Welcome dear students! Today we are going to learn about Bharathavarsha: Geographical Features and Prehistoric Period from Class 8 Social_Science. After studying this chapter, you will learn that India is a subcontinent and a peninsula. You will understand the physical features of India, locate the neighbouring countries of India, explore the lifestyle of humans in the prehistoric period, and study the stone ages of the prehistoric period in India. The geographical environment has influenced the history and the formation of culture of every country and race in the world. There is an intimate relationship between human life and the environment. Hence it is necessary to learn about the geographical environment in order to know about human history. India is a subcontinent occupying a huge area in the southern part of the Asian Continent. It is a peninsula, surrounded by water on three sides and land on one side. India shares its boundaries with Pakistan, Afghanistan, China, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh and Myanmar. [CHECKPOINT]
Looking at the map provided in your textbook, we can see the regions that constituted Greater India. This vast region was also called Bharathavarsha, Bharatha Khanda, Sindhudweepa, Akhandabharatha and Greater India. At present, India consists of 28 states and 8 union territories including the national capital territory of Delhi. India’s geographical features comprise the Himalayan Range of Mountains in the North, the Indo-Gangetic Plain, the Deccan Plateau in the South and the Coastal Region. The snow-capped mountains in the North include some of the tallest mountain peaks in the world. They help to preserve the safety and security of India. There have been a few intrusions into ancient India from the northern Himalayan region. The attacks have been mainly from the north-western side through the valleys of Bolan and Khyber passes. [CHECKPOINT]
The flat Indo-Gangetic Plains are very fertile. The ancient civilizations of Indus Valley and Vedic period flourished here. Many battles have been fought in all the time to establish control over this area. The Narmada river separates India into two parts. These are the Malwa Plateau or the Central Highlands and the Deccan Plateau in the south. The Mauryas and the Guptas ruled these two areas of ancient India. This division of North and South India leads to cultural diversity. The main land of India has a coastline of 6,100 kilometres. Including islands, India has 7,516 kilometres of coastline. The eastern coastline is called the Coromandel Coast and Utkal Coast, whereas the western coastline is referred to as Konkan and Malabar Coast. [CHECKPOINT]
The numerous ports on this coastline had attracted the Romans from time immemorial. Foreign trade was carried on in those days only through sea-routes. Thus these ports were developed and became the cause for the rise of powerful kingdoms in the South like the Pandyas, the Cheras and the Cholas. The diversity in the Indian geographical environment has also influenced the lives of communities living here. Despite the cultural diversity, there exists a cultural unity which binds all these diversities. Unity in Diversity is the essence of this culture. Now let us move on to the Prehistoric Age. The period before the discovery of the art of writing is called the Prehistoric Age. This is so because we do not find evidences to the linguistic development or to the use of script. We do not get any written records for the study of history of this period. [CHECKPOINT]
Then how do we get to know about the people and their life in the prehistoric age? The scholars who study this period are called Archaeologists. In this age, man was a nomad and indulged in hunting and food-gathering. Archaeologists have discovered some implements created and used by these people. Probably they used weapons made of stone, wood and bones. Among these, only weapons made of stone have survived today, providing us sources for study. Human beings in the prehistoric age used stone implements to peel the skin and separate the flesh and bones of animals, to scrape the bark of trees, and to cut fruits and roots. The people used to create handles out of bones and wood, and using them like spears and arrows and hunted animals. They used stones as axes to chop down trees and cut them up into logs. They might have used wood to build huts for themselves, or to make handles for their weapons. The above explanations construct the important features of prehistoric periods. [CHECKPOINT]
Let us now look at the Classification of History. First is the Pre-historic period. This is the period for which we have only archaeological ruins for reconstructing history. For example, Stone Age culture. Second is the Proto-Historic period. This is the period for which we have written documents along with archaeological ruins, but cannot be read. For example, Indus Valley Civilization. Third is the Historic Period. This is the period which has archaeological ruins and written documents for the reconstruction of history. For example, starting from Vedic Civilization. The areas chosen by Prehistoric Man are very interesting. The relics of the hunting and food-gathering man are available in Bimbetka, Hunasagi and Kurnool in India. There are many other sites in which such relics have been found. Most of these sites have been discovered along the banks of rivers and lakes. Furthermore, since stone implements were essential for the survival of people of that age, they chose areas abundant with stone which could fulfil their needs. [CHECKPOINT]
Areas where people used stones to create various implements have been considered as industrial sites. How do we get to know about such industrial sites? Usually we get to see stone implements around rocky areas. People might have rejected some stones as unsuitable for their implements. Heaps of broken rocks or stone-chips obtained during the making of these implements were found in such areas. People lived for a long time in these places. These sites are called residential and industrial sites. Let us discuss awareness about fire. Signs of ashes have been found in the caves of Kurnool. They reveal the awareness and the use of fire by the people of the Stone Age. Probably fire was used for various purposes like to cook food, for lighting and safety from animals. We also find drawings in caves. We get to see some drawings in many caves in which people lived in the Stone Age. Even today we can see the drawings done on the walls of caves and on rocks. Such cave-drawings can be seen in Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Karnataka. There are beautiful drawings of wild animals and of hunting. [CHECKPOINT]
Now, let us think about the changing environment. It is believed that 12,000 years ago a major change took place in the world’s environment. The earth’s temperature began to increase gradually. This led to the development of grasslands in many places. Birds and animals began to multiply in unprecedented numbers. Animals like deer, elks, goats, sheep and others flourished in these grasslands. Man who had been hunting animals, began to observe their nature, food habits and the way these animals breed. Over a period of time, he captured these animals and domesticated them. This was the way the practices of animal husbandry and dairy farming began. Man had by now, learnt to catch fish in streams and lakes. Man learnt to use rice, wheat and barley as food and gradually he learnt to grow them too. Archaeologists refer to the age we discussed now, by different names. The age which prevailed 2 million years ago is the oldest period and is called the Old Stone Age, and it stretched over a period of 12,000 years. This long duration has been classified into three stages: the Early, Middle and Late Old Stone Ages. [CHECKPOINT]
The diagram in your textbook shows the stages of the Prehistoric age chronologically, illustrating the progression from early tools to later weapons. The period from 12,000 years to around 10,000 years is called the Middle Stone Age. The weapons of this period are generally very small and hence they are called delicate stone weapons. Man fashioned handles from delicate stone for weapons made from bone and wood. He used those implements as axes and saws. Along with these tools, weapons of the old kind too continued to exist. The New Stone Age began after 10,000 years. The stone weapons of this period are different from those of the earlier periods. These weapons were bright and had sharp blades. People of this age used grinding stones for grinding leaves and herbs and for powdering grains and cereals. Some pots and pans of this period have been found, a few of which have been decorated. Pots were used for storing grains. They were also used for cooking rice, wheat and other grains and cereals. People of this age had learnt to weave cloth. [CHECKPOINT]
Now, let us practice with the exercises to reinforce your learning. Exercise one asks you to fill in the blanks with suitable words. The first blank is: Geographically, India is a subcontinent and peninsula. The second blank is: Signs of ashes have been found in caves of Kurnool. The third blank is: The weapons of the Middle Stone Age are called delicate stone weapons. Exercise two asks you to answer the following questions in brief. Question four asks to describe briefly the physical features of India. India’s geographical features comprise the Himalayan Range of Mountains in the North, the Indo-Gangetic Plain, the Deccan Plateau in the South and the Coastal Region. The Narmada river separates India into the Malwa Plateau or Central Highlands and the Deccan Plateau. The mainland coastline is 6,100 kilometres, and including islands it is 7,516 kilometres, divided into the Coromandel and Utkal Coasts in the east, and Konkan and Malabar Coasts in the west. [CHECKPOINT]
Question five asks which two valleys intrusions attacked India. The attacks have been mainly from the north-western side through the valleys of Bolan and Khyber passes. Question six asks what is meant by Prehistoric Age. The period before the discovery of the art of writing is called the Prehistoric Age. This is so because we do not find evidences to the linguistic development or to the use of script, and we do not get any written records for the study of history of this period. Question seven asks how animal husbandry and dairy farming evolved. As the earth warmed and grasslands developed, animals like deer, elks, goats, and sheep flourished. Man observed their nature, food habits, and breeding patterns, captured them, and domesticated them, which led to the beginning of animal husbandry and dairy farming. Question eight asks for the different periods of prehistory named by archaeologists. They are the Old Stone Age, which prevailed 2 million years ago and stretched over a period of 12,000 years, divided into Early, Middle, and Late stages, the Middle Stone Age from 12,000 to around 10,000 years ago, and the New Stone Age which began after 10,000 years. Exercise three is an activity. It instructs you to visit an ancient site or museum along with your parents and learn more about it from your teacher. This hands-on experience will help you connect the archaeological concepts we discussed with real historical artifacts and environments. Thank you for listening! Keep revising and practicing. Goodbye! [CHAPTER_COMPLETE]