Inamgaon is a site on the river Ghod, a tributary of the Bhima. It is a megalithic site. It was occupied between 3600 and 2700 years ago. Here,adults were generally buried in the ground, laid out straight, with the head towards the north. Sometimes burials were within the houses. Vessels that probably contained food and water were placed with the dead.
Archaeologists have found seeds of wheat, barley, rice, pulses, millets, peas and sesame. Bones of a number of animals, many bearing cut marks that show they may have been used as food, have also been found. These include cattle, buffalo, goat, sheep, dog, horse, ass, pig, sambhar, spotted deer, blackbuck, antelope, hare, and mongoose, besides birds, crocodile, turtle, crab and fish. There is evidence that fruits such as ber, amla, jamun, dates and a variety of berries were collected.
Some Important Dates in Ancient Indian History
Some Important Dates in Ancient Indian History
- Cotton cultivation at Mehrgarh (about 7000 years ago)
- Beginning of cities (about 4700 years ago)
- Beginning of the end of these cities (about 3900 years ago)
- The emergence of other cities (about 2500 years ago)
- Beginning of the composition of the Vedas (about 3500 years ago)
- Beginning of the building of megaliths (about 3000 years ago)
- Settlement at Inamgaon (between 3600 and 2700 years ago)
- Charaka (about 2000 years ago)
- New kinds of rajas (about 3000 years ago)
- Mahajanapadas (about 2500 years ago)
- Alexander’s invasion, composition of the Digha Nikaya (about 2300 years ago)
- End of the ganas or sanghas (about 1500 years ago)
- Upanishadic thinkers, the Jaina teacher Mahavira and the
Buddha (about 2500 years ago). - Writing down of the Jaina texts (about 1500 years ago)
- Beginning of the Mauryan empire (more than 2300 years ago)
- Beginning of the use of iron in the subcontinent (about 3000 years ago)
- Increase in the use of iron, cities, punch marked coins (about 2500 years ago)
- Beginning of the composition of Sangam literature (about 2300 years ago)
- Settlement in Arikamedu (between 2200 and 1900 years ago)
Harappan towns in Gujarat
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| Harappan cities of Gujarat, India |
City of Lothal : stood beside a tributary of the Sabarmati, in Gujarat, close to the Gulf of Khambat. It was situated near areas where raw materials such as semi-precious stones were easily available. This was an important centre for
making objects out of stone, shell and metal. There was also a store house in the city. Many seals and sealings (the impression of seals on clay) were found in this storehouse. A dockyard was excavated at Lothal. This huge tank may have been used as a dockyard, where boats and ships came in from the sea and through the river channel. Goods were probably loaded and unloaded here.
The Earliest cities in subcontinent
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| The Earliest cities in subcontinent |
A closer look of Mehrgarh
Beginning of settlement at Mehrgarh (about 8000 years ago). This site is located in a fertile plain, near the Bolan Pass, which is one of the most important routes into Iran. Mehrgarh was probably one of the places where women and men learnt to grow barley and wheat, and rear sheep and goats for the first time in this area. It is one of the earliest villages that we know about.
Archaeologists who excavated the site found evidence of many kinds of animal bones from the earliest levels. These included bones of wild animals such as the deer and pig. In later levels, they found more bones of sheep and goat, and in still later levels, cattle bones are most common, suggesting that this was the animal that was generally kept by the people.
Other finds at Mehrgarh include remains of square or rectangular houses. Each house had four or more compartments, some of which may have been used for storage. Several burial sites have been found at Mehrgarh. In one instance, the dead person was buried with goats, which were probably meant to serve as food in the next world.
Archaeologists who excavated the site found evidence of many kinds of animal bones from the earliest levels. These included bones of wild animals such as the deer and pig. In later levels, they found more bones of sheep and goat, and in still later levels, cattle bones are most common, suggesting that this was the animal that was generally kept by the people.
Other finds at Mehrgarh include remains of square or rectangular houses. Each house had four or more compartments, some of which may have been used for storage. Several burial sites have been found at Mehrgarh. In one instance, the dead person was buried with goats, which were probably meant to serve as food in the next world.
Some important archaeological sites in India
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| Some important archaeological sites in India |
Bhimbetka (in present-day Madhya Pradesh).Some sites, known as habitation sites, are places where people lived. These include caves and rock shelters such as the one shown here. People chose these natural caves because they provided shelter from the rain, heat and wind. Natural caves and rock shelters are found in the Vindhyas and the Deccan plateau. These rock shelters are close to the Narmada valley.
Traces of ash have been found in Kurnool caves. This suggests that people were familiar with the use of fire.
A number of early Palaeolithic sites were found at Hungsi. At some sites, a large number of tools, used for all sorts of activities, were found. These were probably
habitation-cum factory sites.
Sites of grain and bones of domesticated animals
| Grain and Bones | Sites |
| Wheat, barley, sheep, goat, cattle | Mehrgarh (in present day-Pakistan) |
| Rice, fragmentary animal bones | Koldihwa (in present-day Uttar Pradesh) |
| Rice, cattle (hoof marks on clay surface) | Mahagara (in present-day Uttar Pradesh) |
| Wheat and lentil | Gufkral (in present-day Kashmir) |
| Wheat and lentil, dog, cattle, sheep, goat, buffalo | Burzahom (in present-day Kashmir) |
| Wheat, green gram, barley, buffalo, ox | Chirand (in present-day Bihar) |
| Millet, cattle, sheep, goat, pig | Hallur (in present-day Andhra Pradesh) |
| Black gram, millet, cattle, sheep, pig | Paiyampalli (in present-day Andhra Pradesh) |
Domestication of plants and animals
Domestication was a gradual process that took place in many parts of the world. It began about 12,000 years ago. Virtually all the plant and animal produce that we use as food today is a result of domestication. Some of the earliest plants to be domesticated were wheat and barley. The earliest domesticated animals include sheep and goat.
Amongst animals, those that are relatively gentle are selected for breeding. As a result, gradually, domesticated animals and plants become different from wild animals and plants.
Amongst animals, those that are relatively gentle are selected for breeding. As a result, gradually, domesticated animals and plants become different from wild animals and plants.
Paleolitic, Mesolithic and Neolithic periods
Palaeolithic period (old stone age): The Palaeolithic period extends from 2 million years ago to about 12,000 years ago. This long stretch of time is divided into the Lower, Middle and Upper Palaeolithic. This long span of time covers 99% of human history.
Mesolithic period (middle stone age): From 12,000 years to 10,000 ago. Stone tools found during this period are generally tiny, and are called microliths.
Neolithic period : from 10,000 years ago.
Mesolithic period (middle stone age): From 12,000 years to 10,000 ago. Stone tools found during this period are generally tiny, and are called microliths.
Neolithic period : from 10,000 years ago.
What are BC, AD, CE, BCE and BP ?
BC stands for Before Christ
AD stands for Anno Domini meaning ‘in the year of the Lord’ (i.e. Christ).
Sometimes CE is used instead of AD and BCE instead of BC. The letters CE stand for ‘Common Era’ and BCE for ‘Before Common Era’.
BP stands for Before Present
AD stands for Anno Domini meaning ‘in the year of the Lord’ (i.e. Christ).
Sometimes CE is used instead of AD and BCE instead of BC. The letters CE stand for ‘Common Era’ and BCE for ‘Before Common Era’.
BP stands for Before Present
The Kandhahar bi lingual inscription of Ashoka
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| The Kandhahar bi lingual inscription of Ashoka |
Transparent, Opaque and Translucent objects
If we cannot see through an object at all, it is an opaque object.
If we are able to see clearly through an object, it is allowing light to pass through it and is transparent.
If we can see through an object, but not very clearly. It is a translucent object.
If we are able to see clearly through an object, it is allowing light to pass through it and is transparent.
If we can see through an object, but not very clearly. It is a translucent object.
Some diseases or disorders caused by deficiency of vitamins and minerals
| Vitamin/Mineral | Deficiency disease/disorder | Symptoms |
| Vitamin A | Loss of vision | Poor vision, loss of vision in darkness (night), sometimes complete loss of vision |
| Vitamin B1 | Beriberi | Weak muscle and very little energy to wok |
| Vitamin C | Scurvy | Bleeding gums, Wounds take long time to heal |
| Vitamin D | Rickets | Bones become soft and bent |
| Calcium | Bone and tooth decay | Weak bones, tooth decay |
| Iodine | Goiter | Glands in the neck appear swollen, mental disability in children |
| Iron | Anaemia | Weakness |
WTO Ministerial Conferences
| Venue | Year |
|---|---|
| Singapore | December 1996 |
| Geneva | May 1998 |
| Seattle | Nov-Dec1999 |
| Doha | November 2001 |
| Cancún | September 2003 |
| Hong Kong | December 2005 |
| Geneva | Nov-Dec 2009 |
| Geneva | December 2011 |
IMF Conditions on India
During the early 1990 BoP crisis, India borrowed from IMF. The loan given by the IMF has the following conditions.
- Rupee devaluation by 22%.
- Custom duty cut from 130% to 30% for all goods.
- 20% increase in Excise duty to neutralise the loss of custom duty revenue.
- 10% per annum cut in government expenditure.
Terminator Technology
The phrase terminator technology has been coined by the Rural Advancement Foundation Institute (RAFI). It is a Canadian NGO. The terminator technology is basically a biotechnological technique which creates sterile seeds by programming a plant's DNA to kill it's own embryo.
The technique alters four genes in the seeds of plants in such a manner that the second generation seeds (seeds generated from plants which themselves have been raised from genetically altered seeds) become incapable of germination. Technically called as control of Plant gene expression, a patent has been obtained jointly by the Delta Pine Land Company and US Department of Agriculture.
The technique is still in the experimental stage and is being experimented on cotton and tobacco.
Hib vaccine to be introduced in India
Haemophilus influenzae type B vaccine is a vaccine used for curing disease caused by Haemophilus influenzae type b bacteria. It is a pentavalent (five-in-one) vaccine. It will be introduces in 2012 and will replace the DPT and Hepatitis ‘B’ vaccines. The vaccine will be given at the sixth, 10th and 14th weeks.
It will be introduced in India to prevent pneumonia among children,and is an essential component of a strategy to cut child mortality, and immunisation against Hib, measles and whooping cough is the most effective way.
Vaccinations against Haemophilus influenzae (Hib) have decreased early childhood meningitis significantly in developed countries and recently in other developing countries.
It will be introduced in India to prevent pneumonia among children,and is an essential component of a strategy to cut child mortality, and immunisation against Hib, measles and whooping cough is the most effective way.
Vaccinations against Haemophilus influenzae (Hib) have decreased early childhood meningitis significantly in developed countries and recently in other developing countries.
Gene Therapy
Gene Therapy is a technique for repairing defective genes which cause a particular disease by using insertion, alteration, or removal of genes. The technology is still in its infancy.
Isthmus
Isthmus is a narrow strip of land connecting two larger land areas. It's sides are covered by water. Usually they obstruct the ocean navigation and canals are constructed to overcome them.
Some famous Isthmuses:
Some famous Isthmuses:
- The Isthmus of Kra connecting Malay Peninsula with the mainland of Asia.
- The Isthmus of Suez between North Africa and Sinai Peninsula.
- Isthmus of Panama between North and South America.
- Isthmus of Gibraltar
F-22 Raptor
The F-22 Raptor is a stealth, single-seat, twin-engine fifth-generation fighter plane, developed by Lockheed Martin. For stealth, the F-22 carries it's weapons in internal bays.Fifth-generation aircrafts are very much expensive.The company stopped the production due to the lack of funding.
Inclusive Growth Pdf document from 11th five year plan document - India
View and download the Inclusive Growth Pdf document from 11th five year plan document from the below link.
https://docs.google.com/open?id=0BwLgk2e_rOI9ZDkyZTY5NzYtMzcwMS00NmFiLTg0MmEtNzkwZDczOTM5ZDIy
https://docs.google.com/open?id=0BwLgk2e_rOI9ZDkyZTY5NzYtMzcwMS00NmFiLTg0MmEtNzkwZDczOTM5ZDIy