Vital Villages and Thriving Towns

Today, we often take iron’s utilisation for granted. Iron (and steel) objects are ubiquitous in our daily lives. Around 3000 years ago, iron was first used on the Indian subcontinent. Megalithic graves held some of the most extensive collections of iron implements and weapons.

There is evidence of the increasing usage of iron implements around 2500 years ago. Axes for clearing woods and the iron ploughshare were among them. Ploughshares helped raise agricultural output.

Without the backing of vital villages, the monarchs and kingdoms you’ve been reading about could not have existed. Irrigation was used in addition to new tools and the transplantation technique to boost yield. Canals, wells, tanks, and artificial lakes were among the irrigation works constructed during this time.

Need and rise of irrigation

• Kings required funds for armies, palaces, and fortifications, so they levied taxes on farmers

• To pay taxes, farmers had to raise production

• This was possible because of irrigation

• Kings contributed funds and oversaw irrigation projects

• The people offered the labour

• The crop production rose because of this

• As the production rose, the revenue increased too

• Crop output benefited farmers as well

People living in vital villages

• Most settlements in the southern and northern sections of the subcontinent hosted at least three different types of people
• In Tamil, large landowners were called Vellalar, regular ploughmen were called uzhavar, and landless labourers, including slaves, were called kadaisiyar and adimai
• The village leader was called the grama bhojaka in the northern section of the country. Typically, the role was maintained by men from the same family for generations
• In other words, the position was passed down through the generations
• The grama bhojaka was frequently the most powerful landowner. To develop the land, he usually used slaves and paid workers. He was also frequently hired by the king to collect taxes from the community because of his power. He also served as a judge and a police officer on occasion
• Other independent farmers, known as grihapatis, existed alongside the gramabhojaka, the majority of whom were minor landowners

Thriving Towns

Scenes showing people’s life in towns and villages, as well as in the forest, were carved by sculptors. Many of these sculptures were employed to ornament the railings, pillars, and doorways of public buildings. Many of the cities that grew up around 2500 years ago were mahajanapadas’ capitals. Massive defence walls surrounded several of these cities. Archaeologists have discovered rows of pots or ceramic rings stacked one on top of the other in several cities. Ring wells are what they’re called. In some cases, these appear to be used as toilets, drains, and waste dumps. These ring wells are typically seen in private residences.

There are few ruins of palaces, markets, or regular people’s homes. Perhaps archaeologists have yet to discover some. Others, such as those made of wood, mud brick, and thatch, may have perished.The reports of sailors and travellers who visited early cities are another source of information. An unnamed Greek sailor wrote one of the most thorough reports ever discovered. He gave detailed descriptions of all the locations he visited.

Important aspects of vital villages and thriving towns

Coins

Thousands of coins from this time have been discovered by archaeologists. Punch marked coins were the first coins, and they were in circulation for roughly 500 years. Punch-marked coins were often rectangular but could also be square or round and were carved from metal sheets or flattened metal. The coins were not engraved, but instead had symbols embossed on them using dies or punches. As a result, they’re known as punch-marked coins.

Cities

For almost 2500 years, Mathura has been a significant settlement because it was situated at the intersection of two main travel and trade routes which were: one from the northwest to the east and the other from the north to the south. There were fortifications and shrines all across the city.

People in the city were fed by farmers and herders from the surrounding territories. Mathura was also known for its exceptional sculpture.

Crafts

Shrenis were formed by many artisans and merchants. These craftspeople’s shrenis provided training, procured raw materials, and disseminated the completed product. The trade was organised by merchants. Shrenis also functioned as banks, where wealthy men and women could deposit their funds. This was invested, and a portion of the interest was returned to the donor or used to finance religious organisations like monasteries.

Arikamedu

Arikamedu was a port town where ships unloaded cargo from faraway regions. At the site, a large brick structure that could have been a storehouse was discovered. Other artefacts include amphorae (long double-handled jars that held liquids like wine or oil) and stamped red-glazed pottery known as Arretine Ware (called after a city in Italy).Wet clay was pressed into a stamped mould to create this. Another type of pottery was created locally, although it was decorated with Roman motifs. The site has also yielded Roman lamps, glassware, and stones.

Conclusion

What we have learned in this article is that villages, towns, and civilizations could not have grown without iron. Villages, on the other hand, were an integral element of huge kingdoms. The locals were taxed by the kings, which led them to increase their production and hence the revenue.