AD leader.Hagiographies often praise the saint’s achievements, and may not always be literally Harsha 606 AD Founded by Harshavardhana of accurate. They are important because they tell us Kannauj about the beliefs of the followers of that Ilahi 1556 AD Started by Akbar. In 1658 AD particular tradition. Aurangzeb abolished it. Raj 1673 AD Started by Chhatrapati Shivaji. Saka www.laexias.com https://elearn.laex.in NCERT GIST OF ANCIENT HISTORY |2| 2. PRE-HISTORIC INDIA Lower Paleolithic Age Archaeological sources form the bedrock of information The first Paleolithic tools were identified at the site of for us to understand this period in Indian history. They Pallavaram near Chennai by Robert Bruce Foote in include archaeological sites, geological sediments, animal 1863. bones and fossils, stone tools, bone tools, rock paintings Paleolithic people used stone tools, hand-sized and and artefacts. flaked-off large pebbles for hunting, butchering and skinning the animals, and to recover tubers and plant In India, the prehistoric period is divided into the foods, and for processing food. Paleolithic (Old Stone Age), Mesolithic (Middle Stone Age), As time passed they made attempts to domesticate Neolithic (New Stone Age) and the Metal Age. animals, make crude pots and grow some plants. A few Old Stone Age paintings have also been found Lithic Age/ Stone Age is divided into three periods as on rocks at Bhimbetka and other places. follows. Lower Paleolithic tools are found in most parts of Period Timeline Life style Tools and India, except in a few regions of the Ganges valley, weapons southern Tamil Nadu and in the hilly areas of the Paleolithic 3,00,000 Hunters Hand axe, blade Western Ghats. BC- and food tools and 10,000 BC gatherers chopper The Soan valley and Potwar Plateau on the northwest India. Adamgarh hill in Narmada valley. Kurnool in Mesolithic 10,000 Hunters Microlithic tools Andhra Pradesh. Athiramapakkam, Pallavaram and BC-6,000 and Gudiyam near Chennai. Hunsgi valley and Isampur in BC Herders Karnataka, and Bhimbetka in Madhya Pradesh are Neolithic 6,000 BC- Food- Polished tools 4,000 BC Producer some important Palaeolithic sites in India. We have little knowledge about their language and Paleolithic Age communication. They may have expressed a few sounds or words and Paleo (old) and lithic (stone)=old stone age. used a sign language. Robert Bruce Foote is known as ‘father of Pre-historic Archaeology in India’. Middle Paleolithic Age On the basis of differences in stone-implements, the In India, the Middle Paleolithic phase was first Paleolithic period is divided into three ages identified by H.D. Sankalia on the Pravara River at Nevasa (Maharashtra). Name of Age Time Period Tools and weapons Indian Middle Paleolithics probably may be as old as Lower/Earlier 3,00,000 BC- Chopper the African Middle Paleolithic culture. Paleolithic 1,00,000 BC &Chopping; Hand Flake industry was predominant in the Middle Age axe & cleaver Middle 1,00,000 BC – Implements made Paleolithic period and tools such as scrapers, points Paleolithic 40,000 BC of Flake and borers were made. Age Scrapers were used for wood and skin working. Upper/Later 40,000 BC- Implements made The tools became smaller. Paleolithic 10,000 of Flake and Blade Use of chert, jasper, chalcedony and quartz as raw Age materials gained currency. Middle Paleolithic sites are found in Narmada, Godavari, Krishna, Yamuna and other river valleys. www.laexias.com https://elearn.laex.in NCERT GIST OF ANCIENT HISTORY |3| Upper Paleolithic Age The animal bones from this period suggest a dry deciduous type of forest during the Mesolithic This period is marked by innovation in tool technology period. and increased cognitive capability of humans. Microliths (tiny stone tools) were introduced in the Upper Paleolithic Period and these tools were made using different varieties of silica-rich raw materials. Neolithic Age Bone tools and faunal remains have been found in Kurnool caves in Andhra Pradesh. Neo(new) and Lithic(stone)= New Stone Age The people of this period used caves as well as the In India, the credit of the discovery of Neolithic site open air space for living. goes to Dr. Primrose. Meralbhavi in Karnataka, Kurnool caves and Neolithic sites in India include the Kashmir valley, Godavarikhani in Telangana, Baghor I and Baghor III of Chirand in Bihar, Belan valley in Uttar Pradesh. Maski, Son Valley in Madhya Pradesh and Patne in Brahmagiri, Hallur and Kodekal in Karnataka. Maharashtra are some of the Upper Paleolithic sites Paiyampalli in Tamil Nadu and Utnur in Andhra of India. Pradesh. The significant characteristics of Neolithic period are Mesolithic Age agriculture, animal domestication, fixed abode and manufacturing of wheel made pottery. Meso(Middle) and Lithic (Stone)= Middle Stone Age Emergence of village communities based on In India, the credit