Early Civilizations PDF

3 Chapter EARLY CIVILIZATIONS "India is the cradle of the human race, the birthplace of human speech, the mother of history, the grandmother of legend and the great grandmother of tradition. Our most valuable and most artistic materials in the history of man are treasured up in...

3 Chapter EARLY CIVILIZATIONS "India is the cradle of the human race, the birthplace of human speech, the mother of history, the grandmother of legend and the great grandmother of tradition. Our most valuable and most artistic materials in the history of man are treasured up in India only!" - Mark Twain LEARNING OUTCOMES To sketch the early geography of Bharat Toexamine the start of the earliest civilization of Bharat and discuss its features To identify the major cities that thrived during those times To assess and infer historical information from ancient Indian literature INTRODUCTION Human beings evolved at a different pace across the globe during the Paleolithic, Neolithic, Mesolithic ages, etc. From being hunter gatherers, they started living in groups as organised societies. Every step they took was towards the path of progress. They transformed from the crude to the refined, uncivilized to the civilized. Learning from their past experiences, human beings settled down on the river barnks and there began the earliest civilizations. When and how did these developments happen in Bharat? When did societies formin Bharat? How did the civilizations flourish? What are the markers of a civilization? Let us find answers in this chapter. CLASSROOM ACTIVITY Can you write down the names of 5 ancient civilizations of the world? Which countries did they belong to? 3 4 5 EARLY CIVILIZATIONS " 37  UNDERSTANDINGBHARAT'S GEOGRAPHY 2 shou. shows the spread of 0ur country during ancient daysand Map Look at the twomaps below.Map 1 country in the ancient past was spread over a wider geogranh that our Current dav Bharat Can vou see Nepal, Bangladesh and Pakistan were parts of Bharas Iran, Afghanistan, area than it is todav ' Countries like called Hindu-Kush ht(Himalayan) mountains. TheSindh mountain ranges In the north there stood themighty of Bengal) in the east and Hindu Maha Sagar (indian Ganga Sagar (Bay Sagar (Arabian Sea) in the west, making it a peninsula. Thus the land stretching all the way from Oean) in the south encapsulate Bharat Indonesian Islands in the south-east with Himalayas in the north apd cuIrent day lranin the north-west till Bharatavarsha. Hindu Maha Sagar in the south was known as GANGA SAGAR SINDHU SAGAR BAY OF BENGAL ARABIAN SEA INDIAN 0CEAN HINDU MAHA SAGAR this An ancient text called Vishnupurana explains geography. (DID YOU? Many located places in now Bharat, Vishnu Purana KNOW? Pakistan, Afghanistan, Bangladesh were kn uttaram yatsamudrasya himãdre[caiva daksinam own by different names in the past. Here santatih are a feww examples varsam tadbhratarm nma bhârat+ yatra ocean and Kandahar (Afghanistan) -Gandhara "The country (var_am) that lies north of the Multan (Pakistan) -Moolasthana Bhratam; south of the snowy mountains is called Taxila (Pakistan) -Takshashila there dwell the descendants* of Bharata." Harappa (Pakistan) -Hariyupiya Peshawar (Pakistan) - Purushapura Was Bharatavarsha was ONE country? Yes. Even though - Lavapuri Lahore (Pakistan) itwas not ruled by one emperor or an alliance of rulers, - Pataliputra Patna (Bharat) the people across its geography shared a common - Indraprastha civilization. What does that mean? Delhi (Bharat) - Varahamoola Baramullah (Bharat) water, but connected to the main land on Peninsula : An area of land almost completely surrounded by one side. Descendants : People belonging toa particular ancestry 38 CHAPTER -3  UNDERSTANDING CIVILIZATION WHAT IS ACIVILIZATION? Alarge group of people who liveby acommon ethicalcode and shared memory of the past belong to one civilization. They could be of different social and economic levels, engaged in different occupations, expressing themselves differently through their food, clothing, language, etc. let us examine two scenarios: Senario (a): In the 18h and 19th centuries, the British forcibly relocated over half a million Indians to the Caribbean Islands as contract laborers for sugarcane plantations. Senario (0): During the early 19th century, a group of traders from southern India voluntarily migrated to Burma and Malaysia, seeking employment and business opportunities. In scenario (a), Indians were compelled to settle in other parts of the world. In scenario (b), Indians chose to migrate willingly. Whether driven by force or choice, the Indian diaspora has become an integral part of these foreign lands across generations. Despite facing challenges, they have made positive contributions to these new territories while preserving their cultural heritage, lifestyle, and faith. Importantly,they have maintained their belief systems without imposing them on others, which is acivilizational trait of Bharat that has not changed over time. WHY EARLY CIVILIZATIONS SETTLED ALONG RIVER BANKS? Fio RA Rivers provided water for drinking and agriculture. River beds had rich alluvial soilthat increased agricultural output. FAUNA Rivers served as a faster node of transportation. Flora and Fauna flourished along waterways. River sand was used for construction of homes. Minerals could be extracted from river beds. X One of the earliest river civilizations of the world prospered in the land of Saptasindhava* and is called the Saraswati - Sindhu civilization. SARASWATI - SINDHU CIVILIZATION THE VEDIC SARASWATI The Rig Veda mentions Saraswati as one of the rivers flowing in the Saptasindhava region. Out of the 7 Researchers with the help of DID YOU rivers, the Rig Veda hails only river Saraswati as a satellite images have found Goddess. It praises the river as a Mighty river with that river Saraswathi at some KNOW? an 'unbroken flow from the mountains to the sea' Places was as wide as 20 km. Imagine how huge A Rig Vedic hymns praise the river as 'Ambitame and mighty it would have been ! Naditame Devitame Sarasvati' meaning ´the best of mothers, the best of rivers, the best of goddesses'. Originating at the Himalayas, the river flowed for about 1300 km through the states of Himachal Prades. Haryana, Punjab,Rajasthan and Gujarat. It merged with the Sindhu Sagar (Arabian ocean) at the Rann of Kutch at Gujarat. Saptasindhava : Region of the seven rivers EARLY CIVILIZATIONS "39  Due to various geological reasons, the river Map 3 completely disappeared during 2000 BCE. dried up and Look at nmap 3showing the rivers of the frndus region. Saraswati is shown in dotted lines because the Rive not seen today. Modern satellite images have water channels belowthe earth's surface along reveale va(tF Shutudri i hangg H aa r ka) of iver Saraswati. the roue CLASSROOM DISCUSSION Gang Yamun More than 2000 sites along the banks of river Saraswati have been excavated. Whatthedoes indicate? formet thie EARLY SETTLEMENTS ALONG RIVER SARASWATI Over the last 150 years, scientists and Important Sites researchers have been curious about the river Saraswati, with respect tn of the Saraswati-Sindhu its mention in ancient texts like Rig Civilization Veda, Ramavana and Mahabharata. Their study led to excavations at various places. Many ancient cities which flourished along the banks of the river were unearthed. Some INDIA of them are Kalibangan in Rajasthan, Harappa Sahiwa HARYANA Dholavira in Gujarat, Rakhigarhi in Haryana, Mohenjo-daro PÀKISTAN Rakhigarhi Harappa in present day Pakistarn and many more. and Kalbangan Hisar Hánumangarh The most ancient port town in the Mohenjo-daro world named Sindh Lothal in Gujarat was also discovered The artefacts RAJASTHAN seals and other findings that were excavated by the Dholavira archaeologists brought to light that the Saraswati Bhuj Sindhu civilization is the most ancient civilization o the world dating back to about 7000 BCE or 9000 eats Arabian Sea GUJARATLothal Ahmedabad before present. Let us learn about some of the key aspects of this grand civilization. TOWN PLANNING The earliest excavations made in Harappa and Mohenjo-daro revealed that the town planníng was quite advanced back then. In fact, we can easily claim that these were comparable to modern day gated eommunities. ROAD NETWORK The towns had roads of different standard sizes. The main roâds were around 10 meters wide while the streets were around 4 meters wide. All the roads were straight and met each other at anient Bharat of perfect right angles. The entire town was divided Planned gated communitv 40 CHAPTER -3 buus into blocks of houses. For over 600 years, there were po eneroachments* The entire city was built according to DID YOU? ardinal directions" Streetswere laid exactly in the North South and East-West. There were streets of four sizes and KNOW? they were in the exact ratio ot 1:2:3:4 Experts suggest that the city of Rakhigarhi WATER ANDSEWAGE MANAGEMENT had a population of more than 40,000 there were wellplanned water supply and drainage people about 5000 years ago! stents. Every hoUse wasconnected tostreet sewage drains that emptiedthemselvesinto larger drains ones and finally into the seà. Almost allhouses, big or smail, had bathrooms. This was unheard of in any other civilization of those times. At a place called Dholavifa, in the Rann ot Kutch (Gujarat), which is a desert, water was diyerted from nearby seasonal streams and stored in a series ot huge reservoirs. The largest reservoir measured 73 meters in lengthand almost 30 meters in width. Most reservoirs were interconnected through a series of underground drains collecting every precious drop of rainwater from various parts of the city. With 17.000 cubic meters of water stored in the reservoirs, the city could survive throughout the year with just a brief season of monsoon. Our modern cities do not come anywhere close to this level of planning and foresight! HOMES AND BUILDINGS Houses were of different sizes ranging from two-storied mansions to two-room houses, The houses ot agriculturists and traders houses were so large that the entrance would admit a bullock cart and provide space for parking it inside. Huge buildings were also constructed. The weight measures and the seals* used were perfectly standardized allover the spread of this civilization. Even the bricks used in construction were ofstandard sizes. A huge tank, called as The Great Bath (like a swimming pool) was also built, which was probably used during special religious functions for taking a holy dip. A broad road in the city of Harappa Drainage System The Great Bath AGRICULTURE Agriculture flourished as early as 8000 BCE during the Saraswati -Sindhu Civilization. An agricultural field excavation revealed the use of crisscross ploughing style.Even the plantation of crops was done accuratelv in the cardinal directions, so that growth of other crops was not atfected. A huge granary was excavated at Harappa that measured 169 feet x 135 feet. It shows that there was abundant harvest, food grain supplwand aplanned storage system: Crops like rice, wheat, millets, barley and variety of vegetables were cultivated: Even today many agricultural techniques from the ancient times are in practice. Encroachments : To trespass beyond proper,established limits Cardinal Directions: 4 directions in use. North -South - East - West Deals:An embossed emblem, figure or symbol used for authentication. EARLY CIVILIZATIONS "41 TRADE ANDTECHNOLOGY AMAIOLIA civilization had P'eople of Saraswati Sindhu areas ikANLAN ctensive tade network not just with nearby For civilizations. but also with the people of other "instanc0 rescarchers have interpreted the seals of ARARIAN Mesopotamian civitization (present day Iraq) called PENINSLA Meluha vinder seals, which show their locals 9UDAN tradiag with residents of the Saraswati civilization. By 3000 BCE, there was an extensive maritime trade network with Egvpt, Mesopotamia and other Middle Easten countries To maintain such an Trade network of Saraswati - Sindhucivilization with Mesapohan extensive trade network they must have possessed advanced skills in ship building, sailing ànd overland,transportation.Gold, Copper and Bronze, Ivory, beade ol gemstones, cotton, timber ete were exported. Researcher Michael Danino says Avoyage from Lothal to Mesopotamia to sell the prized Harappan beads, which the kings and queens were so fond of, meant at least 2,500 kilometres of seafaring; of course there would have been halts along the shore on the way, but still, 4,500 years ago this must have ranked among the best sailing abilities. TIN ROUTE According to researcher, author Dr S Kalyanaraman, at least 2000 at least 2000 years created the Silk route, a Tin route was established by the merchants of before the Chinese Bharatiya artisans understood that adding Tin to Copper made a very Saraswati - Sindhu region. The They used Bronze for making weapons and strong alloy* called Bronze: had to be imported from faraway places like artifacts. Since Tin was not available in this region it countries like Egypt and Israel. Thus Bharat Vietnam and Cambodia. They also exported Bronze to to Far-West till lsrael. They were experts in created the Tin route connecting Far-East from Vietnam making exclusive articles from Gold and Silver also. ART AND CRAFT During 3000 BCE (5000 years before present), the decorated terracotta toys. Some of the excavated artisans crafted highly sophisticated pots, jewels and artifacts are shown below. Terracotta Bullock Cart Types of artistic beads Intricately painted clay pot Gold and agate ornaments Alloy:A mixture of two or more metals or elements. 42" CHAPTER -3  OID YOU The Dancing Girl: KNOW? The dancing girl statue made out of Bronze was excavated at Mohenjo-daroin the year 1926. It was dated to around 2300 BCEie about 4300 years before presert. The statue is about 4inch tall and depicts a young woman with stylized ornaments, standing in a confident, relaxed pose This Bharativa girl is regarded a cultural artefact of the Saraswati - Sindhu Civilisation. Saraswati -Sindhucivilization that pioneered in the above facets of life also gave birth to the world's oldest , literature - the Rig Veda. THEEARLIEST LITERATURE EVOLUTION OFRIG VEDA IWhen early human being first wanted to communicate with each other, they scribbled on Over centuries, people developed languages to speak and sripts to write. Their exchange ofwalls of caves. ideas They feared and respected powers of nature - Sun (Surya), Air (Vayu), Rain (Indra) and began. of nature were worshipped. They composed hymns of praise, collectively called Rig Veda. other elements It contains 10 Mandalas of which 6", 3rd and 7th are the oldest? HISTORICAL INFERENCES FROM THE RIG VEDA Rig Veda throws a lot of light on the status of the society at that point in time. Some key below : aspects are listed às SOCIO-ECONOMIC Cattle rearing and agriculture were the prominent activities during the Rig Vedic period. Hymns were rendered requesting Gods to protect their fields, cattle, crops and waterways. Special prayers for warriors, priests, cattle rearers, farmers, hunters, barbers, artisans etc are mentioned. POLITICAL The concept of large kingdoms and kings did not emerge in the early Rig Vedie days. However there were groups or clans, with a protector leading them. Wars between tribes are mentioned. Purus and Bharatas were the two dominant tribes There was a cultural confluence* among various regions. There were gatherings called Sabha and Sanmiti to distribute resources and solve conflicts STATUS OF WOMEN Women participated in al the social gatherings and performed rituals along with their husbands They even took part in chariot racing. Women could choose their husbands and could remarry in case their husband died. Confluence: Coming together EARLY CIVILIZATIONS " 43 UNIVERSAL MESSAGE OF RIG VEDA Rig Veda proclaims the message of oneness of all living beings. Theimportance of religion and the fundanental highlihts of Rig Veda. goodw Rig Veda 10.191.004 samn+ va küti: samnã hradayâni va: | samänamastu vo mano yath va: susahsati | Translation: United be your purpose, harmonious be your feelings, collected be your same way as all the various aspects of the universe exist in togetherness, wholeness. mind.,in the CIVILIZATIONAL CONTINUITY During was not the later Rig Vedic period (around 2000 BCE) the Saraswati river started drying up. However tha the end of the civilization. The people of the east, Yamuna and Ganga river basins started Saraswati river basin migrated towards east and west gaining prominence. Those who migrated towards the wes settled down at places like Iran, Turkey and other the drying up of river Saraswati, its regions around Central Asia and Caspian coast. Desvite spread. cultural and religious practices continued wherever the civilization ATerracota figurine showing Namaste posture Linga figurine Seal depicting man in yogic posture Swastika seal For example, the Namaste posture which we practice today is more than 5000 yyears old. Similarly Yogahas been a continuous practice for many millennia. 44 CHAPTER -3  BATTLE OF TEN KINGS Rig Veda book 7 speaks in detail about Dasarajna battle or the Battle of Ten kings. Itwas fought along the banks of the river Purushni (now called Ravi), An aliance of 10 kings fought against the king of Bharata clan led by Sudasa. Sudasa defeated the 10 kings and drove them beyond the Saptasindhava region. These defeated kings migrated towards the west. One of the 10 tribes was Parsu, who were later called the Persians. Another was Prithu, who were the Parthians (Iranians). The battle of 10 kings thus becomes an important source of world history and also suggests migration of clans out of Bharat. CONCLUSION The great Saraswatiriver sustained aglorious civilization, giving birth to the world's most ancient literature, lifestyle, technology and trade practices. Although the river dried up, the civilization and culture continues to be in practice till today arnd this is unique to Bharat. Ancient civilizations like Egvptian and Roman are not in existence anymore, whereas almost all the practices of the Vedic times are still being practised across Bharat. WNe are fortunate to be a part of this great grand civilization, the ethical foundations of which were laid down millennia before. How this civilization flourished, further spreading to new geographic regions will be discussed in the subsequent chapters. ****k*********t KEYWORDS " Civilization " Gandhara " Dholavira Dancing girl Sindhu sagar " Harappa " Lothal " Bronze " Ganga sagar " Mohenjo-daro Great bath Rig Veda " Hindu Maha sagar Saraswati-Sindhu Kalibangan " Drainage system " Civilizational continuity Rakhigarhi " Tin route " Dasarajna battle QUESTIONS CHOOSE THE CORRECT OPTION 1. Saptasindhava is also known as a Land of seven rivers b) Land of four seas c) Land of two seas d) Land between five rivers 2. The darncing girl statue from the Saraswati civilization is made out of a) Gold b) Silver e) Bronze d) Brass 3. The name of Indian ocean in the past was a) Hindu Maha Sagar b) Sindhu Sagar c) Ganga Sagar d) Dravida Nadi. What was the original name of Taxila? a) Takshashila b) Indraprastha c) Purushapura d) Gandhara 5 is the world's most ancient port city (India) a) Lothal b) Kalibangan c) Harappa d) Dholavira 6 How old is the Saraswati Sindhucivilisation? a) 100years b) 1000 years c) 4000 years d) 9000vears EARLY CIVILIZATIONS " 45