Eternal India Encyclopedia

Ancient Concepts, Sciences & Systems

Eternal India encyclopedia

CHRONOLOGY

Date

Scientific and Technological Developments

Remarks

Early Palaeolithic or Early Stone Age: Chopper-chopping tool culture. Hand-axe culture.

150000- 25000 B.C.

The Punjab, Peninsular India, barring extreme south India

--do--

Middle Palaeolithic or the Middle Stone Age: predominance of flake tools, scrappers, borers, points etc.

25000- 5000 B.C.

Mesolithic or the Late Stone Age : Predominance of microliths, flakes, blades, lunates, borers, scrappers, chisels, trapezoids, triangles, drills,etc.

Gujarat, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Mysore,Tirunelvelly, (Tamil Nadu), Bir- banpur (West Bengal), etc.

5000- 3000 B.C.

Neolithic Age

3500 B.C.

Baluchistan

Flourishing Period of Harappan Culture : copper-bronze technology, cire perdue process; wheel-made decorated and glazed pottery; settled agriculture, wheat and barley; domestication of animals; drainage and public bath, burnt brick and mortar constructions;' grid system of town planning; spinning and weaving; measurement and computational techniques

2300- 1750 B.C.

Sindh, Baluchistan, Punjab, Rajaputana and Saurashtra; influenced later settle- ments also

2000 B.C.

Some Neolithic settlements ; agriculture; cave-drawings and paintings, depicting mainly animals; hand-made and later wheel-made pottery.

Andhra, Karnatak, Kashmir and Bengal regions

1800B.C.

Some Chalcolithic settlements; use of copper tools; Black-and-Red ware ; Malwa ware and Jorwe ware ; spouted vessels.

Saurashtra , Rajputana, central, Southern and eastern India

Ochre-colourecd ware : copper-hoards.

1700- 1000 B.C.

Closed casting of the alloyed and unalloyed metal

1500 B.C.

The Rigveda: concept of natural law (rta); monistic idea concerning water; ’lunar mansions' or the naksatra system of marking the ecliptic, beginnings calendar system; knowledge of diseases and cure; agricultural practices, use of plough, wheat and barley; fermentation methods; use of horse of superior breed. The Yajurveda the whole series of 27 or 28 naksatras headed by Krttika, number-names on the decimal scale up to 10 12 ; agricultural practices, mentions mentions rice. naksatras, method of intercalation; more detailed medical knowledge and associated practices; lists different plants and animals. The Brahmanas, Aranyakas and Upanishads; astronomical ideas, cosmic cycle; beginnings of mathematical series (both A.P. and G.P); more physio- logical and anatomical knowledge; doctrine of the pancabhutas', further elucidation of the world of the living and non-living. The Atharvaveda; astronomical knowledge; details of

The Punjab and Kashmir regions; earliest literary composition of its type

1000B.C.

Western U.P; mentions rice

lOOOB.C.

Some parts of the Atharvaveda seem to be earlier, Concept of prana as the sustainer of life

1000- 600 B.C.

The idea of cosmic cycle possibly influenced the Greek thinking later

Painted-Grey ware, in association with iron.

A de luxe pottery mainly in northern and north-western parts of India.

Production and use of iron.

In small open-hearth furnaces

Agricultural practices-rotation fallowing method to increase the soil fertility.

6th-5th CB.C

Mainly in eastern parts; later spread to central and other parts of India

Northern Black-Polished ware, associated with the use of iron: making of steel.

Glass objects at Taxila.

Bhir mound at Taxila

Codification of medical knowledge into Ayurveda: Vedanga Jyotisa : five-year cycle; further elaboration of calendarical science

Naksatra system continued to be the basis