Friday, July 10, 2015

History - Ancient

History is too vast, but to start with, we'll get to Ancient History.
Ancient history is the study of the period from "Prehistory" to about 550 AD ( around the time when Guptas were powerful and later declining).
There were several dynasties and kingdoms coming into the picture and fading away, reigning different regions and sometimes overlapping in time.
Roughly, the ancient history can be divided into two parts based on the source of the knowledge because of which we know of their existence.
Prehistory : This is all the history which we come to know about through tools, geological evidences, cave painting and anything else, that does not include a written proof (whether deciphered or not) of its existence. Further, Prehistory id divided into several ages for teh sake of differentiating between the patterns and features of the people and their lifestyle.
History : It encompasses all the history that has occurred after we discovered writing.
With the view of the world, the Sumerians were the first ever settlers of a town like civilization, the Mesopotamian Civilization.  Although we'll stick to the Indian context for now and deal with other civilizations later.
A rough chronology would be helpful here :
Period Age Civilization Location Features Year Discovered by
4.6 BYA Beginning of earth
10000 BC Paleolithic MP - Soan River, Bhimbetka(cave painting- woman with child tied to her waist throwing arrow), Mageshwa
Rajasthan - Luni valley
Karnataka - Pagalghat
AP - Karnool, Renigunta
TN - Vadamadurai, Athirambakkam, Pallavaram, Kanchipuram, Vellur, Thiruvallur
10000 - 4000 BC Neolithic Tirunelveli, Thandikkudi, Pudukottai,
Tiruchirapalli and Salem
Wheel, domestication - hen, goat, cow
polished, sharp, carved stone weapons
Making of pots
use of copper
6000 BC Agriculture
3000 - 1500 BC Chalcolithic (copper + stone)
2600 - 1900 BC Harappan(Buried City) culture (IVC) Teracotta Seal, Potter's wheel, Pictorial writing 1856
2700 BC emergence of cities Mohenjo-daro(mound of dead) - pak Great Bath, Drainage sytem,Store house, cloth attached to siver and copper vase, Lime stone Sculpture(dancing girl + man with beard, embroidered cloth), Worship(Lord Shiva -pasupathi, Mother Godess, Lingam, trident, trees)
Chanhu-daro Citadel
Harappa - pak Store houses
Sutkagendor - pak
Amri - pak
Balakot - pak
Kot Diji - Pak
Ganweriwala- pak
Kalibangan - rajasthan fire altar, Store house, copper 1921
Lothal - Gujrat(Beside tributary od Sabarmati, close to Gulf of Khambat) fire altar, storehouse, dockyard, Semi precious stones, workshop(stone, shell, metal)
Dholvir - Gujrat (Khadir Beyt in Rann of Kutchh) store houses, three parts of city, large open area,harappan script inlaid in wood
Nagesshwar - Gujrat
Rangpur - Gujrat
Rojdi - Gujrat
Sarkotada - Gujrat
Kuntasi - Gujrat
Padri - Gujrat
Bhagwanpura - Haryana
Banawali - Haryana
Mitathal
Rakhigarhi
Daimabad - Maharashtra
Alamgirpur - UP
Mauda/ Manda - Jammu .
1600 - 700 BC Inamgaon(river Ghod, tributary of Bhima) special burial sites with portholes
1500 - 600 BC Iron(Vedic Age to Mahajanpadas) Ashokan Pillars Household and agricultural implements of iron
Marmot - gold dust - Gilgit-Baltistan

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