Maharashtra Board Class 11 History Chapter 3 Chalcolithic Villages in India PDF Download

Chalcolithic Villages In India

3.1 Chalcolithic Period In India

When the Mature (urban) Harappan civilisation collapsed completely, the people of Late Harappan cultures who had settled on the ruins of Mature Harappan cities had to migrate elsewhere. The urban Harappans and the Late Harappans dispersed. Wherever these people reached, new rural cultures came into being.

The discipline of architecture, town planning of the Mature Harappan period was absent in the Late Harappan settlements, established on the ruins of the Harappan cities. The designs found on the burial pots in 'Cemetary H' at Harappa were different. These designs include motifs like sun, moon, fish, deer and peacock, which do not occur on the Mature Harappan pottery. On one of the cemetery 'H' pots dead humans are seen carried by peacocks in their stomach. In brief the characteristics of the Late Harappan culture were different.

Some archaeologists are of the opinion that the Late Harappans were perhaps Vedic Aryans. However, more research is required to know whether the Late Harappans were the successors of the Mature Harappan people or whether they were the Vedic Aryans.

These things to the local people wherever they went. Thus, new rural cultures with regional variations came into being. These cultures are known as Chalcolithic culture. Chalcolithic cultures belonged to people who used tools of copper as well as stone. However copper was used sparingly by chalcolithic people.

A number of Chalocolithic sites have been found in Rajasthan, the Ganga valley, Gujarat, Bihar, Bengal, Odisha, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra.

Teacher's Note

Chalcolithic people used both stone and copper tools. Just like we use both old and new things in our home, these people used copper and stone together.

Exam Trick

Remember: Chalco = copper, lithic = stone. So Chalcolithic = copper + stone age. This is the time between Stone Age and Iron Age.

Points To Remember

When Harappan cities died, people moved to new areas and created rural cultures.
Chalcolithic people used both copper and stone tools.
Chalcolithic sites are found in many parts of India like Rajasthan, Gujarat, and Maharashtra.
These new cultures had different designs and styles from the Harappan culture.

Rajasthan

(1) 'Ahar' or 'Banas' Culture : The chalcolthic cultures in India generally belong to the post-Harappan period. However, the 'Ahar' or 'Banas' culture in the Mewad region of Rajasthan was contemporary to the Harappan civilisation. Balathal and Gilund near Udaipur are the important sites of Ahar culture. 'Ahar' culture at Balathal is dated to 4000 B.C.E.

It was first discovered at Ahar near Udaipur, so it was named as 'Ahar' culture. Ahar is located on the banks of Ahar, a tributary of the river Banas, So it is also known as 'Banas' culture.

The archaeological evidence shows that Balathal was a centre of mass production of pottery. The pottery made at Balathal was supplied to other settlements of Ahar culture. Along with pottery, terracotta bull figurines, objects made of chank shell, stone blades, chisels, arrowheads, copper tools, etc. were found here, in large quantities. The houses at Balathal were built of baked bricks, by placing two headers and two stretchers alternatingly (English bond method). Balathal was surrounded by a fortification wall. These characteristics confirm that Balathal people were in close contact with the Harappans.

The Balathal people obtained copper from the Khetri mines in Rajasthan. They knew the technology of smelting copper. It seems Balathal was the source for the Harappans to obtain copper and copper objects.

Teacher's Note

The Ahar culture shows how early people made pottery in large amounts at one place. Like our modern factories, Balathal was a factory town for pottery.

Exam Trick

Remember: Ahar culture = near Udaipur. They made pottery in huge numbers at Balathal and sold to other villages. Think of it like a big pottery shop.

Points To Remember

Ahar culture was named after the place Ahar near Udaipur.
Balathal was a big centre where pottery was made in large amounts.
These people used baked bricks to build houses.
Balathal had a wall around it like Harappan cities.
They got copper from Khetri mines in Rajasthan.

(2) Ganeshwar-Jodhpura Culture : Many sites of the culture known as 'Ganeshwar-Jodhpura' culture have been found in the vicinity of the copper mines at Khetri. The settlements there are earlier than the Harappan civilisation. During the excavations at Ganeshwar copper artefacts like arrowheads, spearheads, harpoons, bangles, chisels and also pottery was found. The people of Ganeshwar-Jodhpura culture supplied copper objects to the Harappans.

Teacher's Note

Ganeshwar people lived near copper mines and were experts in making copper tools. They sold their copper objects to the Harappan people, like how villages near factories supply goods.

Exam Trick

Remember: Ganeshwar = near Khetri copper mines. They made copper things and sold to Harappans. Think: copper mines = copper business.

Points To Remember

Ganeshwar-Jodhpura culture was near copper mines at Khetri.
They made copper arrowheads, spearheads, harpoons and bangles.
These people lived earlier than Harappan people.
They supplied copper objects to the Harappan cities.

The Ganga Valley

Ochre Coloured Pottery and Copper Hoards : Initially the Ochre Colured Pottery (OCP) was mostly found in river beds. Generally the potsherds of OCP are found in worn out, rounded and brittle conditions as they remained in flowing water for a long time. Now, a number of sites of the OCP culture are found in Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan and the Western region of Uttar Pradesh.

House floors of these people were made by ramming. On the house floors were found traces of hearths, terracotta male figurines and bull figurines. Remains of cattle bones, rice and barley were also found. This evidence indicates that people of this culture stayed in settled villages and practiced agriculture.

The OCP culture in Rajasthan is dated to about 3000 B.C.E. The same culture existed in Ganga-Yamuna Doab around 2000 B.C.E.

The Copper Hoards found in India come from various regions, such as Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Bengal, Odisha, and Madhya Pradesh. The copper objects found in these hoards indicate that the artisans who fashioned them were very highly skilled. The archaeological sites of OCP and the find-spots of the copper hoards are often seem to be situated in the same vicinity, not very distant from each other. Hence, OCP and copper hoards are supposed to belong to one and the same culture.

Some archaeologists are of the opinion that this culture belonged to the Harappan people who migrated after the decline of the Harappan civilisation. Some scholars linked the copper hoards to the Vedic Aryans. However, some other scholars reasoning on the basis of the proximity of OCP and copper hoards, believe that it must have been an independent culture.

Teacher's Note

OCP pottery was found in river beds because it broke easily and was thrown away. Like modern garbage, old broken pots ended up in rivers and stayed there for thousands of years.

Exam Trick

Remember: OCP = Ochre Coloured Pottery = reddish-brown pots found in river areas. It is older than 2000 B.C.E. and shows settled village life with farming.

Points To Remember

OCP is a reddish-brown coloured pottery found in river areas.
People lived in settled villages and farmed wheat, rice and barley.
OCP and copper hoards are found near each other, so they may be from the same culture.
These people made clay figurines of men and animals.
The OCP culture existed from about 3000 B.C.E. onwards.

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