Ancient History Flashcards
Pre Aryan tribals in North Eastern India used to speak
Munda or Kolarian languages
Apart from North East, Munda pockets are also found in
Chhotanagpur plateau
Where did the name Bharatavarsha originate from?
After the name of an ancient tribe called the Bharatas, descendants of which were called Bharatasantati
Who were chakravartins?
Kings who tried to establish their authority from
The Himalayas to the Cape Comorin and from
The valley of Brahmaputra in the east to the land beyond the Indus in the west
How many times was political unity of India achieved in the ancient times?
Twice
1. In third century BC, Ashoka (except for the extreme south)
2. In fourth century AD, Samudragupta
In the third century BC, which language became the lingua franca of the country?
Prakrit
What is lingua franca?
A language that is adopted as a common language between people whose native languages are different
Why was the study of ancient India initiated?
- When Bengal and Bihar came under the rule of East India Company in 1765, they found it difficult to administer the Hindu law of inhertitance
- The Revolt of 1857 revealed that the British needed a deeper knowledge of the manners and social systems of the alien people it wanted to rule
- Christian missionaries wanted to find vulnerable points in the Hindu religion
In order to administer the Hindu law of inheritance, which book was translated by the British in 1776?
Manusmriti (the law book of Manu) as A Code of Gentoo Laws
Who set up the Asiatic Society of Bengal in 1784? What else did he do?
Sir William Jones
Translated Abhijnanashakuntalam in 1789
The greatest push to Indological studies was given by the German-born scholar named
F Max Mueller
What are the criticisms of Indian ancient history by the British?
- The ancient Indians lacked a sense of history especially of the factor of time and chronology
- Indians were accustomed to despotic rule
- Natives were engrossed in the problems of spiritualism, and least bothered about the problems of this world
- Caste system
- No. Feelings of nationhood or self government
What are the types of sources available for reconstruction of history?
- Material Remains
- Coins
- Inscriptions
- Literary sources
- Foreign accounts
What are mounds?
The mound is an elevated portion of land covering remains of old habitations
Mounds can be excavated either ___________ or ___________
Vertically or Horizontally
Antiquities are found in a better state of preservation in the dry arid climate of __________
Western Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and north-western India
What are megaliths?
Some people in South India buried along with the dead, their tools, weapons, pottery and other belongings in the graves, which were encircled by big pieces of stone. These structures are called megaliths.
What is archaeology?
The science which enables us to dig the old mounds in a systematic manner in successive layers, and to form an idea of the material life of the people is called archaeology
What is the half life of C14 isotope?
5568 years
On the basis of pollen analysis, we can say that agriculture was practised in ________ around _______
Rajasthan and Kashmir around 7000-6000 BC
The study of coins is called
Numismatics
Most of the coin moulds that have been discovered belong to the _______ period
Kushan period, ie, the first three Christian centuries
The use of the coin moulds in the ______ almost disappeared due to _______
Post-Gupta period
Decline in trade
We get the largest number of coins in the
Post-Maurya times
