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Class 12 History Chapter 1 Notes
Bricks, beads and bones notes (Harappan Civilization)

Here we are providing notes of the first chapter of Class 12 History “Bricks, Beads and Bones”. In this chapter, the main features related to the Harappan Civilization have been studied.

These notes will prove useful for those students who are preparing for the board exam this year. This material prepared in simple and systematic language will help in revising the chapter quickly and remembering the main points.

BookNCERT
ClassClass 12
SubjectHistory
Chapter NameBricks,Beads and Bones
MediumEnglish

Class 12 History Chapter 1 Notes, Bricks Beads and Bones notes

Class 12 History Chapter 1 Notes, Bricks Beads and Bones notes

class 12 History chapter 1 notes

Harappan Civilization

  1. Harappan civilization is also known as Indus Valley civilization.
  2. Its period has been determined between 2600 BC and 1900 BC.
  3. It was first discovered by Dayaram Sahni in 1921 AD.

John Marshall and his main achievements

  1. John Marshall was the Director General of the Archaeological Survey of India.
  2. During his tenure, there were important changes in Indian archaeology.
  3. He was the first professional archaeologist to work in India.
  4. Along with finding attractive objects, he was also interested in finding the practices of daily life.
  5. He excavated the mounds. He announced the discovery of the Harappan civilization in the Indus Valley to the whole world.
  6. Apart from this, he also classified the remains and antiquities found.

water drainage system

  1. The most unique feature of Harappan cities was their planned drainage system.
  2. The streets and lanes were laid out in a grid pattern and intersected each other at right angles.
  3. It appears that the lanes/roads with drains were laid out first and then the houses were constructed along them.
  4. The dwellings were connected to the street drains.
  5. The drains of the houses emptied first into a cesspit or cesspit and the dirty water flowed into the street drains.

Harappan script

  1. The script of the Indus Valley Civilization has not been read yet, hence it is known as a mysterious script.
  2. Most of the inscriptions of the Indus Valley Civilization are brief and the longest inscription has about 26 symbols.
  3. There was no fixed alphabet in the script of the Indus Valley Civilization, the number of symbols in it is about 375 to 400.
  4. This script was written from right to left.

Sources of knowledge of Harappan culture

There are many sources of information about Harappan culture-

(i) Roads, streets, buildings, bathrooms etc. found from excavations at various sites provide information about city planning, architecture and lifestyle of people.

(ii) Art and craft items like spindles, clay toys, metal statues, jewellery, pottery etc. provide information about various occupations and social conditions.

(iii) Clay seals provide knowledge about religion, script etc.

Sources of information about the Harappan civilization

  1. Sites
  2. Excavated
  3. Buildings
  4. Antiquities
  5. Archaeological
  6. Pottery
  7. Jewelry
  8. Tools
  9. Statues
  10. Seals
  11. Burned Bricks
  12. Weights

Modes of subsistence of Harappan people

The following were the main methods of subsistence of the people of the Harappan Civilization-

(i) People used to get food from many types of trees, plants and animals. Fish was their main diet.

(iii) Their grains included wheat, barley, lentils, white gram and sesame. Grains of these grains have been found from many Harappan sites.

(iii) People also used to eat millet and rice. Millet grains have been found from sites in Gujarat. Rice was probably used less because rice grains have been found relatively less.

(iv) The animals from which they used to get food included sheep, goat, buffalo and pig. All these animals were domesticated.

(v) Bones of deer and crocodile have also been found. It has been inferred from this that the Harappans used to eat their meat. But it has not been ascertained whether they hunted these animals themselves or got their meat from other hunter communities. They also used to eat the meat of some birds.

Economic activity of Harappans

(i) Agriculture- The economic activities of Harappans included agriculture and fishing.

(ii) Animal husbandry- Cows, buffaloes, bulls etc. were reared and bulls were used for ploughing the fields.

(iii) Use of cottage- The statues found during excavations show that they also made statues and earthen pots.

(iv) Trade- They also made jewellery and beads.

(v) Measurement- Weights were used for weighing in trade. There were measures of 2,4,6.

The following information about Harappa:

  1. Livestock: Sheep, goats, buffaloes, wild boars, deer, gharials, etc.
  2. Food: Grains, fish, meat, fruits, etc.
  3. Grains: Wheat, barley, lentils, chickpeas, sesame, millet, etc. were cultivated.
  4. Clothing: Mostly cotton garments were used.
  5. Religious life: Shiva, the peepal tree, animals, the sun, water, and the mother goddess were worshipped.
  6. Transportation: Bullock carts, boats
  7. Crafts: Pottery, jewelry, beads, weapons, agricultural tools

Social diversity

We get information about the differences in Harappan society from burials and luxury items.

burial place

  1. Here the last rites were performed by burying the person. The structure of the graves found is different from each other. In some graves, brick masonry has been done while in some graves, the rest are normal.
  2. Sometimes the structure of the burial pits differed from one another.
  3. Pottery and jewellery were also buried with the individuals in the graves as the Harappans probably believed in reincarnation
  4. Copper mirrors, beads, and ornaments have also been found in some of the graves.

Luxury items

  1. Another way to identify social differentiation is luxury goods
  2. There are mainly two types of goods
  3. Everyday items like grinding wheels, earthen pots, needles, simple tools etc.
  4. These were made from common materials like stone or clay and were easily available
  5. Luxury items: These are those items which were not easily available i.e. found in small quantities
  6. Items which are expensive or rare are considered precious like faience utensils, gold ornaments
  7. Major sites of Harappan Civilization: Lothal (Gujarat), Kalibangan (Rajasthan), Nageshwar (Gujarat), Dholavira (Gujarat)

weights

  1. Weights were primarily used for weighing objects.
  2. The weights of the Indus Valley Civilization were governed by a precise and sophisticated system.
  3. These weights were made of a stone called chert.
  4. They were generally unmarked and cubical in shape.
  5. The lower denominations of these weights followed a binary system (1, 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, etc., up to 12800), while the upper denominations followed a decimal system.
  6. Scales made of metal have also been found.

Beads

  1. Beads were made from carnelian, a beautiful red stone, jasper, alabaster, crystal etc.
  2. Metals – gold, copper, bronze, shells, baked clay, some beads were also made by mixing two or more substances together
  3. The shape of the beads was dome-shaped, spherical, circular, etc.
  4. The top was decorated with paintings
  5. The method of making beads changed according to the type of stone
  6. Selkheri was a soft stone which was easily used. In many places beads were made by pouring Selkheri powder into a mould.
  7. Processes of grinding, polishing and drilling were done to make beads

seal

  1. Stamps and currency markings were used to protect consigned goods
  2. For example, if goods were sent in a bag to a faraway place, its mouth was tied with a rope and wet mud was applied to the rope and a seal was put on it
  3. If there was any change in the seal impression, it would indicate tampering with the goods and also reveal the identity of the sender.

The art of the craft

  1. Craftsmanship includes making jewellery, statues, tools etc.
  2. Mainly beads, seals, weights were made in Harappa, shells were cut and metal work was done
  3. Perforating tools have been found in Chanhudaro, Lothal and Dholavira, the main craft production centres of the Harappan civilization

Goods-related policies:

  1. Some types of raw materials were imported from outside regions.
  2. Several pieces of evidence have been found that suggest
  3. that trade also took place with foreign countries.
  4. Copper was imported from Oman in the Arabian Peninsula.
  5. Traces of Omani copper have been found in Harappan artifacts.
  6. A Harappan jar with a black clay coating, found in Oman, is another example.
  7. Evidence also suggests that goods were imported from Mesopotamia.

Agricultural technology

  1. Evidence of agriculture comes from grains of cereals.
  2. Clay models of ploughs have been found at numerous sites in Cholistan and at Banawali (Haryana).
  3. In addition, archaeologists have found evidence of a ploughed field at a site called Kalibangan (Rajasthan).
  4. In this field, two sets of plough furrows intersected at right angles, indicating that two different crops were grown simultaneously.
  5. Attempts have also been made to identify the tools used for harvesting crops.
  6. Some traces of canals have been found at the Harappan site of Shortughai in Afghanistan, but not in Sindh and Punjab.
  7. It is also possible that water from wells was used for irrigation.

Mohenjo Daro

  1. The most unique aspect of the Harappan Civilization was the development of urban centers.
  2. At Mohenjo-daro, the most famous archaeological site of the Harappan Civilization, the settlement was divided into two parts, the citadel and the lower city.

Durg

  1. The reason for the height of the fort was that the structure here was built on a platform of unbaked bricks.
  2. The fort was separated from the lower city by surrounding it with a wall.

Lower city

  1. The lower city was also enclosed by a wall.
  2. Once the platforms were in place, all building activity in the city was confined to a specific area on these platforms.
  3. Therefore, it appears that the settlement was planned first and then constructed accordingly.

The main buildings in the citadel area of ​​Mohenjo-daro are considered to be the granary and the Great Bath.

warehouse

The warehouse is a massive structure of which only the lower part, made of bricks, remains, while the upper parts, which were probably made of wood, were destroyed a long time ago.

Great Bath

  1. The Great Bath is a rectangular reservoir located in a large courtyard, surrounded by a corridor.
  2. Steps led down to the bottom of the reservoir from its northern and southern sides.
  3. The reservoir was made watertight by laying bricks along its edges and using gypsum mortar.
  4. Rooms were built on three sides of the reservoir, one of which contained a large well. Four bathrooms were located on either side of a corridor.
    This bath was probably used for special ritualistic bathing.

Ancient Rulers

  1. A large building found in Mohenjo-daro has been designated as a palace, but no grand artifacts have been found associated with it.
  2. A stone statue was given the name “Priest-King,” and this name is still in use today.
  3. Many archaeologists believe that there were no rulers in Harappan society and that everyone had equal social status.
  4. Many archaeologists believe that there was not one but several rulers, for example, in Harappa and Mohenjo-daro.

End of the Harappan Civilization

(i) The Harappan civilization was probably destroyed due to the change in the course of the Indus river and climate change.

(ii) Flooding of the Indus river.

(iii) Expansion of deserts due to drying up of rivers.

(iv) Expansion of deserts due to lack of moisture in the land due to deforestation.

(v) The Harappan state came to an end due to lack of strong integration.

Cunningham

(i) Cunningham was the first Director General of the Archaeological Survey of India. He initiated archaeological excavations in the mid-nineteenth century.

(ii) He used accounts left by Chinese Buddhist pilgrims who visited the subcontinent between the fourth and seventh centuries AD to identify the earliest settlements of the Harappan Civilisation.

Cunningham's illusion

(i) Cunningham’s interest was in the period between 1st century BC and 4th century BC. This was also one of the reasons why he failed to understand the importance of Harappa.

(ii) Harappan objects were found occasionally in the 19th century. Some of them reached Cunningham but he could not understand how old the artefacts were.

(iii) An Englishman gave Cunningham a Harappan seal. He noticed the seal but tried unsuccessfully to date it to a period with which he was familiar.

(iv) He believed that Indian history began with the first cities that grew up in the Ganges valley. All these reasons made Cunningham fail to understand the importance of Harappa.

Kings Farmers and Towns
Class 12 History Chapter 2 Notes
This Chapter in Hindi Medium
राजनीतिक विज्ञान
Class 12 all Chapters Notes
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ncert Class 12 History Chapter 1 Notes

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Class 12 History Chapter 1 Notes, Bricks Beads and Bones notes
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