Prehistoric and Harappan Pre Flashcards
Are written records available for prehistoric india
no
Archaelogical remains found in India
stone tools, pottery, artefacts, metal implements, paintings
How is dating of pre historic period done
- Radio carbon dating
- Dendrochronology
what is radio carbon dating
measuring loss of carbon in organic materials
what is Dendrochronology
counting tree rings in woods
near what were paleolithic sites located
near water sources, rock shelters and caves
occupation of paleolithic people
hunter gatherers
what kind of animals did paleo ppl hunt
big animals in groups
size of their stone tools
hand sized and flaked off large pebbles
did paleo ppl attempt to domesticate animals
yes
which rocks were their stone tools made of
quarzite- a hard rock
did paleo ppl grow some plants
yes, at a later stage
famous paleolithic sites
Soan valley- Northwest india
Siwalik hills- north india- punjab, himachal
bhimpetka- MP
Adamgarh- MP, near narmada
Kurnool- Andhra
Attirampakkam- Tamil nadu
shiv, bhim and adam
atte soan papdi
Kurnool
Paleolithic age is also called
old stone age
Period for paleoloithic age
before 10000 BC
period for mesolithic age
10000-6000 BC
Mesolithic age is also called
middle stone age
where are mesolithic remains found in India
Langhanj- Gujarat
Adamgarh - MP
microliths are associated with which period mainly
mesolithic age
what are microliths
stone tool- tiny stone artifacts, less than 5 cm
they were also buried in burials
hunting and gathering in mesolithic age
shift from big to smaller animals and fishing
also used bow and arrow
animals were now domesticated
primitive cultivation also started
animals found in mesolithic age
dog, deer, boar, ostrich
neolithic age period
6000- 4000 BC
Neolithic important sites
Kashmir valley, belan valley in UP
Maski, Brahmagiri, Hallur and Kodekal in Karnataka
Paiyampalli in TN
Utnur in Andhra pradesh
features of neolithic age
agriculture, domestication of animals- sheeps, goats, cattle [started in mesolithic though], polished stone tools and axes, pottery manufactured, emergence of village, wheels, clothes of cotton
types of houses in neolithic
mud brick instead of grass huts
burial methods in neolithic
large urns as coffins
agriculture in neolithic
wheat, barley, rice, millet
neolithic age is also called as
new stone age
what is metal age
the new technology of smelting metal ore and crafting metal artifacts
were stone tools used in metal age
yes
what is chalcolithic age
copper bronze
which culture was an example of chacolithic culture
harappa
where did chalcolithic cultures grow
near river valleys
which came before, iron age or chalcolithic
chalcolithic
do vedas have a mention of iron
yes
megalithic burials are associated with
iron age
important megalithic sites are
Hallur and Maski in Karnataka
Nagarjunakonda in Andhra
Adichchanallur in TN
Why was IVC changed to indus valley civilisation
bc more sites were discovered far away from the indus valley
important IVC sites
kot diji- Pakistan
Kalibangan- rajasthan
Rupar- Punjab
Banawali- Haryana
Lothal, dholavira, surkotada- Gujarat
stages of harappan civilisation
pre harappan- settled agricultural life Mehrgarh in pakistan
Early harappan- large villages, gradual growth of towns- Amri and Kot diji
Mature harappan- great cities emerged, elaborate town planning, urban- Kalibangan
Late harappan- decline- Lothal, a port surrounded by brick walls for flood protection, emporium of trade
Sir John Marshall, Fairservis and DP Agarwal are associated with
estimated the duration of harappan civilisation
Town planning of Harappans
grid system- lanes at right angle
Citadels of mud brick
brick houses
use of burnt brick
absence of stone building
underground drainage system
Which cities had their own citadels
Harappa, Mohenjadaro, Kalibangan
Did IVC have stone buildings
no
the great bath is associated with
mohenjodaro, had a ritual bathing site
which was the largest building of mohenjodaro
granary
crops grown during harappan
wheat, barley, sesame, mustard, cotton, peas, oil seeds.
did goats and deer exist in IVC
yes
external trade of IVC was done with
mesopotamia/ sumerian, afghanistan, iran
items of export and items of import
import- gold, copper, tin,semi precious stones
export- agricultural
was tin used by IVC
yes
did IVC have ships
yes
metals used by IVC
copper, tin, bronze, gold, silver NO IRON
Did IVC use cosmetics
yes
Dancing girl is from
Mohenjodaro
what is the dancing girl made up of
bronze
How was the harappan script written
right to left majorly
but also the boustrophedon method- reverse direction in alternative lines
What was the language of harappans
dravidian or Brahmi
chief male diety of IVC
Pasupati [proto shiva]
animals pasupati is surrounded by
elephant, tiger, rhino, buffalo, deers
hence these animals were known to IVC
Other dieties of Harappans
mother goddess, linga worship, trees and animals
they also used amulets against ghosts
Burial methods
complete burials
post cremation burials
pot burials
used coffins made of burnt bricks
also used wooden coffins
pairs of skeletons also found
does the rigveda talk of invasion of forts
yes
reasons for prehistoric ppl to draw
to make their caves more colourful
keep a visual record of their day to day life
evidence of prehistoric paintings came majorly from
upper paleolithic period
what was drawn in prehistoric paintings
stick drawings of human activities, geometric design, animal symbols
Hunting, dancing, animal fighting, household scenes
which period have prehistoric paintings in india been reported
upper paleolithic period
when was discovery of rock paintings done in india and by whom
1867 by Archibold Carlleyle
early archaeologists who discovered rock paintings
Cockburn, Anderson, Mitra and Ghosh
Famous place in uttarakhand where rock paintings also explain
rock shelters on banks of the riv Suyal at Lakhudiyar
Lakhudiyar means literally one lakh caves
3 kinds found here- man, animal, geometric patterns in white, black and red ochre in stick like forms
drew lizard and fox
famous prehistoric sites in india
Bhimbetka in MP
Kupgallu
Piklihal
Tekkalkota
vindhyan ranges of MP
Kaimurean extensions of UP
animals often found in prehistoric
bulls
elephants
sambhars
gazelles
sheep
goats
horses
humans
tridents
rarely vegetable motifs
Who discovered bhimbetka
1957, VS Wakankar
classification of bhimbetka rock art on the basis of
- Style
- Technique
- Superimposition
the rock paintings can be classified into how many historical periods
7
green and red paintings are of what
green- dancers
red- hunters
describe the paintings of mesolithic period
smaller in size
hunting scenes predominate showing sticks, bows and arrows traps to catch animals
hunters wearing clothes and ornaments like head dresses and masks
in some pics, animals are chasing hunters, in others vice versa
some show fear of animals while others show love for animals
depicted family life
women and children also depicted
wmn shown grinding and preparing food
hand prints, fist prints and dots also made
what colours were used by artists of bhimbetka
red from haematite
green from chalcedony
white from limestone
how were paints made
by grinding various rocks and minerals
then mixed with water and animal fat or gum
brushes were made from plant fibre
why have colours remained intact
bc of chemical rxn of the oxide present on the surface of the rocks
where all were rock paintings found
walls, ceilings, where ppl lived
some even not in living spaces probably bc of religious reasons
some at uncomfortable positions for ppl to notice
is rock painting common today
yes, but amongst primitive ppl
why was there a superimposition of paintings
maybe bc artist did not like the creations and made his own
or bc some places were just considered sacred
how are prehistoric paintings useful today
help us understand early humans
their lifestyle, food, habits
mainly their mind and what they thought
statues in IVC are made up of
stone, bronze, teracotta
are statues abundantly found in IVC
Not abundant but are refined
what was bronze casting used for
making statues
what is bronze casting
wax figures are first covered with a coating of clay and allowed to dry
then the wax was heated and the molten wax was allowed to drain out thru a tiny hole made in the clay cover
the hollow mould thus created is filled with molten metal which takes the shape of the object [statue]
once the metal cooled, the clay cover is completely removed
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D2LTsD8IE_s
what is bronze casting also known as
lost wax method
was bronze casting common during IVC
Yes
difference between stone and bronze statues as compared with teracotta
teracotta ones are very crude
the realistic ones are from gujarat and kalibangan
what were seals made of in ivc
steatite mostly but also of ivory
animals on seals of IVC
unicorn bull, rhino, tiger, elephant, bison, goat, buffalo etc
purpose of making seals
mainly for commercial use
they were also used as amulets
similar to modern day identity card
use of copper tablets in IVC
Amulets
how were pottery made of in ivc
chiefly of very fine wheel made wares, very few being hand made
which pottery were rare
polychrome [multicoloured] and incised ware was rare
painted pottery was rare
straight and angular shapes are excpetion, while graceful curves were the rule
what were beads made up of
IVC had a well established bead industry
beads were made of carnelian, amethyst, jasper, crystal, quartz, steatite, turquoise, lapis lazuli etc
did both men and wmn wear ornaments in IVC
YES
But women additionally wore girdles, earrings and anklets
where have bead industries been discovered IVC
Lothal
Chanhudaro
what was spun very commonly and what did ppl wear
cotton, wool
2 pieces for both men and women like a dhoti and a shawl
were IVC ppl fashionable
yes, used cosmetics like face paint, eyeliners and lipstick
was stone used for construction during IVC
Yes
what is pre historic period
period in which no written record is found bc writing was not invented
what is proto history
writing was invented, but modern world unable to decipher what is written
eg is harappan script
oldest rock painting in the world is
Altamira in spain
where is bhimbetka located in
Vindhyan ranges of MP
was copper casting done during harappan age
yes
what is teracotta
paki huyi mitti
what was mother goddess made up of
teracotta
what was perforted pottery
large hole at the bottom and small holes all over the walls used for straining liquor
