SSC Special

Indian History: Early Period

• By different given point and time, the History of India has been divided into three parts –
•  1]Ancient 
•  2]Medieval,
•  3] Modern period.
• The Ancient period starts from the earliest time to mid 8thcentury AD. While the changes were started during Gupta period.
•  The Medieval period starts from the 7th-8th century AD. Many historians considered it from the raids of Mahmud of Ghazni over India. At last,
• Modern period started from the period of Plassey, 1757. Because the emergence of regional rulers and breakup of the Mughal Empire was the indication of proceeding towards modern period.
• *****The Ancient period (early to mid 8th century AD.)*****
• 1. Prehistoric period. ~ In this age, Human beings didn't know about writing or reading due to which there is no any written description of that age, referred as Prehistoric period.
• Prehistoric period is also known as early-man age or stone age. It is divided into three parts--- 
•  1)Palaeolithic age or old stone age (3 lakhs to 8,000 BC.) 
• 2) Mesolithic age or late stone age (8,000 to 4,000BC)
•  3) Neolithic age or new stone age (4,000 to 1800 BC) 
• 1) Palaeolithic age
•  The occurrence of Human-beings found on the earth from 10 lakh years before.
• But Homo-sapiens (mentally fit human) were found generally from 30 to 40 thousand years before.
•  Hunting was the main base of theirs livelihood, completely dependent on nature for food in Palaeolithic age.
• They used the skins of animals, barks of trees and large leaves as clothes.
• They were living in a organised way in groups consisting of a few men, women and children.
• The Fire was discovered in this age.
•  This period is also known as a food - gatherer age.
• In this age, people had made stone weapon in which "stone-axe" was the first weapon among all made by them.
• maximum instruments of this age were found in Gujarat, Malwa, Rajasthan, West Bengal, Andhra pradesh and Orissa.
• People used utensils made of quartzite.
• 2) Mesolithic age •
•  In this age, people started cattle rearing and plant cultivation.
• They made more pointed or crescentic weapons than before to hunt fast moving animals. 
•  People were used the utensils made up of microliths. 
• Various Mesolithic sites are found in the Chotanagpur plateau in central India and also south of the river Krishna. 
• The first site where Rice was found, "kolhadiwa (Uttar Pradesh)". 
• The art of drawing were learnt by them in Palaeolithic and Mesolithic age.
• 3) Neolithic age. 
•  Neolithic communities are found mostly in the north-western region e.g. the Sulaiman and kirtar hills, in the Vindhayas in Deccan and the Garo hills in the north-east. 
• Baluchistan was the oldest settlements of Neolithic communities. 
•  In this age, Human began to domesticate animals like the dog, goat and sheep firstly. 
• Due to maximum yielding of crops, people were now settled in a community. This led to growth of villages. 
• Due to cultivation, they were now using a heavy digging-stick used for digging the ground; a sickle used for harvesting crops; an axe used for cutting and felling trees; different types of potteries to store surplus grain mainly ochre-coloured pottery. 
•  The "wheel" was the most important discovery to take away & near anything. I mean to say "Transportation". 
• After this period, the use of metals began. •
• Neolithic sites : Kashmir, Sindh, Bihar, Bengal, UP and Andhra Pradesh.
• CHALCOLITHIC PERIOD (mixture of stones and copper) from 1800 BC to 800AD.
•  This is the period between of Neolithic and bronze age.   
•  At first, human used copper among all metals.     
•  In this age, Earth was worshipped as a goddess     
•  Zorway’s culture was the best culture in this age. 
• The people of Zorway were used ornaments of gold, catche fishes          and use "barter system" in their trade.
• They used utensils with tube 
•  Due to excess Drought, Chalcolithic culture was entirely diminished.