Places of Historical Significance: Regional Sites I Chapter Notes | Footprints Class 7: Book Solutions, Notes & Worksheets PDF Download

Introduction

India has a long history that goes back thousands of years. From early humans who hunted and gathered, to those who built the first cities and established grand kingdoms and empires, to those who endured the effects of colonialism—our ancestors have left behind proof of their existence and their impact on our culture and identity. Much of this evidence can be seen in the remains of ancient homes, cities, monuments, and other sites that still exist today and are part of our heritage. In India, the past and the present exist together, and many of us have visited or are familiar with these historic sites that are integral to our identity.

Historical Sites of Significance

• A site of historical significance is a place that holds pieces of political, military, religious, cultural, or social history and is officially recognized.
• These sites can be buildings, landscapes, structures/monuments, or locations that are considered to have historical value and are usually protected by law.
• Varanasi, one of the oldest living cities globally, exemplifies the coexistence of the past and the present.
• The Indian Government has implemented laws and established institutions like the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) to identify and safeguard historical sites.
• ASI boards are commonly seen at historic sites, indicating their protection and providing information about the site's history.

Pre-Modern Sites

• In ancient India, there were many cities known as 'pre-modern' sites. These cities have been a significant part of India's history for a long time. For example, you may have learned about the bustling cities where the Harappans lived in your sixth-grade class. Cities like these reappeared around the time of Buddha and continued to exist. 
• These pre-modern cities served various purposes like political, military, administrative, craft production, trade, religious centers, and more. They were hubs of education and culture. We learn about these cities from sources like archaeological findings and ancient texts.

Key Characteristics of Pre-Modern Urbanization

• People lived close together, and fields for crops were just outside the city.
• The cities often had walls or fortifications around them for protection against attacks.
• The wealthy and important people in society lived in the center of the city, while others sometimes lived outside the city walls.

Sources of History

Sources are like clues that help us piece together the past. They come in different forms like words and objects and tell us stories about history.

Key Points:

• Oral Sources: These are spoken accounts or stories passed down through generations.
• Inscriptions and Edicts: Writings carved into rocks, pillars, and walls.
• Archaeological Sources: Objects like tools, weapons, pots, statues, and paintings.
• Coins, Artefacts, and Objects: Physical items from the past that give us insights.
• Literary Sources: Written materials like manuscripts, myths, and parchments.
• Monuments: Ancient buildings that hold historical significance.
• Accounts of Travellers: Stories and records from people who journeyed in the past.
• Chronicles: Recorded events from both religious and secular perspectives.
• Biographies: Life stories of individuals that provide historical context.

Case Study: Kalibangan

• Kalibangan is an ancient site in northern Rajasthan, India, situated near the dry Ghaggar-Hakra River. It started small around 3000 BCE but grew into a major city by 2700 BCE, named for the many dark bangles found there.
• An Italian scholar, Luigi Pio Tessitori, first identified Kalibangan as a historic site.
• Digging at Kalibangan started later and continued for a long time. The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) published a report on the excavations in 2003.
• Kalibangan is an ancient site that tells us a lot about how people lived in the past. It has three big mounds where archaeologists found many interesting things. Let's look at some key findings from the excavations at Kalibangan.

Key Features of the Site

• Agricultural Fields: The city started with farming. They found an old field with plough marks dating back to the early days.
• Fortifications: The city was protected by big walls made of bricks. By 2700 BCE, it had a citadel (a fort) and a lower town, like other big cities back then.
• Houses: People lived in houses with courtyards, storage pits, and fireplaces. In later times, they even had special places for fire ceremonies and ways to manage waste.
• Citadel: This was a special part of the city with fewer houses. It had platforms that might have been used for important rituals, a well, and places for bathing.
• Lower Town: In this part, there were streets in a grid pattern. They found drains in the citadel but not in the lower town.
• Cemetery: To the west of the citadel, there was a burial ground where they found graves with different objects buried alongside them.
• Artifacts: Archaeologists found many things like pottery, beads, objects made of copper, shells, and more. They also found interesting items like a bronze mirror and seals with writing that we still can't read.

Historical Significance of Kalibangan

The excavations at Kalibangan show how the ancient Harappan people lived and dealt with their environment and circumstances. It helps us grasp the beginnings of one of the earliest cities in South Asia.

• The city layout at Kalibangan is like a preview of today's cities. There was a special area (the citadel) for important buildings used for rituals and administration. Another area was for crafts, trade, and regular homes (the lower town).
• Discoveries like fire altars, pits with animal remains (possibly for sacrifices), a terracotta figure of a bull or buffalo, and a piece of a deity statue found at Kalibangan suggest connections to religious and ritual practices in South Asia after the Harappan period.

What Was Happening Elsewhere?

Between a long time ago and a bit more recently, Mesopotamia, an area covering parts of modern-day Iraq, Iran, Syria, Kuwait, and Turkey, saw the rise of strong kingdoms, empires, and cities.

• Mesopotamian cities were split into three parts: a special sacred area, a city with walls on a raised ground, and the outer town.
• In the city center, they built a tall structure called a ziggurat with a temple on top, dedicated to the city's main god. Administrative buildings and storage rooms were found in the sacred area.
• The walled city and the outer town were where people lived. Houses of different sizes were constructed, often with a central open area surrounded by rooms.