Chapter 1
What where how and when What where how and when
Where did people leave?
Along the banks of the river.
Usually skilled gatherers and Hunters
People travel from one part of subcontinent to another -
In search of livelihood
To escape from natural disaster.
Marched in armies
Conquering other lands
As merchants
Religious teachers to offer instructions and advice
spirit of Adventure
Names of the land
India and Bharat
India from indus called Sindhu in Sanskrit
Iranians and Greeks familiar with Indus
Called it Indos or Hindos
Land east of river called India
Bharata used for a group of people who lived in Northwest who are mentioned in the rig Veda.
Finding out about the past
Manuscripts
written by hand (Latin word meaning hand)
Usually on a soft surface(Palm leaf or bark off a tree)
Deals with religious belief and practices, lives of Kings medicine and science, epic poems, plays
Written in Sanskrit And prakrit language
Inscription
Writings on relatively hard surfaces such as stone or metal.
Kings order, The records of victories in battle
What do dates mean?
Birth of Jesus Christ - BCE
Anno Domini AD - In the year of Lord
Chapter 2
On the trail of the earliest people
The earliest people
Why were they on the Move
In search of food
By following the animals they hunt
In search of seasonal plants
In search of water during dry season.
How do we know about these people?
People made and used tools of stone wood and bone of
Stone tools survived best
Used for -To cut meat bone, Scrap bark Chop fruit and roots, To make Spears and arrows for hunting, Chop wood
Choosing a place to live in
Where good quality. Stone was easily available - Factory sites
Habitation come factory sites - where people lived for a longer Spells Of Time
Making stone tools
Two different techniques
1)Stone on Stone.
2)pressure flaking
Finding out about fire
Kurnool caves - traces of Ash found
Used for- As a source of light, to roast meat and to scare away animals.
A changing environment
12,000 years ago Major climatic change
Shift to relatively warm condition Development of grasslands
Increase in number of deer Antelope good sheep and Cattle
Those who hunted these animals now followed them.
People learned food habits and breeding season
Fishing also become important
Earliest period Paleolithic
(Greek word Paleo meaning old, lithos meaning Stone)
2mn to 12,000 years ago.
Mesolithic (12,000-10,000 years ago)
(Middle Stone)
Environmental changes take place
Small stone tools called microliths
Neolithic (new stone)
10,000 yrs ago onwards
Rock paintings and what they tell us?
Paintings on the walls
In madhya Pradesh
Paintings show wild animals With great accuracy and skill
Hunsgi
Paleolithic site
Number of tools found made of limestone
Habitation come factory sites
Chapter 3
From Gathering to Growing Foods
First animal to Be Tamed wild ancestor of dog
Sheep goat cattle and also Pig lived in herds.
Domestication Started about 12,000 years ago
earliest plants to be domesticated wheat and barley
Earliest domesticated animals sheep and goat.
A new way of life
Started storing grain for both food and Seed
Begin making large clay pots or wove baskets or dug pits into the ground
Exciting find remains of burnt grain
Towards a settled life
Burzahom (neolithic site)
In Kashmir
People build pit house Dug into the ground Steps leading into them.
Provided shelter in cold weather
Found cooking hearths both inside and outside
Earthen pots found- Used for cooking food
Began weaving clothes
Neolithic tools
Polish to give a fine Cutting Edge, mortars and pestles used for grinding grain
Customs and practices
Farmers and herders leaving group called tribes
Follow certain customs and practices
Mehrgarh(neolithic site)
Woman and men learn to grow barley and wheat and rear sheep and goat for the first time in this area.
Earliest villages
Animal bones are found in different levels.
Square or rectangular houses
Each house had four or more compartments.
Dead persons was buried with goats.
Served as food in the next world
Daojali Hading (neolithic site)
Brahmaputra Valley
Stone tools including mortars and pestles
Indicates people were growing grain and preparing food
Jadeite- stone that have been brought from China.
Tools of fossil wood and pottery
Chapter 4
In the earliest cities
The story of harappa (indus valley civilization)
First city to be discovered
Developed about 4,700 years ago.
Special features
Divided into two or more parts
Western part higher called Citadel Called Citadel.
Eastern part larger, but lower Called Lower Town.
Walls of baked brick
Laid in interlocking pattern made strong walls
Mohenjo-daro great bath
Coated with plaster made watertight with a layer of natural tar
Steps leading down it from two sides.
Rooms on all sides
People took a dip in this tank on special occasions.
Kalibangan and lothal Fire altars found where sacrifices performed
Mohenjodaro harappa, and lothal had elaborate storehouse.
Houses drains and streets
Either one or two storeys
Separate bathing area
Wells to supply water
Covered drains -Drains in houses were connected to those on the streets.
Inspection holes provided at intervals to clean them.
All the three planned and built at the same time.
Life in the city
Very busy Place, Harappan City
People planned construction of special buildings in the city probably the rulers
Besides men and women craftsperson making all kinds of things.
Terracotta toys have been found.
New crafts in the city
Most things made of stone shell and metal including copper bronze gold and silver.
Most striking finds bids weights and Blades
Also made seals out of stone generally rectangular. And have an animal carved on them.
Also made pots with beautiful black designs
Cotton probably grown at mehrgarh are about 7,000 years ago(Pieces of clothes found attached to the lid Of a silver vase at Mohenjo-daro.
Found spindle whirls made of terracotta and faince Used to spin thread
Work of specialists
Cutting Stone polishing beads and carving seals
In search of raw material
Some available locally while many times copper tin gold silver precious stones brought from distant places.
Copper from Rajasthan Even from oman
Tin mixed with copper to produce bronze brought from Afghanistan and Iran.
Gold from Karnataka
And precious stones from present-day Gujarat Iran and Afghanistan.
Food for people in the city
Farmers and herders supplied food to craft persons scribes and rulers in the city
Harappan grew wheat barley pulses peas rice sesame linseed and mustard.
Plough used to dig Earth(Toy models found)
Some form of irrigation have been used
Reared cattle sheep goats and buffalo
Also collected fruits like bear caught fish hunted wild animals like antelope.
Harappan towns in Gujarat
Dholavira on khadir beyt in rann of kutch
Fresh water and fertile soil
Divided into three parts- Surrounded with stone walls
Entrance through gateways
Large open area in the settlement where public ceremonies could be held.
Harappan script include large letters carved out of white stone inlaid in wood.
City of lothal Tributary of sabarmati in Gujarat Close to Gulf of khambat
Semi-precious stones easily available
Making objects out of stones shell and Metal.
Storehouse in the city
Many seals and sealings found in the storehouse.
A dockyard at lothal
Building found probably for making beads.
The mystery of end
Around 3,900 years ago Beginning of major change
People stopped living in many of the Cities
Garbage piled up on the streets drainage system broke down
New or less impressive houses were built even over the streets.
Why did all this happen?
Some suggest Rivers dried up
Others suggested deforestation
In some areas there were floods.
New cities emerged about 1,400 years later.
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