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Vital Villages and Thriving Towns

1. Archaeological evidence shows that villages and towns in ancient India had complex social hierarchies and economies. Large landowners, ordinary farmers, and landless laborers lived in villages, while artisans and merchants formed guilds called "shrenis" in towns. 2. Excavations provide insights into infrastructure and trade. Sites like Arikamedu had warehouses, tanks for dyeing cloth, and imported goods, indicating it was an important coastal trading town. Other towns specialized in crafts and had associations to support artisans. 3. Coins, pottery, tools, and structural remains reveal economic activities. Iron tools aided agriculture. Punch-marked coins and fine Northern Black Polished Ware ceramics

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100% found this document useful (2 votes)
334 views5 pages

Vital Villages and Thriving Towns

1. Archaeological evidence shows that villages and towns in ancient India had complex social hierarchies and economies. Large landowners, ordinary farmers, and landless laborers lived in villages, while artisans and merchants formed guilds called "shrenis" in towns. 2. Excavations provide insights into infrastructure and trade. Sites like Arikamedu had warehouses, tanks for dyeing cloth, and imported goods, indicating it was an important coastal trading town. Other towns specialized in crafts and had associations to support artisans. 3. Coins, pottery, tools, and structural remains reveal economic activities. Iron tools aided agriculture. Punch-marked coins and fine Northern Black Polished Ware ceramics

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Hari Om Pathak
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© © All Rights Reserved
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Ch-8 Vital Villages, Thriving Towns

Word Meaning Hindi Meaning


Grant Donation
Fascinate Glamor
Production Origin
Artificial simulate
Flourish Growth
Mention statement
Hereditary Inherited
Generation Descendant
Gradually Slowly
Composed Shaped
Assemblies Legislature
Mess Bother
Depict Represent fr(fåd
Drains Gutter
pumps Bulk
Procured Obtains
Superintendent President
Coastal Shore
Precious Valuable
Extremely Deadly
Draw the concept map of vital villages, Thriving towns.
People living in the villages

South India North India


Vellagar Rich landowners

Cultivators Krishaka

KadaisiyarAdimai +-----------—Landless labourers ----------+Dasas Karamkara

Keywords-
Irrigation - To supply water to an area of land through pipes of channels so that crops
will grow.
Vellalar- Large land owner in the Tamil region.

Class - VI - Social Science - 179


Sargam - Sanskrit word which means association or an assembly of literary
persons.
Jatakas - These were stories probably composed by ordinary people and then
written down and preserved by Buddhist Monkes,
Ringwells - Rows Of pots ot ceremic rings arranged one over the other used as
toilets drains and garbage dumbs.
Northem Black Ware - Extremely fine pottery found in the northern part of
subcontinent and usually black in color, and has a fine show,
Shrenis - It is a group of people like craft persons and merchants now formed
association known as shrenis.
Amphorae- Tall double-handle Jars thatcontained liquids such as wine or oil.
Arretine ware- Stamped red-glaze pottery.
Vats- Alarge tub such as is used for making Urine or for tanning.
Amphitheatre- Open arenas surrounded tires of seat.
Aquiducts- Channel's to supply water.
Para- 1. Prabhakar at the blacksmith's potter, carpenter and weaver.
Key point of the paragraph-
In the Indian subcontinent, use of iron began about 3000 years ago.
Axe and the iron ploughshare became popular.
In the south India and North India there existed three kinds of people, the large
landowners, the ordinary ploughmen and the landless laborer (including slaves).
Q. Where some of the largest collections of iron tools found.
These were found in the megalithic burials .
Q. What was the use of iron tools?
A Iron tools were used for clearing forest and ploughshare.
Q. What did irrigation works include?
A Irrigation work included canals, Well, tanks and artificial lakes.
Q. Mention any one function that was performed by the gramabhojaka.
The gramabhojaka collected taxes from the village for the king.
Para -2. Some ofthe earliest read his description of thecity
Some of the earliest works in Tamil, known as Sangam literature, were composed
around 2300 years ago.
The Jatakas were stories that were composed presumably by ordinary peopleand
written down and preserved by Buddhist monks.
Ring wells were rows of pots or ceramic rings that were placed one on topOf the
other and which may have been used as drain, toilets and garbage dumps.
O. How did people use ring wells?
A People used ring wells as toilets, as drains and garbage dumps.
Q. State the number of occupations tap up by the young man of the Jataka story.
Class VI - Social Science - 180
Three.
Where the largest collection of iron tools and weapons is found?
A.
Megalithicburials.
o. Name the place where the Sangam texts wore composed?
A.
Madurai.
a Where the largest collection of iron tools and weapons is found?
A Megalithic burials.
a. Name the place where the Sangam texts wore composed?
A Madurai.
Q. What was the meaning of the term Jatakas?
A. Stories.
Para- 3. The gulf is very garland makers perfumers.
A Greek sailor the imports into Barygaza (Greek name of Bharuch) port were
copper, tin, lead, coral, topaz, gold and silver coins, wine and cloth.
The earliest coins which were in used for about 500 years were punch marked coin
as designs were punched on the metal - Silver or copper.
Around 2,000 years ago Mathura become the second capital of Kushanas. It was
also a religious centre. There were Buddhist monasteries nad Jaina Shrines.
It was also an important centre for the worship of Krishna.
Q. What was the Greek name of port of Bharuch?
Barygaza.
Q. Mathura became the second capital of.
A. Kushanas.
Q. Of, what materials the metal of the coins was made?
Silver or copper.
Q. Why the earliest coins were called ' Punch marked coins'?
Because the designs were punched in to the metal.
Q. Mention the occupations of people who lived in Mathura.
Gold smiths, blacksmiths, weavers, basket - makers, garland-makers and perfume-
makers.
Para -4. We also have archaeological and her thumbs can be cut off.
Archaeologists have also found evidence for craft, like the extremelyfine pottery
called Northern Black Polished ware. There were famous cloth centers at Varanasi
and Madurai.
Craftsperson and merchants formed associations called 'shrenis' that helped them
in their work.
Shrenis also served as bank where rich men and women deposited money.
Q. Name some sites where 'Northern Black Polished Ware' has been found.
A. Mahasthan, Chandraketugarh, Bangarh etc.
Class - VI - Social Science - 181
Q. The 'Northern Black Polished Ware' is generally found in the
Subcontinent.
A. Northern. ,
O. What was the main founction of the shrenis?
A. To provide training procure raw materal and distribute the finished product.
Para - 5. Find Arikamedu baths, fountains and toilets.

Some Important port Cities-

Bharuch Tamralipti Arikamedus Kaveripattinam Muziris


(GuJrat) (West Vengal) (Puducherry) (Tamil Nadu) (Kerala)

Q From the site of Arikamedus, the archaeologists discovered a


A Warehouse.
O. Where is Ankamedus located?
A Ankamedus is located South of Pondicherry.
O. What was the other name of stamped red glazed pottery?
Arrentine ware.
Q. Name the capital ofAugustus.
A Rome
Q. Which was the first civilization in real sense in Europe?
A. Roman civilization.
O. What was the purpose of small tanks that are found in Arikamedes?
A Small tanks that are found in Arikamedu was for dying vats, used to dye cloth
Solved Exercise
0.1 Fill in the blanks-
A Vellalar was a word used for large landowners in Tamil.
b. The 'gramabhajaka' often got his land•cultivated by the Slaves and hired workers.
c. Ploughmen were known as 'Uzhavar in Tamil.
d. Most grihapatis were smaller landowner.
0.2. Choose the correct option-
Ring wells were used for -
(i) bathing (ii) washing clothes (iii) Irrigation (iv)drainaye.
b, Punch marked coins were made of-
(i) Silver (ii) Gold (iii) tin (iv) ivory
c. Mathura was an important-
(i) Village (ii)port (iii) religious centre (iv) forested area.
d. 'Shrenis' were associations of -
(l) rulers (ii) craft parsons (iii) farmers (iv) herders

Class - Social Science • 182


0.3 How was money deposited in the shrenis used?
A. It was invested and pan of the interest was returnedor used to support religious
institutionssuch as monasteries.
0.4 What do you know about Arikamedus?
A. Between 2200 and 1900 years ago Arikamedus was a coastal settlement where
ships unloaded goods from distant lands.
Why was grama bhojaka powelful?
He was the village headman.
He was largest land owner.
He did not cultivate his own land and had slaves and hired workers to work on his
fields.
He functioned as a judge and some times functioned as a policeman.
Q. What archaeological sources have ben excavated in Arikamedus?
A. The archaeological findings include a massive brick structurepotterysuch as jars,
stamped red-glazed potteryfrom Mediterraneanregions. It is know as Arretine
ware named after an Italiccity Roman lamps, glassware and gems have also been
found.
Q. List all the women who could be employed by the superintendent. How were women
paid for their work?
A. The superintendent could employ widows, young women who were differently
abled, nuns, mothers of courtesans, retiredwomen servants of the king and women
who had retired from service in temples. The women were paid according to the
quality and quantity of work.

What is the sangam literature and when were they composed?


Write short note on Mathura. Dec
0.6 What was punch marked coins?
Q. Write some important date to the chapter.
Q. Who was the village headman?
Q. Name the place where the sangam texts were composed.
Q. What were the roles performed by grama bhojaka?
Class - VI - Social Science - 183

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