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Ancient History

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Published in: History
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Short summary of Ancient History important for Competitive Exams and class exams

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  1. ANCIENT HISTORY 1. India has a continuous history covering a very long period. Evidence of neolithic habitation dating as far back as 7000 BC has been found in Mehrgarh in Baluchistan. 2. The first notable civilization flourished in India around 2700 BC in the north western part of the Indian subcontinent, covering a large area. The civilization is referred to as the Harappan civilization. Most of the sites of this civilization developed on the banks of Indus, Ghaggar and its tributaries. HARRAPAN CIVILISATION: a) LIVES Agriculture was the main occupation of the Harappans who were living in rural areas. 1. Those living in the cities carried on internal and external trade and developed contacts with 2. other civilizations such as Mesopotamia. They were excellent potters. Various types of utensils, toys, seals, figurines have been 3. excavated from different sites. Harappans also had the technical knowledge of metals and the process of alloying. The bronze sculpture of a in Moheniodaro testifies the sculptural skills 4. and aesthetic sense of the Harappans.A terracotta figure of a male in a yogic posture has also been excavated. Beautiful personal ornaments, soft stone seals with a pictoral script and images of humped bulls, Pashupati unicorn have also been excavated. Shell, ivory, bone and faience were used as material for different crafts and objects. 5. Lothal was a dockyard situated in Dholaka Taluk of Ahmedabad in Gujarat. It was also a well 6. planned wall city. It was an important centre of sea trade with the western world. Another important town in Gujarat was Dhaulavira while Kalibangam was in Rajasthan. Numerous seals carrying the images of the one-horned rhinocerous known as unicorn, peepal 7. leaves and a male god throw light on the religious beliefs of the Harappans. The figures of men and women on various seals found in the excavations reveal that the people 8. knew the art of spinning and weaving. They were perhaps the first people to cultivate cotton. A large number of Indus seals found in Mesopotamia which indicated of a possible trade between the Indus valley and Mesopotamian civilization. b) ARCHITECTURES: 1. The earliest and most remarkable evidence of Indian architecture is found in the cities of the Harappan Civilization which boast of a unique town planning. 2. The excavations at Harappa and Mohenjodaro and several other sites of the Indus Valley
  2. Civilisation revealed the existence of a very modern urban civilisation with expert town planning And engineering skills. 3. The Harappan people had constructed mainly three types of buildings-dwelling houses pillared halls and public baths. Main features of Harappan remains are The settlements could be traced as far back as third millennium BC. 1. 2. Some important settlements were excavated on the banks of the river Indus particularly at the bends that provided water, easy means of transportation of produce and other_goods and also some protection by way of natural barriers of the river. All the sites consisted of walled cities which provided security to the people. 3. 4. The cities had a rectangular grid pattern of layout with roads that cut each other at right angles. The Indus Valley people used standardised burnt mud-bricks as building material. 5. 6. . There is evidence of building of big dimensions which perhaps were public buildings, administrative or business centres, pillared halls and courtyards, There is no evidence of temples. Public buildings include granaries which were used to store grains which give an idea of an 7. organised collection and distribution system. 8. Along with large public buildings, there is evidence of small one roomed constructions that appear to be working peoples quarters. 9. The Harappan people were great engineers as is evident from the public bath that was discovered at Mohenjodaro. The 'Great Bath' as it is called, is still functional and there is no leakage or cracks in the construction. The existence of what appears to be a public bathing place shows the importance of ritualistic bathing and cleanliness in this culture. It is significant that most of the houses had private wells and bathrooms. 10. At some sites a dominant citadal was excavated in the western part containing the public buildings including the granaries. This can perhaps be treated as evidence of some kind of political authority ruling over the cities. 11. There is evidence also of fortifications with gateways enclosing the walled cities which shows that there may have been a fear of being attacked. 12. Lothal, a site in Gujarat also has the remains of a dockyard proving that trade flourished in those times by sea. 13. Another remarkable feature was the existence of a well planned drainage system in the residential parts of the city. Small drains from the houses were connected to larger ones along the sides of the main roads. The drains were covered and loose covers were provided for the purpose of cleaning them. The planning of the residential houses were also meticulous. Evidence of stairs shows houses were often double storied. Doors were in the side lanes to prevent dust from entering the houses. 14. The most important features of Harrapan architecture are their superior town planningskills and cities that have been built on a clear geometric pattern or grid layout. Roads cut each other at right angles and were very well laid out.

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