Ancient India Test - 1

The significant features of the Indus Valley civilisation were personal cleanliness, town planning, construction of burnt-brick houses, ceramics, casting, forging of metals, and manufacturing of cotton and woolen textiles.

The most unique aspect of planning during the Indus Valley civilisation was the system of underground drainage. The main sewer, 1.5 meters deep and 91 cm across, connected to many north-south and east-west sewers. It was made from bricks smoothened and joined together seamlessly. The expert masonry kept the sewer watertight. Drops at regular intervals acted like an automatic cleaning device.

Rakhal Das Banerji initially discovered the Mohenjodaro site of the Indus Valley Civilisation in 1922. He was an eminent Indian Archaeologist & Museum expert. His interpretations were published in books : "An Indian City Five Thousand Years Ago" ; "Mohenjo-Daro"; ''Prehistoric'', ''Ancient and Hindu India'' and ''Mahenjo-Daro – A Forgotten Report.''

Mohenjodaro meaning 'Mound of the Dead Men' is an archaeological site. Built around 2500 BCE, it was one of the largest settlements of the ancient Indus Valley Civilisation.

Great Bath is a structure belonging to the Indus Valley Civilisation discovered during archaeological excavations in 1920s at Mohenjodaro. It is known as the earliest public water bank of ancient world with a depth of 2.43 metres. The entry of the structure is from north and south. It is predicted that the bath was built during 3^rd century BCE.

Chalcolithic Age can be considered as the first metal age where metals like copper and its alloy bronze were discovered. As the name itself indicates, in this period, both metal and stone were used for making tools vessels, for day-to-day life. The important sites of this age are of Indus Valley sites.

The Chalcolithic culture represented the farming culture that existed during 2000-700 B.C. People of Chalcolithic were not hunter-gatherers, rather they did farming, hunting, fishing, cattle rearing. Animals that were reared were sheep, goat, buffalo and pig. Later these animals were killed for food. Chalcolithic people used tiny tools and weapons made of stone and metals. They made bangles of copper manufactured beads of semi-precious stones as carnelian, stealite and quartz.

Man passed from food gathering stage to the food producing stage during the Neolithic Age. Neolithic Age began 12,000 years ago. During the early stage, wheat and millet were grown and animals like dogs and goats were domesticated. Further around 6500 BC, cattle were reared and permanent farms and settlements were established.

The mature Indus Valley Civilisation (IVC) (2450–2200 BCE) and the late Indus Valley Civilisation (1900–1700 BCE), were Chalcolithic or Bronze age civilisations. The Pre-Indus Valley Civilisation (7000–5500 BCE) was Neolithic and the early Indus Valley Civilisation (5500–3300 BCE) saw the slow development and refinement of metal tools.