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The Purpose of studying History is to develop a thorough understanding of the events that occurred in the past when human civilization had just commenced. Ancient Indian history is built on the foundation of five epic periods that showed different historic differences. During these periods the growth of humans was based on the activities that were prevalent at those times.
Ancient history in India can be categorized and studied based on the different eras that started from the Palaeolithic Age that was till 10000 BC. The last period was the Pallavas of Kanchipuram which lasted till 903 AD.
Palaeolithic Age
It was the time of 20000 BC when this era started. This was the initial age of development for humans. They used to live in caves and survive on leaves and wild fruits. It was a period of Ancient history in India when fire was first invented. Human beings used to kill animals for consumption and used stones and hard rocks to make weapons and tools.
The locations that are evidence of the presence of this era are mainly in Bhimbetka and Narmada Valley in Hathnora and these two places are situated in Madhya Pradesh. Important Features of History can be depicted from the areas of Kurnool Caves, Kaladgi Basin, and Hunsgi.
Mesolithic Age
The era started around 10,000 BC and during this period the climate experienced a gradual change as it became slightly warmer. Animals like elk, bison, mammoth, and woolly rhino moved to cold places in the North and then became extinct. The ancient history in India during this phase had seen the people indulging in hunting, painting, fishing, and other activities related to animal domestication.
Many sites of Mesolithic origin have been found in eastern and central parts of the country, in southern parts of the Krishna River and Uttar Pradesh, and also in areas of Rajasthan.
Neolithic Age
It was around 8000 BC when this era started. The trend of pottery was initiated in this phase and mat-impressed, grey, and black burnished kinds of ware were made.
Important Features of History that happened in this era were the discovery of the wheel and the habitation of the village called Inamgaon. People started making houses in the shape of circles or rectangles which were mainly made of stray grass and bricks of mud. The people have also started growing their crops.
The locations are in parts of Kashmir like Gufkral, Burzahom; Chirand in Bihar, Koldihwa in Uttar Pradesh. A place in Pakistan which is known as Balochistan has a site called Mehrgarh where also many pieces of evidence have been found.
Chalcolithic Age
The word Chalcolithic is formed from the blend of two terms copper (Chalco) and stone (lithic) and therefore this era is known as the Copper Age. This expansion of this phase came into force in 4000 BC. During this phase, the humans used to domesticate animals like pigs, buffalo, sheep, cattle, and goats for rearing and killing them for cooking.
The sites of Brahmagiri, Mahishadal in West Bengal, Navada Toli in the Narmada Region, Chirand in the regions of Ganga showed the culture of the Copper Era.
Iron Age
The iron age is an important phase of ancient history in India. During this period the Aryans arrived in India and the composition of the basic written scripts and books of Hindus such as the Vedas was started. It was the time of 1500BC when this era started and the major civilians were Mahajanpadas.
The realm of Magadha, Sisunga, Alexander, and Nanda was well-known in India at that time. Ancient religions like Buddhism and Jainism also flourished during this time.
Conclusion
The significance of ancient history in India can be seen everywhere. Notably, all the eras and phases that India has seen were important on its own. Many historic events that occurred in the past were extremely commendable and epic. Beginning with the Palaeolithic phase, the most vital discovery of fire was done at the time. Similarly, in all the ages something revolutionary happened that was much bigger than the previous.
The Purpose of studying History gets clearer on this note: to get in-depth knowledge about all the major incidents of the past that impacted the whole history of India.
