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ANINTRODUCTION TO HISTORYANINTRODUCTION TO HISTORY

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Hero-stones are memorials commemorating the

honourable death of warriors who sacrificed their lives

defending their kingdom or region.

Where do we find them?

In whose memory?

Which was the kingdom defended?

When we try to find answers to these questions we

enter into History. History is a continuous, systematic

narrative of past events arranged in chronological

order. It tells us about our ancestors, their lifestyles,

occupations, customs and traditions, religious beliefs,

social and political systems and cultural patterns. It

also tells us about the problems, aspirations and

achievements of people who lived in the past.

Why study HistoryStudying History is important because -

It tells us the background of our society and gives us an identity.

It helps us to learn from the past so that we do not make the same mistake.

It gives us valuable lessons to understand the past and help us to make

decisions for the present and future.

It help us to know and understand other people, their way of life and culture

which opens our eyes to different people and their cultures.

Time frame in HistoryGenerally History is divided into three periods:

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HISTORY

Proto-HistoryPrehistory History

PrehistoryPrehistorical period is before history began to be

recorded.

But how, in the absence of written records, are we to

find out anything about prehistoric man? People

who lived before the dawn of history left behind

them many things which tells us about the kind of

life they led. We find great quantities of tools and

weapons and other articles shaped by them in

ancient gravel beds along the streams and rivers

where they fished or hunted, and in the caves which

gave them shelter and in the graves where they laid

their dead. From these we learn what skills the early

man had acquired and the extent of their cultural

development.

Our knowledge of prehistoric man depends entirely

on the archaeological excavations. The physical

remains such as pottery, jewellary, coins, tools and

bones of the early man dug out by the archaeologists

help us to know about the past.

Proto – historyThis is the transition period between prehistory and the earliest recorded history. It is

the period immediately before the recorded history of a culture. In other words, it

refers to the history of people who have an oral literary tradition although they did

not take to literary writing.

For example in India there was a well-developed oral tradition. The Vedas and Sutras

were handed down from generation to generation by oral repetition and memory

retention. The Indus Valley Civilization reveals the early stages of writings on the

seals. But these sources do not give sufficient information. So, we depend on the

archaeological sources to know about this period.

Indus Valley seals Sumerian cuneiform Egyptian hieroglyphs

HistoryHistory is the period of recorded events of man. This marks the period in which

writing was invented. Important events were systematically recorded on clay

tablets, palm leaves, rocks, pillars and copper plates. These are valuable sources of

History.

Calculating time and dates in HistoryHistorians express dates in BC and AD. BC. stands for "Before Christ." Years are

counted backwards in BC. For example BC 300 comes before BC 200.

A. D. for anno domini which means "in the year of our Lord." Years are counted

forwards in AD. For example 200 AD comes before 300 AD.

Today, many scholars prefer to use the term BCE (Before the Common Era) instead

of BC, and CE (Common Era) instead of AD.

To find out the difference between two periods in BC or in AD the smaller number

should be subtracted from bigger number.

For example the difference between BC 400 and BC 100 is 300 years.

In the same way the difference between 100 AD and 400AD is 300 years.

When one date is in BC and the other is in AD both should be added.

For example the difference between Bc400 and 400AD is 800 years.

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The Geographical Framework The geography of a region plays a very important part in shaping the region's history.

India's history, is greatly affected by geography.

The HimalayasThe Himalayas in the north separate India from Central Asia. In spite of this

separation, the high mountain passes in the northwest allowed the early migration of

Aryans into the subcontinent and later other races from central and west Asia, like

the Greeks, Huns, Turks and Mughals, to invade India. Passes along the northern

mountains helped in the spread of Buddhism. Thus these mountain passes have

been a route to contacts with many kings, travellers, traders and scholars. These

contacts resulted in the development of a rich culture.

The two great perennial river systems Indus and the Ganges arise from the

Himalayas. These rivers gave rise to the fertile northern plains on which arose

ancient civilizations.

The Himalayan ranges are responsible for bringing in monsoon rains.

They also prevent the very cold and dry winds of central Asia from flowing into India.

The Khyber PassThe Khyber Pass has been a silent witness to countless great events in the

history of mankind. The very sight of the Khyber reminds one of the conquerors

who forced their way through its dangerous defiles.

It has been a strategic gateway from the time of Alexander the Great (326BC),

when his army marched through it to reach the plains of India.

It is only through Khyber pass that the Persian, Mongol, and Tartar armies

forced their way into India.

The subcontinent was invaded time and again by conquerors like Timur, Babar,

Nadir Shah and Ahmad Shah Abdali through this pass and brought Islam into

India.

Planets do not have light of their own. They reflect the light of the sun. All

planets are spherical in shape but vary in size.

The Northern PlainsCivilizations flourished along the river banks. For example,in the subcontinent Indus

Valley Civilization, which existed around 2500 BC, stands as the best example to the

high level of urban culture reached by the people in the north-western portions of the

northern fertile plains. Later in1500BC the rural Vedic Culture took root and spread

across the gangetic plains with the coming of the Aryans .

The ancient river ports like Kanauj, Benares, Pataliputra and Prayag became centres

of commerce as the northern rivers could be used for trade and commerce. This

along with the productivity of the fertile plains, helped in the growth of many large

kingdoms in the region.

The Southern Region – the Deccan South of the northern plain are the Vindhya range of mountains which cut across the

middle of the subcontinent. The region south of the Vindhya is a peninsula, called

Deccan. The Vindhya range served historically as a barrier between the northern and

the southern parts of India. This resulted in the formation of two distinct cultures –

the Vedic culture in the north and the Dravidian culture in the south.

Through the ancient ports on the western and eastern coastlines maritime trade and

commerce flourished with Mesopotamia, Egypt, Persia, Arabia, East Africa and

South-East Asia. The colonies and kingdoms established in South-East Asia had the

influence of the languages, religions and cultures of the subcontinent.

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Sources of HistoryHistory is study of the past. It is the collection and orgsnisation of the past events.

Archaeologists study these physical remains to reconstruct the past as accurately as

possible. Historians depend upon evidences left behind by earlier societies and

people. These historical sources are in the form of tools and implements, carvings

and paintings, inscriptions, sculpture, coins, ruins, manuscripts and historical texts.

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SOURCES OF HISTORY

Archaeologicalsources

LiterarySources

Monuments

Inscriptions Artefacts Coins Religious Secular

Books based onreligious themes

Biographies andtravellers' account

Archaeological SourcesThe main source of information for

prehistory is archeology.

The archaeologists excavate the physical

remains of the past and study them

carefully to tell us about the past. They

are the true evidences.

We get various information from four

important sources namely inscriptions,

monuments, artifacts and coins.

InscriptionsInscriptions are written records. Kings recorded the important events of their reign

on the cave walls, walls of temples and palaces, metal pillars, copper plates and clay

tablets for the people to know of their achievements.

For example We get a lot of information on the rule of King

Raja Raja Chola through the copper plates issued by him.

We are able to know about the Mauryan king Ashoka the

great through the inscriptions found at various places.

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Tiruvalangadu copper plates

The seal itself is a work of art. It has a tiger, the emblem of the Cholas; an

umbrella and two fly-whisks, representing royalty; a swastika and two lamps,

auspicious symbols. Besides, it has two vertical fishes (the royal emblem of the

Pandyas), a bow (the Cheras' emblem), and the boar (eastern Chalukyas'

emblem), signifying that Rajendra Chola had conquered the Pandyas, the

Cheras and the eastern Chalukyas. These copper plates record Rajendra Chola

gifting the Palaiyanur village to the Siva temple at Tiruvalangadu in the present-

day Trivellore district.

The languages used are sanskrit and Tamil. The Sanskrit portion was written in

the Pallava grantha script, the Tamil language was written in Tamil script.

Issued by emperor Rajendra Chola (1012-1044

A.D.).They were a set of 31 copper plates secured by

a big, circular copper seal with the royal emblem of

the Chola dynasty. The legend around the emblem

written in Sanskrit.

MonumentsMonuments are buildings of historical

importance. They provide information on

the period in which they were built.

Palaces,forts, pillars, temples and

monasteries provide information on the

social life of people, their religious beliefs,

their knowledge in various fields.

ArtifactsThe objects made by man in the past are called artifacts. Ornaments, jewelery,

tools,weapons and metal objects excavated by archaeologists provide a lot of

information on the knowledge and skills of the people of that period.

CoinsCoins are considered as the most

important source of information as they

can provide information on the extent of a

king's rein and empire, the metals used in

that period, the regions with which trade

was carried on, art, religion, language and

achievements of the kings.

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Literary sourcesHand written records of the past are called

manuscripts. Before the advent of printing,

palm leaves and barks of birch trees were

used to record. Many of the manuscripts

were destroyed due to their fragile in

nature. Literary sources are divided into two

types- Religious and secular.

Religious literatureBooks based on religious themes are called religious literatures. These books provide

useful information on not only religion but also on politics and various customs and

traditions of the then existing society. The Vedas, puranas and the epics Ramayana

and Mahabharata provide important information on ancient India.

Secular literatureThese books deal with subjects other than religion such as politics,grammar, poems,

plays biography and travelogue. Kautilya's Arthashastra a political treatise,

Kalidasa's poems and plays, Banabatta's Harshcharita a biography, Megasthenes'

Indiga, the travel accounts of FaHein and Hieun Tsang and the Sangam literatures

are the best examples of secular literatures that tell us about the people,society,

economics and politics of the time.

Looking Back!

History is the study of past.

It is important to study History.

History is divided into three periods- prehistory, proto-history and

History.

Historians express time and dates - BC and AD.

The geography of a place influences its History.

Inscriptions, manuscripts, monuments, artifacts and coins are the

archaeological sources. Literary sources are divided into religious and

secular.

Key Words

chronological a record of events, starting with the earliest and following the order in which they occurred.

archaeology the study of human history and prehistory through the excavation of sites and the analysis of the physical remains

advent the arrival of a notable event

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Summative Assessment

A. Tick the correct answers.

1. A systematic narrative of past events, arranged in chronological order.

a. Archaeology b. History c. Geography

2. The transition period between prehistory and the earliest recorded history:

a. Prehistory b. Proto history c. History

3. Recorded events on the copperplates:

a. monument b. artifact c. inscription

4. Hand written records of the past:

a. manuscript b. inscription c. monuments

5. Banabatta's Harshacharita:

a. Biography b. traveller's account c. religious literature

B. Say true (T) or false (F)

1. History tells us the background of our society and gives us an identity. ( )

2. Proto-history is the transition period between prehistory and history.

3. Historians study the physical remains to reconstruct the past.

4. Palaces, forts, pillars, temples and monasteries are monuments.

5. The objects made by man in the past are called artifacts.

6. There are three types of literary sources.

( )

( )

( )

( )

( )

C. Give short answers.

1. Define: a. History b. Archaeology

2. What is the difference between Prehistory and History?

3. Name the archaeological sources.

4. What are artifacts?

5. Name some religious literature.

D. Answer in detail.

1. Why should we study History?

2. Explain the geographical influence of the Himalayas on the history of India.

3. Give the importance of inscriptions and coins as sources of History.

4. How does secular literature differ from religious literature? Give examples.

Formative Assessment

A. Calculate the date.

1. Alexander fought an epic battle against the Indian king Porus in

battle of Hydaspes in 326 BC. How many years ago?

2. Julius Caesar was killed in 44 BC. How many years ago?

3. The Chinese invented a writing system in 1200 BC and developed

paper in AD100. How many years passed between the two events?

B. Match the old cities with their present names.

City then City then

Benaras

Pataliputra

Prayag

Allahabad

Varanasi

Patna

C. Find the names of the mountain passes in the northwest of India and

mark them in an outline map of India.

D. Find out the ancient kingdoms of northern India. Who were the

famous rulers of those kingdoms?

Life Skills

Observation

Visit a museum and have a close look at the various archaeological sources

exhibited.

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HOTS

What information can we get from jewellery excavated by the archaeologists?