Decline and Development of Farming Society

The growth of Agriculture in India can be traced back to 9000 BCE with the cultivation of plants and domestication of animals through early ways of cultivation. It was during Ancient India that basic developments in agricultural practices started in India. The reaping of the crops was dependent on the monsoons that occurred two times a year. Thus, because of such evolutions in the field of agriculture, the trading networks of India too got built up where the Indian products reached foreign and the people of ancient India were made familiar with the foreign goods.

Development of farming society in Ancient India

• The development of agrarian practices in Ancient India can be traced to a series of periods and various successional stages of food production and trade commercially
• In these stages, the phase that comes first is the period of hunting and gathering
• The phase of hunting and gathering is then followed by the domestication of plants and animals
• Successive to this is the root crop culture and the practice of shifting cultivation which is present in today’s time as well
• Then comes production that can be commercialised in the market for trading purposes
• However, even after immense development, the farming society faced a heavy downfall due to political incompetence, military overreach and the invasion by emboldened tribes

Phases of development and downfall of farming society in Ancient India

Neolithic Age

• The important agricultural sites of this age are Chirand in Bihar, Kashmir valley, places in Deccan, Belan Valley in Uttar Pradesh, Hallur Kodekal in Karnataka and Utnur in Andhra Pradesh
• This age can be characterised by the polishing of stone tools, the practice of agriculture, the domestication of animals and the manufacture of pottery
• Notably, it was due to domestication that the village communities emerged based on a sedentary lifestyle
• While the developmental process was in progress, the wheels were used in making pottery which was later used for cooking and storing food items
• One can also notice the advancement that is taking place in technology during this period.
• With respect to one of the most reliable pieces of archaeological evidence, the farming in this period was stretched from Near East areas of India to the north-western part
• The Neolithic Age has remarkably shown great improvements in terms of stones and fired experiments. Added to that, the people of this age have also achieved a lot in their activities as food finders and trackers of the Neolithic Age.

Indus Valley Civilisation

• Indus Valley Civilisation is majorly characterised by its advanced irrigation procedures that helped the people in grasping huge food produce from the crops
• As the innovations increased, the size and prosperity of the Indus Valley Civilisation went hand in hand with the innovations
• The result was an increase in the planned settlements, proper water storage systems and canal systems.
• By some of the most prominent archaeological sources it is evident that the population of the Indus Valley Civilisation had massive reservoirs that are thought of as capable of meeting the needs of the town in times of dry seasons
• This time is characterised with a new culture of worshipping the plants and animals who the people thought of as vital for their survival

Chalcolithic Age

• The Chalcolithic Age belongs to that period after the 2000 BC which extended its dwellings to the areas of Paiyampalli in Tamil Nadu, Banas and Berach bowls of Udaipur and Bhima Valley of Maharashtra
• Similar to the previous ages of farming societies in ancient India, this one also has a kind of subsistence economy inbuilt feature in their minds (not the commercial one)
• One can notice an upturn in social events in the Chalcolithic Age
• The most interesting part of all is the origination of the new technology of smelting of metals and hereby people learned how to craft metal artifacts to be used for themselves and the sale in the market
• The use of microlithic tools continued in this period as well. With the huge popularity of the smelted metals in India and outside too, people began to travel to India, to obtain metal ores

Iron Age

• The name of the Age itself tells us a lot about this period
• Vedas have also given a detailed description of the use of iron during this time duration
• By this time, ironworking practices and methods had developed in the Malwa Region during the period after 1100 BC
• However, still, not everything is known to us about the use of iron and innovations that took place with the use of iron
• The people of this age experience great moisture in the air that proved fatal for the agricultural produce that the people invested into
• Kharif Crops would have majorly suffered from the presence of excessive moisture in the air
• This Age is also characterised by various prominent inventions of numerous medicines that helped people in surviving longer

Conclusion

With the emergence of technology and high-skilled activities, the agricultural and farming society experienced great upliftments in Ancient India. One can notice all the noticeable changes in the areas where the people of these periods had their dwellings. Nevertheless, even after so many advancements, the period didn’t undergo any such dramatic economic or social transformation in its structure.

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