Page 5 - Jul-Sep 2017

VOl. 14 No. 3
Down the ages,
ARCHAEOLOGICAL SOURCES A craftsman's mastery,
Years later,
An archaeological
discovery!
In archaeology, an artefact is an object recovered by an archaeological dig,
which helps provide understanding of human history. The history of India
has been discovered and traced through the objects like stone tools, coins,
jewellery, pottery, inscriptions and monuments.
Tisha Arora, IX B, Model Academy, Jammu; Ira Bhandula, VIII C, Bhatnagar International School, Delhi

ArChAeoLoGiCAL reMAiNs ePiGrAPhY

excavated ruins and monuments inscriptions are one of the main
sources for reconstructing the
give us knowledge of the life of the history and culture of civilizations. epigraphs can
ancient people. These monuments be broadly divided into records of the dynasty in power,
are often described as the mirror of epitaphs, official orders and accounts of donations.
their time.
eXAMPLe
eXAMPLe This stone inscription from bastar was

Kalibangan is one of the Illustration by: Ira Bhandula, VIIIC, originally found at Khamargaon,
important ancient indus Valley Bhatnagar Intl. School, Chhattisgarh. it records the grant of
Vasant Kunj, Delhi
cities. it is thought to be the a village.
first city of the indus Valley Civilization. The excavations
brought to light a grid layout of the city and unique NUMisMAtiCs
fire altars symbolising fire worship. it also gives us the Coins are an important historical
evidence of world’s earliest ploughed fields (2800 bC). record. The designs and the
Priya Choudhary , IX Jayshree Periwal High School, Jaipur, Harpreet Singh, inscriptions on coins allow us to
S.V. Public School, Jaipur understand the politics, economy, technology and culture
of the period.
PotterY ANd seALs eXAMPLe
excavations at various places have resulted excavations at ujjain have yielded large quantities of
in the discovery of pottery and seals. coins. The coins found here throw light on the rule of the
These give a glimpse of the crafts Illustration by: Divya,Army gupta, Maurya, shunga and satvahana dynasty.
Public School, Ambala
and trades of that period. Cantt.
eXAMPLe ACtiVitY: CoiN CoLLeCtioN

excavations at Sanghol, Punjab Try to find really old coins. You could also use foreign
have established it as an important coins. Find as much information as you can about the
buddhist site during the Kushan people and society from the coin.
period. Terracotta objects, human
and animal figurines were found here. sCULPtUres
seals in brahmi and Kharosthi script have also been found. sculptures are an important source as they
Nitya, XI, Suditi Global Academy, Etawah; A. Aditya, VI C, Saupin’s School, reveal details of worship, events and rulers etc,
Chandigarh
bringing out the details of craftsmanship.
other soUrCes: eXAMPLe
Other sources that further The devi uma or Parvati sculpture of Chola and
help archaeologists and historians Pallava periods is in bronze. The main aspect of
understand history are paintings, this figurine is the dancing pose. she is adorned
cave paintings, paleography, jewellery
and literary sources. with a crown and ornaments around her neck
and hands.
ACtiVitY: Name two more sources
and where have they been found in Text and Illustration by: Anushka Verma, XI B, Sir Padampat
India. Illustration by: Priyanka Panda, XID, Singhania Education Centre, Kanpur
Summer Fields School, DLF City, Gurgaon

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