History-Chap-1 Reconstructing History Key points

Reconstructing History

What is History?

Ø A record of past events.

Ø Accounts of those events that happened in a chronological order.

Ø Originated from GREEK  word 'HISTORIA' which means learning or knowing by inquiry.

Ø Historian- A person who studies past in a systematic manner.

Why do we study History?

Ø Aware about knowledge and understanding of past for better future.

Ø Human life changed / evolution.

Ø Understanding of various changes political,  social, cultural, economic, religious.

Ø Roots of our culture.

Ø Develop important qualities and skills.

Ø   Learn from mistakes happened in past.

Ø Study the life of ordinary and royal people.

Ø To understand the historical facts and events. 
Periodization of History

Prehistory

•Before writing was invented.

•No written records available.

•Ex- Stone Agens

•Information from  tools, bones, jewellery, coins etc

Protohistory

•just before the begining the recorded history

•Ex- Indus Valley

•People know to write but unable to understand by historians.

History

•Period after writing was invented.

• Ex-Vedic Age.

•Easily understood by historians.

•Rocks,stone walls,pillars, copper plates, clay, tablets

•Ancient-          3600 BC to 500 A.D.

•Medieval-        500 AD  to  1500 AD

•Modern          1500 AD to Present 

Calculation of Time

Ø  Time- B.C & A.D.

Ø DIONYSIUS EXIGUUS invented BC and AD.

Ø Commissioned by Pope to find the correct date for EASTER.

Ø Christ birth determined to be year 1 AD.

Ø BC -Year before birth of Jesus Christ.

Ø AD - After birth of Jesus. (Anno Domini- in the year of Lord)

Ø BCE instead of BC.CE instead of  AD.

Ø Because of writing history in secular and   

Ø  impartial way.

Ø BCE- Before common Era  CE-Common Era.

Ø    Circa- When an exact date is not known then this latin word is used which means approximately.

Ø    Historians arrange events in chronological order.

Ø    They use TIMELINE to show the sequence in which events happen. 

HOW INDIA GETS ITS NAME ?

Ø INDIA and  BHARAT two terms used for our country.

Ø India derived from river INDUS or Sindhu

(Sanskrit name of river).

Ø About 2500 years , Iranians and Greek

came to India from  NorthWest side. They were familiar with river  Indus.

Ø Northwest part- HINDOS, area east to river Indus- INDIA.

Ø Bharat was used to refer people who lived in Northwest part of India.

Ø Reference found in RIGVEDA, (a composition in Sanskrit) around 3500 years . Thats why this name was used for our country.

Influence of Geography on History of India

Ø Geaography of any country plays an important role to shape the history.

Ø Southern Peninsula covered by seas.

Ø Northern part- Himalayas seperates North India from rest of Asia.

Ø Bolan, Gomal, Khyber pass in Northwest allowed various races from Central Asia and West Asia to invade India.

Ø Passes along Northern mountains link with Central Asia and Tibet helps to spread Buddhism in these regions.

Ø Himalayas and other mountain ranges have two great perennial river system- Indus and Ganga.

Ø These gave rise to fertile Northern plains where ancient civilizations arose.

Ø Ancient river ports- Kannauj, Benaras, Prayag, Patliputra became trade centres.

Ø They had fertile plains helped in growth of large kingdoms.

Ø South of Gangetic plains- Vindhya Ranges.

Ø Cut the Indian subcontinent across the middle, also acts as a barrier between North and South of India.

Ø North- Vedic culture

Ø South- Dravidian culture

Sources of History

Inscriptions

Ø Writing inscriped on hard surfaces like metal, stone or pottery.

Ø Study of inscriptions throw lights on language of rulers, the years they ruled, religious, social condition of the people.

Ø Ex- Allahabad Pillar Inscription of Harisena gives described conquests of Samudragupta.

Ø Corpus Inscriptionum Indicarum- a series of collections of inscriptions.

Artefacts

Ø Objects made by man, one of cultural and historical interests.

Ø Substencial connection to past culture.

Ø Reveals connections between the life of past and now.

Ø Buttons, pots, jewellery, tools.

Monuments

Ø  Palaces, Forts, Temples, Victory Pillars, Tombs.

Ø Harappa, Mohenjodaro, Nalanda

Ø Gather information on social religious beliefs, economic prosperity, artistic skill, town planning.

Fossils

Ø  Remains or impressions of prehistoric plants or animals embedden in rocks & preserved in a solidified form.

Ø  Study of fossil gives us details about plants, animals and human ancestors.

Coins

Ø Important  source material for reconstruction of Ancient Indian history.

Ø Gives information which perhaps no other source does.

Ø Metals used in coins indicates advancement made in metallurgy.

Ø Throws light on economic historyof era.

Ø Territorial extent of ruler and chronology of ruling dynasty.

Ø Images on coins helps in interpreting religious and cultural state of various era.

Ø Ex- Chandragupta II bears the figure of goddess Laxmi whereas Gold coins of his successor Kumargupta I show him as a devotee of God Katikeya.

Literary sources

Ø Literary sources can be in two forms: Manuscript and Textual literature.

Ø Manuscript is a document that can be written by hand.

Ø It gives information about lives of kings, religious beliefs and practices, medicine and science etc.

Ø Manuscripts were written on metal, bark, palm leaf, cloth etc.

Ø Literary sources are classified into religious literature and secular literature.

 Religious Literature

Ø Information about political, cultural and religious life of people.

Ø Information about Vedic and Later Vedic period.

Ø Four Vedas- Rigveda, Yajurveda, Samaveda, Atharvaveda.

Ø Other ancient texts comprises Brahamanas, Aranyakas, Upanishads, the Epics- Ramayana, Mahabharat, Purana.

Ø Jain texts composed in 6th century gives information on political history of present day U.P & Bihar.

Ø Religious books of Buddhist provide information about historical  personalities and incidents.

 Secular Literature

Ø Includes historical dramas, historical works, folk tales, accounts of foreign travellers, memoirs, biographies and autobiographies.

Historical drama, Historical works & folk tales

Ø Folk tales are stories or legend based on common people's life.

Ø Panchtantra, Hitopdesha, Jataka tales

Ø Arthshastra during Mauryas depicts state of economy.

Ø Writers- Bhasa, Sudraka & Kalidasa throw light on social and cultural aspects of society.

Ø Paninis Ashtadhyayi refers to republics and political event.

Ø Sangam literature in Tamil was produced over a period of 3 to 4 centuries.

Ø It provides information about various dynasties,war, battles in southern part of India.

Accounts of foreign travellers

Ø Indika by Megasthenes a Greek ambassador in Mauryan court shows social and political situation of India.

Ø Fa Hien and Hiuen Tsang visited India during the spread of Buddhism.

Ø Some travellers made certain observations which were not correct.

Memoirs,Autobiographies & Biographies

Ø Memoirs- written collection of one's memories.

Ø Autobiographies-  written account of one's self .

Ø Biographies- account of one's life written by someone else.

Ø Harishacharitra is biography of Emperor Harshwardhan by Banbhatta.