ANCIENT INDIA

# FATHER OF HISTORY HERODOTUS # BOOK HISTORICA # ORIGIN OF EARTH 4.8 BN YEARS AGO # ORIGIN OF LIFE 3.5 BN YEARS AGO
# THE FOSSIL OF EARLY HUMAN BEING HAVE BEEN FOUND IN AFRICA ABOUBT 2.6 MN YEARS BACK # START OF HUMAN 42 LAKHS AGO
# THE EVOLUTION OF EARTHS CRUST SHOWS FOUR STAGE. THE FOURTH STAGE IS DEVIDED INTO PLEISTOCENE (MOST RECENT) AND HOLOCENE (PRESENT)
THE PALAEOLITHIC AGE (500000 BC – 9000 BC)
# PALAEOLITHIC MANS BELONGED TO NEGRITO RACE. # HOMO SAPIENS FIRST APPEARED TOWARDS THE END OF THIS PHASE
# NO KNOWLEDGE OF AGRICULTURE, FIRE OR POTTERY, USED UNPOLISHED TOOLS, ROUGH STONES & LIVED IN CAVE ROCK SHELTERS
# ALSO CALLED QUARTZITE MEN
THE MESOLITHIC AGE (9000 BC – 4000 BC)
# LIVED ON HUNTING, FISHING & FOOD GATHERING. AT A LATER STAGE, THEY ALSO DOMESTICATED ANIMALS.
# ADAMGARH IN MADHYA PRADESH & BAGOR IN RAJASTHAN PROVIDE THE EARLIEST EVIDENCE FOR THE DOMESTIFICATION OF ANIMALS
# BHIMBETKA IN MADHYA PRADESH IS A STRIKING SITE OF PRE-HISTORIC PAINTING OF MESOLITHIC AGE
THE NEOLITHIC AGE (4000 BC – 1800 BC)
# USED POLISHED STONE TOOLS # BURZAHOM DOGS WERE BURIED WITH THEIR MASTERS IN THEIR GRAVES # THEY KNEW THE ART OF MAKING BOATS
# EARLIEST FARMING COMMUNITIES. THEY PRODUCE RAGI AND HORSE-GRAIN (KULATHI). THEY DOMESTICATED CATTLE, SHEEPS AND GOATS
# THEY WOVE COTTON AND WOOLS TO MAKE CLOTHES # HAND MADE POTTERY AND USE OF POTTER WHEEL FIRST APPEARED
# LIVED IN CAVES WITH DECORATED WALLS WITH HAUNTING & DANCING SCENES # MEHARGARH IN BALUCHISTAN IS THE OLDEST NEOLITHIC SITE
# BELLAN VALLEY OF VINDHYAS AND MIDDLE PART OF THE NARMADA VALLEY SHOWS ALL 3 PHASES OF STONE AGE
CHALCOLITHIC CULTURE (1800 BC – 1000 BC)
# COPPER WAS THE FIRST METAL TO BE USED # PRIMARILY RURAL COMMUNITIES & LIVED IN THATCHED HOUSES
# DOMESTICATED ANIMALS & PRACTISED AGRICULTURE # NOT ACQUAINTED WITH BURNT BRICKS
# WORSHIPPED MOTHER GODDESS AND THE BULL # FIRST TO USE PAINTED POTTERY. BLACK & RED POTTERY PAINTED WITH WHITE LINE DESIGN
# MALWA WARE IS CONSIDERED THE RICHEST AMONG THE CHALCOLITHIC CERAMICS
INDUS VALLEY CIVILISATION
# MESOPOTAMIA – TIGRIS & EUPHRATES # EGYPT – NILE #CHINA – HWANG HO # INDUS VALLEY BELONGS TO BRONZE AGE
# DAYARAM SAHNI – HARAPPA IN 1921 # RD BANERJEE – MOHENJODARO IN 1922 # HARAPPAN CIVILISATION NAME GIVEN - JOHN MARSHALL
TOWN PLANNING
# GRID SYSTEM/CHESSBOARD SYSTEM (STREETS ARE CUTTING ACROSS ONE ANOTHER AT RIGHT ANGLES.
# TOWNS DIVIDED INTO UPPER PART/CITADEL (FORTIFIED CITADEL ON THE WESTERN SIDE HOUSED PUBLIC BUILDINGS & MEMBERS OF RULLING CLASS) &
LOWER PART (ON EASTERN SIDE INHABITED BY THE COMMON PEOPLE)
# UNDERGROUND DRAINAGE SYSTEM CONNECTED ALL HOUSES COVERED WITH BRICK OR STONE SLABS AND EQUIPPED WITH ITS ‘MANHOLE’
# THE GREAT BATH (MOHENJODARO) WAS USED FOR RELIGIOUS BATHING. STEPS AT EITHER END LEADS TO SURFACE & CHANGING ROOMS ALONGSIDE
# THE GRANARIES (HARAPPA) SIX GRANARIES IN A ROW WERE FOUND IN THE CITADEL AT HARAPPA
# HOUSE WERE MADE UP OF BURNT BRICKS & WERE TWO OR MORE STOREYED. WINDOWS DID NOT FACE MAIN STREETS. THEY HAD TILED BATHROOM
# LAMP-POST WERE ERECTED AT REGULAR INTERVALS.IT INDICATES THE EXISTENCE OF STREET LIGHTING.
AGRICULTURE
# THEY USED WOODEN PLOUGH SHARE (PLOUGHED FIELD FROM KALIBANGAN) AND STONE SICKLES FOR HARVESTING.
# GABARBANDS OR NALAS ENCLOSED BY DAM FOR STORING WATER WERE A FEATURES IN PARTS OF BALUCHISTAN. GRAINS ARE STORED IN GRANARIES
# CROPS PRODUCED: - WHEAT, BARLEY, DATES, PEAS, SESAMUM, MUSTARD, MILLET, RAGI, BAJRA & JOWAR. AT LOTHAL & RANGPUR RICE HUSKS WERE FOUND
# THEY WERE FIRST TO PRODUCE COTTON IN THE WORLD # A FRAGMENT OF WOVEN COTTON CLOTH WAS FOUND AT MOHENJODARO
# SUGARCANE WAS NOT KNOWN TO INDUS PEOPLE # WELL IRRIGATION IS EVIDENT FROM ALLADINHO, DAMS & IRRIGATION CANALS FROM DHOLAVIRA
# DOMESTIC ANIMALS: - BUFFALOES, OXENS, SHEEP, ASSES, GOATS, PIGS, ELEPHANTS, DOGS, CATS ETC # ANIMAL REARING WAS PRACTICED, EVIDENT
FROM THE DISCOVERY OF HUMPED BULL # CAMEL BONES ARE REPORTED AT KALIBANGAN & REMAINS OF HORSE FROM SURKOTADA
TRADE
# TRADE WAS BASED ON BARTER SYSTEM. COINS WERE NOT EVIDENT. BULLOCK CARTS, PACK ANIMALS & BOATS WERE USED FOR TRANSPORTATION
# WEIGHTS & MEASURES WERE MADE OF LIMESTONE, STEATITE ETC. GENERALLY, IN CUBICAL SHAPE. THEY WERE IN MULTIPLE OF SIXTEEN
# SEVERAL STICKS INSCRIBED WITH MEASURE MARKS HAVE BEEN DISCOVERED. IT POINTS THAT LINEAR SYSTEM OF MEASUREMENT WAS IN USE
# FOREIGN TRADE FLOURISHED WITH MESOPOTAMIA/SUMERIA (IRAQ), CENTRAL ASIA, PERSIA, BAHARAIN & AFGHANISTAN
# SUMERIAN TEXTS REFERS TO TRADE WITH MELUHA (INDUS). DILMUN (BAHRAIN) & MAKAN (MAKRAN COAST) WERE TWO INTERMEDIATE STATIONS
# LOTHAL (ARTIFICIAL DOCKYARD), SURKOTADA, SUTKAGENDOR, DHOLAVIRA, KALIBANGAN, PRABHAS, BHATRAO, DAIMABAD WERE COASTAL TOWNS
ART, CRAFT & RELIGIOUS PRACTICES
# THEY PLAYED DICE GAMES. GAMBLING WAS THEIR FAVOURITE TIME PASS. NO CLEAR EVIDENCE OF MUSIC # EVIDENCE OF SNAKE WORSHIP ALSO FOUND
# CHIEF FEMALE DIETY MOTHER GODDESS (GODDESS EARTH) # CHIEF MALE DIETY PASHUPATI MAHADEVA (PROTO-SHIVA)
# DAIMABAD BRONZE INDUSTRY # BALAKOT PEARL FINISHED GOODS, BANGLE & SHELL INDUSTRY # CHANHUDARO BEDS & BANGLES FACTORY
# LOTHAL FACTORY FOR STONE TOOLS & METALLIC FINISHED GOODS
BURIAL PRACTICES
# GENERAL PRACTICE WAS PLACING THE DEAD BODY IN THE NORTH-SOUTH DIRECTION # HARAPPA EAST-WEST AXIS, R-37 & H CEMETRY
# MOHENJODARO THREE FORMS OF BURIAL WERE COMPLETE, FRACTIONAL & POST CREMATION # LOTHAL DOUBLE BURIAL
# SURKOTADA FOUR POT-BURIAL # DHOLAVIRA MEGALITHIC BURIAL # ROPAR DOG BURRIED WITH HUMANS, OVAL PIT BURIALS
# KALIBANGAN TWO FORMS OF BURIAL WERE CIRCULAR & RECTANGULAR GRAVE
SCRIPT
# IT WAS PICTOGRAPHIC IN NATURE. FISH SYMBOL IS MOST REPRESENTED # OVERLAPPING OF LETTERS
# BOUSTROPHEDON STYLE FIRST LINE WAS WRITTTEN FROM RIGHT TO LEFT AND THEN LEFT TO RIGHT IN THE SECOND LINE
IMPORTANT HARAPPAN SITES & ARCHAEOLOGICAL FINDINGS
HARAPPA DAYA RAM SAHINI IN 1921 SITUATED ON THE BANK OF RIVER RAVI IN • SANDSTONE STATUES OF HUMAN ANATOMY
(GATEWAY CITY) THE MONTGOMERY DISTRICT OF PUNJAB • TWO ROWS OF SIX GRANARIES • BULLOCK CARTS
(PAKISTAN) PAGE • COPPER SCALE & MIRROR • LINGAM & YONI
MOHENJODARO R.D BANERJEE IN 1922 SITUATED ON THE BANK OF RIVER INDUS IN • GREAT BATH • GREAT GRANARY • BRONZE DANCING
(MOUND OF LARKANA DISTRICT OF PUNJAB (PAKISTAN) GIRL • SEAL OF PASUPATHI MAHADEVA • STEATITE
DEAD) STATUE OF BEARD MAN • A PIECE OF WOVEN COTTON
SUTKAGENDOR STEIN IN 1929 IN SOUTHWESTERN BALOCHISTAN • A TRADING POINT BETWEEN HARAPPA AND
PROVINCE, PAKISTAN ON DAST RIVER BABYLON
CHANHUDARO N.G MAJUMDAR IN 1931 SINDH ON THE INDUS RIVER • BEAD MAKERS SHOP • THE FOOTPRINT OF A DOG
(LANCASHIRE OF CHASING A CAT •ONLY CITY WITHOUT CITADEL
INDIA) • INKPOT • LIPSTICK
AMRI N.G MAJUMDAR IN 1935 ON THE BANK OF THE INDUS RIVER – SINDH • ANTELOPE EVIDENCE (RHINOCEROS)
 KALIBANGAN GHOSE IN 1953 RAJASTHAN ON THE BANK OF GHAGGAR • FIRE ALTAR • CAMEL BONE • WOODEN PLOUGH
(BLACK BANGLE) RIVER • TILED FLOOR • LOWER TOWN ALSO FORTIFIED
LOTHAL R.RAO IN 1953 GUJARAT ON BHOGAVO RIVER NEAR GULF • FIRST MANMADE PORT • DOCKYARD • RICE HUSK
(MANCHESTER OF OF CAMBAY • FIRE ALTARS • CHESS-PLAYING • ELEPHANT TUSK
IVC) • TERACOTTA SHIP • INSTRUMENT MEASURING 180,
90, 45 DEGREE ANGLES • PERSIAN SEALS
SURKOTADA J.P JOSHI IN 1964 GUJARAT • BONES OF HORSES • BEADS
BANAWALI R.S BISHT IN 1974 HISAR DISTRICT OF HARYANA • BEADS • BARLEY • EVIDENCE OF BOTH
PREHARAPPAN AND HARAPPAN CULTURE • ONLY CITY
WITH RADIAL STREETS • LACK OF DRAINAGE PATTERN
DHOLAVIRA R.S BISHT IN 1985 GUJARAT IN RANN OF KACHCHH • WATER HARNESSING SYSTEM • GIANT WATER
RESERVOIR • A STADIUM • ROCK-CUT ARCHITECTURE
• ONLY SITE TO BE DIVIDED INTO THREE PARTS
• 1ST IVC SITE IN INDIA TO HAVE RECEIVED THE
‘WORLD HERITAGE SITE’ STATUS BY UNESCO
THE ARYAN & THE VEDIC AGE
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