Ancient Civilization Of The World

Option A is correct because Harappa lies in the Punjab district of Pakistan

Option B is incorrect because Rangpur lies in Gujarat, India

Option C is incorrect because Kalibangan lies in Rajasthan, India

Option D is incorrect because Dholavira lies in Gujarat, India

Option A is incorrect because it was one of the texts that provided information on the Vedic civilization

Option B is incorrect because it was one of the texts that provided information on the Vedic civilization

Option C is incorrect because it was one of the texts that provided information on the Vedic civilization

Option D is correct because all of the above texts collectively provide information on the Vedic civilization

Option A is correct because Egyptian civilization is based upon the Nile River in North Africa

Option B is incorrect because Indus is situated in Asia and is related to the Indus Valley Civilization

Option C is incorrect because Hwang Ho is situated in China related to the Chinese civilization

Option D is incorrect because the Euphrates is related to the Mesopotamian civilization

Option A is incorrect because Herodotus wrote The Histories

Option B is incorrect because Thucydides wrote the History of the Peloponnesian War

Option C is correct because Homar wrote the ballads of Illiad and Odyssey

Option D is incorrect because Pythagoras wrote The Order and Doctrine of Pythagoras

Option A is correct because Kalibangan was the first Harappan site to have evidence of ploughed field remains.

Option B is incorrect because Ahar was a site of copper tools production.

Option C is incorrect because Chandravati was a site that has evidence of forts and buildings.

Option D is incorrect because Mohenjo Daro is the Harappan site with the first evidence of the Great Bath and urban civilization and not rural agriculture traces.

Option A is incorrect because Balathal was the extended area of the Ahar civilization and derived its copper from the Ahar region.

Option B is incorrect because Chandravati was a site mainly related to the fortification and buildings that were associated with storage and architecture.

Option C is correct because Ahar was a prime centre for the production of copper tools like axes, ornaments etc.

Option D is incorrect because Indus was prime fertile land for crop production.

The Indus-Saraswati Civilization today has many sites; however, the prominent ones are Harappa, Mohenjo-Daro, Kalibangan, Rakhigadi and Lothal which have extensive excavations.

Mohenjo-Daro literally means ‘mound of the dead’ or Murdon ka Tila. It was named so because of an extensive excavation of bones, due to the city being developed and destroyed nine times.

The average human expectancy of 100 years was divided into 4 different ashrams (or period of living) namely: Bhramacharya, Grihastha, Vanaprastha and Sanyasa ashram.

Mesopotamia is derived from a Greek word meaning ‘land between two rivers’. It refers to the area of Mesopotamia that lies between the rivers Euphrates and Tigris.

Mesopotamian land is known as the ‘fertile crescent’ due to its geographical shape and the presence of farming appropriate fertile soil.

Egyptians preserved the bodies of their dead in a special manner which were called as Mummys. This process is known as mummification.

While initially, scholars thought that Aryans came to India from the Middle East, Tibet or Europe however, present archaeological sources and historical pieces of evidence now refute this and prove that they belonged to Indian mainland.

The Great Wall of China is a prominent example of Chinese architecture.

Chinese culture maintained the stance that being a soldier represented laziness, poverty or unacceptable in society. They regarded being a soldier as an insult to their common unity towards maintaining peace.

The main city-states of Greek civilization was Sparta and Athens. The other city-states followed the model of these two main cities.

The Ahar Civilization is based on the bank of the Bechad- Banas river valley.

Ghaghar river was referred to as Saraswati river in ancient texts.

The ancient remains of Chandravati civilization have been found at the foothills of Mount Abu.

The Balathal civilization is located about 42 km east from Udaipur in Uthala Village, presently in Vallabh Nagar.

Kalibangan Civilization, found in Rajasthan is related to the Indus-Saraswati Civilization.

The Social life in the Vedic Civilization can be understood through the Vedic Texts which emphasized upon different components of social life.
a. Varna System:
A prevalent system that classified society under four main divisions on the basis of karmas depicted by his ability and profession- Brahmana, Kshatriya, Vaishya and Shudra. It was not initially based upon birth but labour.

b. Family:
The joint family system was prevalent with the eldest male as its head known as Gahapati. Women had a respectable position and were provided with an education equivalent to boys. They disregarded the veil system. Marriages were a religious rite and were done at a mature stage.

c. Ashrams and Rituals:
Social lives of men were divided into 4 periods known as Ashrams- Brahmacharya, Grihastha, Vanaprastha and Sanyasi. This was prevalent for social governance. 16 important rituals were illustrated in the Vedas some being- Pushvan, Mundan, Namkaran, Vivah etc that were essential to social culture.

d. Food, Dress and Entertainment:
They mainly used wheat, barley, rice, urad and milk as part of their diet.
Cotton, wool and silk were mainly made use for clothing, with both men and women adorning ornaments like bangles, necklaces etc.
Musical instruments like Veena, shank, flute etc were indulged in.
Hunting, wrestling, horse-racing and chariot-racing were prominently enjoyed as forms of entertainment.

Indus Valley Civilization is prominently known for its extensive and advanced town planning and systematic urban landscape. Important towns were those of Harappa, Mohenjo-Daro, Kalibangan and Rakhigadi. It features an impressive town plan that includes housing, drainage system and roadways.
a. Housing:
The cities were divided into many blocks, along well-planned roadways. The houses were lined along the roads which had a layout of a main open courtyard and rooms around it. They had separate bathrooms and toilets, and every house had a system to store water.

b. Road Pattern:
The roads were built from North to South and East to West in a straight line, where roads intersected at right angles. Main roads were 10 metres wide and small roads were 5 meters wide, each having dustbins on either side to collect garbage.

c. Drainage System:
The civilization had an emphasis on public cleanliness and hygiene with a focus on utilities rather than fashion. All the main and other roads were lined with covered drains that kept the dirty water out of the town. Dustbins were kept at regular intervals on roadways.

The Egyptian Civilization was brought upon the banks of the Nile River. It was considered as a holy river, just as the Ganges, as it is associated with prosperity and well being.
The river aided in the rich crop production- up to three crops in a year due to the irrigation provided by the river, with the cultivation of cotton, oats, bajra, onion etc. It was thus famously known as the ‘Granary of the World’ due to this.

The Mesopotamian Civilization is credited with major scientific advancements that they provided to the ancient world. They were remarkable in astronomy and had mastered the calculation of the sunrise, sunset, moonrise and moonset time. They provided the principle of 24 hours in a day and the now-standard division of a minute in 60 seconds and that of the hour into 60 minutes. They also gave the scientific explanation of dividing the circle into 360⁰. They thus were very well advanced and informed of Science and Mathematical principles.

The city of Sparta was placed under military rule due to constant fear and threat of being attacked by the neighbouring states. It was autocratic and was first legislated by Lycurgus. People lived in strict discipline and children were raised to learn hardships of life while weak ones were murdered. Even as it aided in developing people who displayed leadership and potential to soldiers, it didn’t aid in contribution towards philosophy, art, literature etc.

Pericles was a great leader of Athens who firmly rooted the principles of democracy through his reforms. He believed in equal rights for justice to all people. He was a great proponent for the arts, literature, music and philosophy. He encouraged plays and music performances. The illustrated Iliad and Odyssey were composed during his period. He also promoted science, astrology and maths. He is associated with the growth of architecture- famously the temple of Goddess Athena. Famous Greek philosophers, mathematicians and historians are linked to the Pericles period. It is thus considered to be the Golden Period of the Greek Civilization.

The site of Kalibanga features two mounds of city planning. The Eastern mound has evidence of common settlement while the Western mound has fort with safety walls around it.
It also features the oldest evidence of ploughed fields. It also features other common structures like public drainage, brick and clay walls and garbage collection earthen pots.
Other unique evidence like ruins of fire altars and agricultural tools made of copper are also found. Earthen pots and bricks were most probably baked in sunlight. The seals found in this region feature the Sendhav script that is still undeciphered. Three graves have also been found which indicate the religious beliefs towards death and afterlife.

India has one of the most ancient civilizations of the world called the Indus-Saraswati civilization. Scholars have found through various excavations that roughly about 5-7 thousand years ago, people settled on the banks of rivers Indus-Saraswati, ultimately developing a prosperous civilization. It was sustained upon two rivers- the Indus and Saraswati.
a. Existence of River Saraswati- Holy River:
While Saraswati originated from Shivaliks but now due to change in geological structure, it has become extinct. Due to its non-physical existence, its existence was questioned but pictures taken by artificial satellites prove that it existed. It is extensively mentioned in holy books of Hindus like the Ramayana, Mahabharata and Vedic literature
b. Social Life:
The people were organized in various occupations according to their ability and contributed to society. The excavations reveal main work to be organised around religious, administrative, medical, security and production.
c. Religious Life:
People held faith in the worship of natural forces. They believed in the divinity of Earth, Peepal tree, Neem, Jal, Surya, Agni. Excavations of seals, coins etc reveal that they believed in magic, orthodox rituals, spells and sacrifice of animals. The presence of fire altars at Rakhigadi and Lothal reveal the importance attached to the rituals of fire and yagnas. Incense sticks were used in worship. Death ceremony was performed with extensive burials or cremations.

Thus the elaborate Indus Valley Civilization is one of the most extensive and well planned ancient civilizations with great advancements in public life and hygiene.

The Mesopotamian Civilization is one of the main ancient civilizations of the world. Mesopotamia, a word of the Greek language, means the land between two rivers (Tigris and Euphrates). It is presently in the country of Iraq. It is also called as a ‘fertile crescent’ because of its semi-circular shape and fertility of the land. In ancient time the southern part of this region was called ‘Sumer’, it was the centre of civilization. It featured the following unique characteristics.

a. Hammurabi’s code of law:
King Hammurabi of Babylon established the oldest known code of law that was inscribed on 8 ft tall rocks. It features principles like ‘Tit for tat’ and ‘Eye for an eye’.

b. Social Life of Mesopotamia:
The King was seen as representative of God, and the royal family held the most important position. The priest came second as administrators. The middle class consisted of traders, landlords, shopkeepers etc. The dasas/slaves were at the lowest level. The army was an important component of civilization.

c. Economic Life:
Their main occupation was agriculture and they grew a variety of crops along the whole year with the aid of oxen and irrigation from the flood rivers. Trading was also a main component of the civilization with temples being not just religious sites but also centres of trade. They were linked to the Mesopotamian civilization through trade.

d. Religious Life:
They believed in various gods, and were focused upon the present, practical problems than the future. Each city had its own patronage to a particular God known as Ziggurat.

e. Other developments:
The inhabitants were technologically very advanced and had made significant progress in mathematical and scientific fields like the division of the hour into 60 minutes and every minute is 60 seconds long. They had developed the cuneiform script that was used to maintain records of trade and commerce. Architecture saw advancements like the introduction of an arch that looked beautiful and also handled the huge weight.

The Oldest Civilization of Mesopotamia provided the unique features of script, trade and code of law.

The Chinese Civilization was developed between the valley of the Hwang-Ho and Yang-Tse-Kiang rivers. While initially Chinese script was picture-based, they later developed their own alphabets. Mongolians founded civilization and developed it. The chief kings belonged to the Shang, Chou, Huan, Sui, Tang and Shung dynasties.

Features of Chinese Civilization:
a. Social Life
Chinese society was divided into four classes: Mandarins, Farmers, Artisans and Traders. People who joined the army were either very poor, lazy and being a military man was regarded as an ‘insult’ in the society. Joint family system prevailed where the eldest male member as the head and high morality was emphasised. Women didn’t have a dignified position and the purdah and divorce system were practised.

b. Economic Life:
Agriculture of rice and tea was done on a large scale. Irrigation was conducted through a canal system. Domestication of sheep, pigs, cows, dogs, etc. was done. Sericulture (making of silk cloth) was of prime importance. Handicraft and ceramics were important occupations, with extensive trade conducted in them. Export of silk, salt, raw iron, fur, fish, etc. was done to India on a large scale.

c. Religious Life:
They were nature devotees and worshipped Sun, Sky, Earth and Rain. They believed in spells and magic. The King was regarded as the son of God. They later shifted to Confucius model of monotheism and Buddhism.

d. Science and Knowledge:
It is associated with many technological advances like paper, printing ink, gun power, paintings and compass. Confucius was one of the prominent philosophers.

e. Architecture:
The Great Wall of China is one of the marvels of this civilization. It was built as protection from the constant threat of Hun invasion. It is 1800 miles long, 20 ft wide and 20 ft tall and features many looks out towers at regular intervals.

The ancient Chinese Civilization is based on the principles of philosophy, family values and architecture.

Egyptian Civilization was based on the banks of the Nile river. It is one of the major world civilizations.
Main Features of Egyptian Civilization
a. Social Life:
The kings were called ‘Pharoh’ who were often autocratic. They were considered as representative of God. Often feudals, priests, middle-class businessmen, traders were included in the upper class. The lower class comprised of farmers and dases (slaves). Music, dance, acrobatics, animal fights gambling, etc. were means of entertainment. Ivory tables and chairs and precious curtains were parts of grandeur.

b. Economic Life:
They mainly practised agriculture and cattle rearing where Barley, onion, millet and cotton were grown prominently. It was called the granary of the ancient world as three crops were grown in a year. Animals such as Goats, sheep, pigs, dogs, donkeys, camels, etc. were reared. Trade was practised were skilled workers of metal, wood, glass, paper and cloth were present. They had trade relations with Ethiopia and Arabs. The economy was based upon the Barter system.

c. Religious life: Their chief gods were Ra (Sun), Orisis (River Nile), Sin (Moon). In the beginning, they believed in polytheistic (or worshipping multiple gods) but during the imperialistic period a Pharoh named ‘Akhnatan Pharos’ gave emphasis to one god concept (Ekeshwarism) and started worshipping ‘Sun’.

d. Science and Knowledge: People made calendar based on sun and stars and calculated the concept of 360 days in a year. They were also the proponents of the sundial. They developed their own script and manufactured paper using papyrus plants.

e. Architecture: People believed that the soul resides in the dead body after death, so they put special oil on a dead body that preserved the body for thousands of years. Grand tombs were built to honour the dead which was called pyramids. The dead body kept in pyramids was called ‘mummy’. Pyramid of Giza is the best example of ancient Egyptian architecture in the world. It is 755 feet wide and 481 feet in height. It is built with 23 lakh pieces of stones and weighed two and a half tonnes. It has a sculpture of ‘Narasimha’ called ‘sphinx’. These pyramids are proofs of advanced knowledge in mathematics and science, which survive even now.

The Egyptian Civilization is thus because of its unique features one of the oldest and most well-known civilizations.

Ahar Civilization is presently located in Udaipur district of Rajasthan and was the centre of Bronze age culture.

This 5000-year-old civilization was developed in the valley of Bechad- Banas rivers. Various excavations show that civilization witnessed many settlements that were built and destroyed. This is attributed to the abundant availability of copper in this area which led people living here to engage in the production of metallic tools, making it a copper-skilled centre. The main centre of the civilization is found to be at the mound of Dhulkor where many copper axes, tools and semi-precious tools were found.

Houses were planned with an open courtyard in the middle and rooms surrounding it. Excavations revealed 4-6 altars in a house that indicated the joint family system and a hint towards community lunches. There have also been finds of earthen pots and baked clay bricks.

A viable extension of this civilization is evident from the near-by places such as Gilund, Balathal, Bagaur, etc which are connected to it. Indications of relations with surrounding areas of Navadatoli, Nagda, Eran, Kaitha till Kuchchh in North Gujarat are also hinted at, dating back to about 4000 years. Black and red earthen pots found here have similarity in skill, size and manufacturing to Ahar, which provide firm links to their connectivity.

Thus, the Ahar civilization is said to be an important copper-based civilization that was an extended part of the Indus-Saraswati Civilization.