Themes of Indian History Part 1 Flashcards
Grains found at Harappan sites include
wheat, barley, lentil, chickpea and sesame.
Millets are found from sites in
Gujarat
terracotta models of the plough have been found at sites in
Cholistan and at Banawali (Haryana).
Archaeologists have also found evidence of a
ploughed field at
Kalibangan (Rajasthan),
associated with Early Harappan levels
Traces of canals have been found at
the Harappan site of
Shortughai in Afghanistan but not in Punjab or Sind.
water reservoirs found in may
have been used to store water for agriculture
Dholavira (Gujarat)
grinding equipment as well as vessels
for mixing, blending and cooking. These were made of
stone, metal and terracotta
, Further Excavations at Mohenjodaro, 1937 author
ERNEST MACKAY
the first site urban center to be discovered
was
Harappa.
the first Director-General of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), often called the father of Indian archaeology
Alexander Cunningham,
At sites such as the entire settlement was fortified, and
sections within the town were also separated by walls
Dholavira and Lothal (Gujarat),
The Citadel within was not walled off, but was built at a height.
Lothal
Drainage system in Harappa was described by
ERNEST MACKAY
little pots of this material were probably considered
precious because they were difficult to make
faience (a material made of ground sand or silica mixed with colour and a gum and then fired
Hoards are
objects kept carefully by people, often inside
containers such as pots. eg gold
almost exclusively devoted to craft production, including bead-making, shell-cutting, metal-working, seal-making and weight-making
Chanhudaro
Specialised drills have been found at
Chanhudaro, Lothal and more recently at Dholavira.
These were specialised centres for making shell objects – including bangles, ladles and inlay –
Nageshwar and Balakot
established settlements such as Nageshwar and
Balakot in areas where
shell was available
Lothal which was near sources of
carnelian (from Bharuch in Gujarat),
There is evidence in the Khetri area for what archaeologists call the
Ganeshwar -Jodhpura culture, with its distinctive non-Harappan pottery and an unusual wealth of copper objects.
copper for Harappa came from
Oman and Rajasthan
Name given to Oman in Mesopotamia texts
Magan
Mesopotamian texts mention contact with regions named
Dilmun (probably the island of Bahrain), Magan and
Meluhha, possibly the Harappan region
Mesopotamian texts refer to this region as a land of seafarers
Meluhha
weights made up of
chert with no marking
weights in Harappa
lower weights binary and higher weights decimal
way of life in what are called “Late
Harappan” or “successor cultures
Rural way of life
Mohenjodaro and the Indus Civilisation, 1931. author
JOHN MARSHALL,
Harappa 1946”, Ancient India, 1947. author
R.E.M. WHEELER, “
“The Mythical Massacre at Mohenjodaro”, Expediton, 1964 author
G.F. DALES,
Deadman Lane theory by
JOHN MARSHALL
then Director-General of the ASI, tried to correlate this archaeological evidence with that of the Rigveda, the earliest known text in the subcontinent
R.E.M. Wheeler,
then Director-General of the ASI, tried to correlate this archaeological evidence with that of the Rigveda, the earliest known text in the subcontinent
R.E.M. Wheeler,
He used the accounts left by Chinese Buddhist pilgrims who had visited the subcontinentbetween the fourth and seventh centuries CE to locate
early settlements of Harappan civilization
Cunningham
seals were discovered at Harappa by
archaeologists such as
Daya Ram Sahni
found similar seals at Mohenjodaro
Rakhal Das Banerji
in 1924, announced the discovery of a new civilisation in the Indus valley to the world
John Marshall, Dir ector -General of the ASI,
in 1924, announced the discovery of a new civilisation in the Indus valley to the world
John Marshall, Dir ector -General of the ASI,
He was the first professional archaeologist to work in India, and brought his experience of working in Greece and Crete to the field
John Marshall,
recognised that it was necessary to follow the stratigraphy of the mound rather than dig mechanically along uniform horizontallines.
R.E.M. Wheeler,
My Archaeological Mission to India and Pakistan, 1976 author
R.E.M. Wheeler,
Shamans are
men and women who claim magical and healing powers, as well as an ability to communicate with the other world
New modes of disposal of the dead, including the making of elaborate stone structures known as
megaliths, emerged in central and south India from the first millennium BC
an officer in the mint of the East
India Company, deciphered Brahmi and Kharosthi
James Prinsep,
some mahajanpadas were ruled by
Gana or sanghas= Oligarchies
the case of the the rajas probably controlled resources such as land collectively
Vajji sangha,
Brahmanas began composing Sanskrit texts known as the
Dharmasutras
Initially was the capital of Magadha
Rajagaha (the Prakrit name for presentday
Rajgir in Bihar) Later, in the fourth century BCE, the
capital was shifted to Pataliputra, present-day
Patna, commanding routes of communication along
the Ganga
(a Greek ambassador to the court of Chandragupta Maurya
Megasthenes
(a Greek ambassador to the court of Chandragupta Maurya
Megasthenes
There were five major political centres in the
empire –
the capital Pataliputra and the provincial
centres of Taxila, Ujjayini, Tosali and Suvarnagiri,
all mentioned in Asokan inscriptions.
was possibly important for tapping the gold mines
of Karnataka
Suvarnagiri (literally, the golden mountain)
These centres were carefully chosen, being situated
on important long-distance trade routes
both Taxila and Ujjayini
excerpt of what kings official did
Megasthenes
mentions a committee with six
subcommittees for coordinating military activity
Megasthenes
The new kingdoms that emerged in the Deccan and
further south, including
the chiefdoms of the Cholas,
Cheras and Pandyas in Tamilakam (the name of the
ancient Tamil country, which included parts of
present-day Andhra Pradesh and Kerala, in addition
to Tamil Nadu)
Satavahanas who ruled over parts of
western and central India
story of The Pandya chief Senguttuvan visits the forest mentioned in
Silappadikaram, an epic written in Tamil