Exercise - Question:

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Que: Fill in the blanks:

(a) ———————— was a word used for large landowners in Tamil.

(b) The gramabhojaka often got his land cultivated by the ————————

(c) Ploughmen were known as ———————— in Tamil.

(d) Most grihapatis were ———————— landowners.

Ans:

(i) Vellalar  (ii) Slave and hired workers.  (iii) Uzhavar    (iv) Smaller

Que: Describe the functions of the gramabhojaka. Why do you think he was powerful?

Ans: The function of the grambhojaka and he was powerful :

 (i) In the northen parts of country the village headman was known as the grambhojaka.

(ii) The post was hereditary.

(iii) He was the largest landowener.

Que: List the crafts persons who would have been present in both villages and cities.

Ans:

(1) Blacksmiths

(2) Carpenter 

(3) Weavers.

Q4. Choose the correct answer:

(a) Ring wells were used for:

1. bathing

2. washing clothes

3. irrigation

4. drainage

(b) Punch marked coins were made of:

1. silver

2. gold

3. tin

4. ivory

(c) Mathura was an important:

1. village

2. port

3. religious centre

4. forested area

(d) Shrenis were associations of:

1. rulers

2. crafts persons

3. farmers

4. herders

Ans:

(a) - 4  (b) - 1  (c) - 3  (d) - 2 

Que: Which of the iron tools shown on page 87 would have been important for agriculture? What would the other tools have been used for?

Ans: Ploughshares would have been important for agriculture. The other tools used were sickles and axes. The other tools like tongs, nails and hammer were used for carpentry and also by ironsmith.

Que: Compare the drainage system in your locality with that of the cities mentioned in the lesson. What similarities and differences do you notice?

Ans: The drainage system in the cities in the present times is highly developed. There is under ground drainage system with cover covered dains. The bathrooms, toilets and kitchens have underground system and are connected to the main dains outside.

Ancient cities	Present cities
(i) Toilets in the houses.	(i) Toilets in the houses, with cisterns and flushes.
(ii) Ring wells used as garbage bins.	(ii) In the present times, there are garbage pits where garbage from whole city is dumped.

 

Additional - Question:

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Que: Where were some of the largest collections of iron tools found?

Ans: These were found in the megalithic burials,

Que: What was the use of iron tools?

Ans: Iron tools were used for clearing forests.

Que: What did irrigation works include?

Ans: Irrigation works included canals, wells, tanks and artificial lakes,

Que: Mention any one function that was performed by the grama bhojaka.

Ans: The grama bhojaka collected taxes from the village for the king.

Que: How did the dasa karmakara earn a living?

Ans: They used to work on the fields owned by others.

Que: What do you know about Jatakas?

Ans: Jatakas were stories composed by ordinary people and preserved by Buddhist monks.

Que: What were ring wells?

Ans: Rows of pots or ceramic rings arranged one on top of the other came to be known as ring wells.

Que: How did people use ring wells?

Ans: People used ring wells as toilets. They also used them as drains and garbage dumps.

Que: How does wealth measured during early times?

Ans: Wealth was measured in terms of coins during early times.

Que: What do you know about punch-marked coins?

Ans: The earliest coins were punch-marked coins, they came to be known like this because the designs were punched on to the metal like silver or copper.

Que: How can you say that Mathura was a religious place?

Ans: One could find Buddhist monasteries and Jaina shrines in Mathura. Mathura was also a place where Lord Krishna was worshipped by the people.

Que: Mention the occupations of people who lived in Mathura.

Ans: Goldsmiths, blacksmiths, weavers, basket makers, garland makers, and perfumers.

Que: Why were Varanasi and Madurai famous?

Ans: Varanasi and Madurai were famous for the manufacture of cloth.

Que: What do you know about Arikamedu?

Ans: Between 2200 and 1900 years ago Aricamedu was a coastal settlement where ships unloaded goods from distant lands.

Que: What steps were taken to increase agricultural production?   

Ans: Iron tools such as axes and iron ploughshare began to be used. Axes were used for clearing forests and the ploughshare was useful for increasing agricultural production. Apart from these new tools, irrigation was also used for this purpose. Irrigation works that were built during this time included canals, wells, tanks, and artificial lakes.

Que: Who was the grama bhojaka? Write about him in brief.

Ans: The grama bhojaka was the village headman in the northern part of the country. His post was hereditary. He was the largest landowner in the village who kept slaves and hired workers to cultivate the land. He collected taxes from the village for the king. He also functioned as a judge and sometimes as a policeman. 

Que: What do you know about Sangam literature? 

Ans: Some of the earliest works in Tamil came to be known as Sangam literature. These earliest works were composed around 2300 years ago. These texts were called Sangam because they were supposed to have been composed and compiled in assemblies of poets. These assemblies were known as Sangams. They were held in the city of Madurai.

Que: What kind of information do we get from several inscriptions found in Mathura?

Ans: The inscriptions found in Mathura record gifts made by men and women to monasteries and shrines. These were made by kings and queens, officers, merchants and craftspeople who lived the city. The inscriptions from Mathura make us aware that people were engaged in several occupations such as— weaving, basket making, garland making etc. There were also goldsmiths and blacksmiths.

Que: What were shrenis? What functions did shrenis of crafts persons perform?

Ans: Shrenis were associations of craftspersons and merchants. The shrenis of crafts persons performed various functions. They provided training, procured raw material, and distributed the finished product. Then came shrenis of merchants who organised the trade. Shrenis also performed the role of banks where rich men and women deposited money.

Que: Write a short note on Arikamedu.

Ans: Arikamedu, located in Pondicherry, was a coastal settlement between 2200 and 1900 years ago. It was a place where ships unloaded goods from distant lands. A massive brick structure which is supposed to be a warehouse was found at the site. Other discoveries include pottery from the Mediterranean region. For example, amphorae which were tall double-handled jars that contained liquids and stamped red-glued pottery, known as Arretine Ware. It was named after a city in Italy.

Que: Describe several ways of finding out about early cities.

Ans: Several ways of finding out about early cities include Jatakas, sculpture, archaeology and travellers. Jatakas were stories composed by ordinary people and preserved by Buddhist monks. Sculptures carved scenes depicting peoples’ lives in towns and villages as well as in the forest. Many of these sculptures were used to decorate railings, pillars and gateways of buildings that were visited by people.

In many cities, archaeologists have found rows of pots or ceramic rings arranged one on top of the other. These are known as ring wells, which were used as toilets and as drains and garbage dumps. These ring wells are usually found in individual houses. The accounts of sailors and travellers also help us to know about early cities. One of the most detailed accounts that has been found was by an unknown Greek Sailor. He described all the ports he visited.

Que:Mathura was a city with many Junctions. Explain. 

Ans: Mathura has been an important city for more than 2500 years. It was important for various reasons.

It was located at the crossroads of two major routes of travel and trade – from the northwest to the east and from north to south.

• There were fortifications around the city and several shrines. Farmers and herders from adjoining areas provided food for the city people.
• Mathura was also a centre where some extremely find sculpture was produced.
• Around 2000 years ago, Mathura became the second capital of the Kushanas.
• Mathura was a religious centre also. There were Buddhist monasteries and Jaina shrines. It was also an important centre for the worship of Lord Krishna.