UNIT ONE

 ARCHEAOLOGY IS THE STUDY OF HUMAN ACTIVITY IN THE PAST PRIMARY THROUGH THE RECOVERY AND ANALYSIS OF THE MATERIAL CULTURE AND ENVIRONMENTAL DATA THAT ANCIENT PEOPLE LEFT BEHIND, WHICH INCLUDES ARTIFACTS,ARCHITECTURE,BIOFACTS ( ALSO KNOWN AS ECO-FACTS) AND CULTURAL LANDSCAPES ( THE ARCHEOLOGICAL RECORD). BECAUSE ARCHAEOLOGY EMPLOYS A WIDE RANGE OF DIFFERENT PROCEDURES, IT CAN BE CONSIDERED TO BE BOTH A SCIENCE AND A HUMANITY.

 ARCHEALOGICAL SOURCES – ANCIENT RUINS, REMAINS AND MONUMENTS RECOVERED AS A RESULT OF EXCAVATION AND EXPLORATION ARE ARCHAEOLOGICAL SOURCES OF HISTORY.THE ARCHAELOGICAL SOURCES OF HISTORY ARE SUBJECTED TO SCIENTIFIC EXAMINATION OF RADIO-CARBON METHOD FOR ITS DATES. ARCHAELOGICAL SOURCES GIVE US SOME KNOWLEDGE OF THE ANCIENT PEOPLE.

 ARCHAEOLOGY IS PRIMARILY CONCERNED WITH RENCONSTRUCTING EXTINCT CULTURES FROM THE MATERIAL REMAINS OF PAST HUMAN BEHAVIOR,OR THE THINGS PEOPLE MADE OR USED AND LEFT BEHIND. THESE REMAINS ARE CALLED ARTIFACTS. FROM THESE ARTIFACTS ARCHAELOGIST BUILD A MODEL OF WHAT A CULTURE WAS LIKE. ARCHAEOLOGIST LOOK FOR PATTERNS IN THE ARTIFACTS THEY STUDY THAT GIVE THEM CLUES ABOUT HOW THE PEOPLE WHO MADE AND USED THEM LIVED.

A. PALEOGRAPHY B. NUMISMATICS C. MEMORIAL INSCRIPTIONS

 LITERALLY PALAEOGRAPHY MEANS ANCIENT ( FROM GREEK “PALAIOS” AND “GRAPHEIN WHICH MEANS TO WRITE “. THEREFORE IT REFERS TO THE STUDY OF ANCIENT AND MEDIEVAL HANDWRITING, USING SOURCES FOR ANY SURVIVING TEXTS FOUND.  IT IS A VERY IMPORTANT MEDIUM TO KNOW THE HISTORY.  IN INDIA, THE EARLIEST INSCRIPTIONS ARE THOSE ON THE SEALS FROM THE INDUS VALLEY CIVILIZATION AND ARE WRITTEN SOME FORM OF PICTOGRAPHIC SCRIPT BUT NO YET BEEN DECIPHERED. THE OLDEST SYSTEM OF WRITING HAS BEEN FOUND ON THE COINS OF HARAPPA BUT IT IS ALSO NOT DECIPHERED.

 NUMISMATICS IS THE STUDY OF COINS,TOKENS, PAPER MONEY AND RELATED OBJECTS. THE COINS ARE THE EARLIEST EVIDENCE OF THE ECONOMIC ACTIVITY OF THE HUMAN BEING.  THE EARLIEST COINAGE OF THE WORLD WAS BORN IN INDIA.THE EARLIEST COINS OF INDIA WERE PUNCHED MARKED COINS ISSUED IN FIVE TO SIX CENTURY BC. IT WAS MADE IN THE METAL SILVER AND OF COPPER

 THEY PROVIDE INFORMATION ABOUT THE NAMES OF THE KINGS, THIER GENEALOGY, INFORMATION ABOUT THE NAMES OF THE CONQUERED KINGS, THE DATES OF EVENTS, THE EXTENT OF EMPIRE, THE NAMES AND DESIGNATIONS OF STATE OFFICIALS AND A NUMBER OF SUCH THINGS PROVIDING AN INSIGHT AN INSIGHT INTO THE POLITICAL HISTORY OF THE TIMES.

 THE STUDY OF INSCRIPTIONS IS CALLED EPIGRAPHY. THE STUDY OF WRITINGS ON ANCIENT INSCRIPTIONS AND RECORDS IS CALLED PALAEOGRAPHY. INSCRIPTIONS ARE SEEN ON ROCK, PILLARS,STONES, SLABS,WALLS OF BUILDINGS AND BODY OF TEMPLES.THEY ARE ALSO FOUND ON SEALS AND COPPER PLATES.WE HAVE VARIOUS TYPES OF INSCRIPTIONS. SOME CONVEY MONARCHICAL ORDERS REGARDING ADMINISTRATIVE,RELIGIOUS AND MAJOR DECISIONS TO THE PUBLIC IN GENERAL

 INDIA IS RICH WITH ANCIENT RUINS, REMAINS AND MONUMENTS. THE MATERIAL REMAINS DISCOVERED FROM EXCAVATIONS AND RUINS SPEAK A GOOD DEAL OF THE PAST. FOR EXAMPLE, THE EXCAVATIONS AT MOHENJO-DARO AND HARRAPA BROUGHT TO THE KNOWLEDGE OF THE WORLD THE EXISTENCE OF THE INDUS VALLEY CIVILIZATION

 THANK YOU