History - Ancient India Flashcards

1
Q

Man is said to have first appeared in which stage of the evolution of the Earth’s crust?

A

4th - Pleistocene

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2
Q

Palaeolithic man was also called _____.

A

Quartzite man

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3
Q

Tools used in early Palaeolithic age

A

Hand axes, cleavers, choppers

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4
Q

Tools used in middle Palaeolithic age

A

Flakes-blades, borers & scrapers

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5
Q

Tools used in upper Palaeolithic age

A

Scrappers & burin

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6
Q

Earliest evidence for domestication of animals in India was found here.

A

Adamgarh in MP & Bagor in Rajasthan

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7
Q

Site of pre-historic painting in Madhya Pradesh

A

Bhimbetka

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8
Q

This age was characterised by the use of polished stone tools.

A

Neolithic age

  • earliest farming communities
  • first use of potter’s wheel
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9
Q

Oldest Neolithic sites in India

A

Mehargarh & Baluchistan

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10
Q

First metal to be used.

A

Copper

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11
Q

People of this age were first to use painted pottery.

A

Chalcolithic

  • black and red pottery with white line designs
  • Malwa ware: richest amongst Chalcolithic ceramics
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12
Q

Which age does the Indus Valley Civilisation belong to?

A

Bronze

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13
Q

Who first discovered Harappa?

A

Dayaram Sahni [1921]

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14
Q

Who discovered Mohenjodaro?

A

RD Bannerjea [1922]

  • aka Mound of the Dead
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15
Q

Harappan civilisation was named by ____.

A

John Marshall

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16
Q

Indus valley civ is also called ‘Saraswathi-Sindhu’ civilization because sites were found on ___ river.

A

Hakra-Ghaggar river

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17
Q

River bank near Harappa

A

Ravi

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18
Q

River bank near Mohenjodaro

A

Indus

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19
Q

Oldest Harappan site

A

Bhirrana

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20
Q

Largest and latest excavated site in India

A

Dholavira

  • RS Bist & JP Joshi
  • 1967-68
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21
Q

Place that housed the ruling class in the Indus Valley Civ

A

Citadel

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22
Q

The Great Bath was located in ____.

A

Mohenjodaro

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23
Q

Indus Valley were the first to produce this crop in the world.

A

Cotton

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24
Q

First city without a citadel

A

Chanhudaro

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25
Q

Who among the following was the first Satavahana King to introduce the Ruler’s head on the coins?

A

Satkarni I

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26
Q

Garuda was adopted as dynastic emblem after the imperial Guptas by ___?

A

Rashtrakutas

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27
Q

Chief male deity of Indus Valley Civilization

A

Pashupati Mahadeva [proto Shiva]

  • there is an elephant, tiger, rhino, buffalo and two deer in the figurine
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28
Q

Style of writing from right to left in the first line and then left to right in the second line is called _____.

A

Boustrophedon

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29
Q

Manchester of Indus Valley Civilization

A

Lothal

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30
Q

When did the Aryans migrate from Central Asia?

A

2000-1500 BC

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31
Q

Modern river name of Sindhu

A

Indus

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32
Q

Modern river name of Vitasta & Askini

A

Jhelum & Chenub

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33
Q

Rigvedic river name of river Ravi

A

Parushni

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34
Q

Rigvedic river name of Satluj

A

Shutudri

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35
Q

Rigvedic river name of Saraswati

A

Nandi tara

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36
Q

Slaughter of the original inhabitants by Aryans

A

Dasyuhatya

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37
Q

Measure of time by Aryans

A

Godhuli

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38
Q

Measure of distance

A

Gavyuti

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39
Q

Religious advisor of the during during Aryan period was called ____.

A

Purohit

  • most important functionary
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40
Q

____ was a rigvedic God of plants.

A

Soma

41
Q

Most important Rigvedic god

A

Indra

  • Breaker of forts
42
Q

This Rigvedic god was considered to be the Father of the World

A

Dyaus

43
Q

God of light to whom the Gayatri mantra is addressed

A

Savitri

44
Q

Type of marriage during the Vedic period where the girl was married to a priest as part of his fee

A

Daiva

45
Q

Chariot race ritual during the Vedic period where the royal chariot was made to win against kinsmen.

A

Vajapeya

46
Q

Ritual during the Vedic period where the king performed sacrifices that gave him supreme power.

A

Rajasuya

47
Q

Later vedic period is also known as ____.

A

Painted greyware phase

48
Q

The term ‘rashtra’ first appeared in which period?

A

Later Vedic period

49
Q

____ refers to the theory of divine origin of kinship in the rigvedic period.

A

Taittariya Brahmana

50
Q

____ refers to the civil functionaries in the rigvedic period.

A

Satapatha Brahmana

51
Q

Varnas moved from being occupational to hereditary in this period.

A

Later Rigvedic period

52
Q

Which upanishad gives the first reference to the 4 ashramas?

A

Jabala Upanishad

  • 4 stages of life: Brahmachariya, Grihaprashta, Vanaprastha, Sanyasa
53
Q

God of shudras during the later vedic period

A

Pushan

54
Q

How many hymns are there in the Rig Veda?

A

1028

  • divided into 10 mandalas
55
Q

This famous hymn from the Rig Veda explains how the 4 varnas came from the parts of Brahma.

A

Purushasukta

  • mouth, arms, thighs, feet
56
Q

Which mandala in the Rig Veda contains the Gayatri Mantra?

A

3rd

57
Q

Which veda is a collection of melodies.

A

Sama Veda

  • contins dhrupad raga
58
Q

Which veda deals with the procedure of performing sacrifices?

A

Yajur Veda

59
Q

This veda is the book of magical formulae.

A

Atharva Veda

60
Q

The Upanishads are also called _____.

A

Vedarita

  • denote the last phase of vedic period
61
Q

____ reveal the aim of the Vedas.

A

Upanishads

62
Q

How many Upanishads are there?

A

108

63
Q

____ explain the hidden meaning behind the hymns and Vedas.

A

Brahmanas

64
Q

Which Brahmana recommends 100 sacred paths?

A

Shatapatha Brahmana

  • attached to Yajur Veda
65
Q

Sages in forests explained the Vedic scriptures in the form of ____.

A

Aranyakas

66
Q

Who wrote ‘Ashtadhyayi’ on Vyakarna?

A

Panini

67
Q

Which vedanga deals with pronunciation?

A

Shiksha

68
Q

Which vedanga deals with grammar?

A

Vyakarna

69
Q

Which vedanga deals with astronomy?

A

Jyotisha

70
Q

Which vedanga deals with etymology?

A

Nirukta

71
Q

Which vedanga deals with rituals?

A

Kalpa

72
Q

Which upaveda deals with the art of warfare?

A

Dhanuveda

  • upaveda of Yajur veda
73
Q

Which upaveda deals with art and music?

A

Gandharavaveda

  • upadveda of Soma veda
74
Q

Which upaveda deals with military technology?

A

Shastrashastra

  • upadveda of Atharva veda
75
Q

Which upaveda deals with medicine?

A

Ayur Veda

  • upadveda of Rig veda
76
Q

Mahabharata was written by ___.

A

Ved Vyas

  • older than Ramayana
  • 100,000 verses in final compilation
77
Q

Author of Ramayana

A

Valmiki

  • 24,000 verses
78
Q

These were the law books written in sloka form.

A

Dharma Shastra

79
Q

Oldest and most famous smriti

A

Manusmriti / Manav Dharma Shastra

80
Q

What was the name of Gautam Buddha’s only son?

A

Rahul

81
Q

At which site, has all the Paleolithic, Mesolithic and Neolithic sites been found in sequence?

A

Belan Valley

82
Q

The greatest Chera King remembered for building a temple of ‘Kannagi’ the Goddess of Chastity?

A

Senguttuvan

83
Q

Oldest republic in the world in the pre-mauryan age.

A

Lichchhavis

84
Q

Capital of Gandhara during the pre-mauryan age.

A

Taxila

85
Q

Capital of Kasi during the pre-mauryan age.

A

Varanasi

86
Q

Magadha was victorious in a battle between which 3 other mahajanapadas?

A

Kosala, Vatsa & Avanti

87
Q

Founder of Magadha empire

A

Jarasandha & Brihadratha

88
Q

First king to have a standing army

A

Bimbisara

89
Q

Son of Bimbisara

A

Ajatashatru

90
Q

Buddha died during this king’s reign.

A

Ajatashatru

  • patroned the first Buddhist council
91
Q

Who convened the second Buddhist Council?

A

Kalashoka

92
Q

First non-Kshatriya dynasty

A

Nanda dynasty

93
Q

Founder of Nanda dynasty

A

Mahapadmananda

  • aka Ekarat / Sarvakshatrantaka
  • aka first empire builder of Indian history
94
Q

Last Nanda ruler

A

Dhanananda

95
Q

Alexander invaded India during whose rule?

A

Dhanananda

96
Q

First foreign conqueror to penetrated well into India.

A

Cyrus of Persia

  • enrolled Indians in Persian Army
97
Q

____ employed Indians in the long war again Greeks.

A

Xerxes

  • successor of Darius
98
Q

Grandson of Cyrus who invaded north-west India

A

Darius

99
Q

Alexander defeated Porus in which battle?

A

Battle of Hydaspas