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DAILY
CLASS NOTES
Anthropology

Iron Age
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Iron Age
 Period
 World → 1200 BC - 600 BC
 India → Two main periods:
 1000 BC - 350 BC → Painted Grey Ware (PGW)
 700 BC - 200 BC → Northern Black Polished Ware(NBPW).
 Distribution—

REGION DISTRIBUTION

 1200 BC - 500 BC
The Middle East
 Neo-Assyrian Empire

 Variation
 1200/1100 BC - 700 BC
Europe
 Aegean
 Italy

 China → Yangtze Valley ( Few objects were found at Changsha and

East Asia Nanjing)
 Tibet → Zhang Zhung culture

IRON AGE IN INDIA

 The Iron Age in India → succeeding the Late Harappan culture → encompasses the Painted Grey Ware (PGW)
and Northern Black Polished Ware (NBPW) cultures.
 Bridging ancient history, literary records in → Vedas, Upanishads, and archaeological evidence → illuminate
India's Iron Age.
 The origin of iron remains debated → with indigenous ironworking by tribes like the Agarias → suggesting a
deep-rooted knowledge.
 Early Iron Age sites in South India → like Hallur and Adichanallur, emerged around 1000 BC, marking a
significant historical transition.
 Historical kingdoms of the Iron Age → from Maha Janapadas to the Maurya Empire, shape India's cultural
landscape → setting the stage for subsequent transformations.
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 Prakash and Tripathi have divided the Iron Age in India into five different zones:

ZONE REGION

Zone A North-Western India, which also includes Pakistan

Zone B Painted Grey ware culture of North India

Zone C Black and Red Ware culture of North-East India

Zone D Megalithic culture of Central

India

Zone E Megalithic culture of peninsular India

Archaeological Cultures → The iron using centres:

Gangetic Valley

 Evidence of Second Urbanization

 Ganga Basin Colonisation: Iron users in the Ganga basin provide evidence of second
urbanisation in India.
 Indus and Ghaggar Region: Urban centres around Indus, Ghaggar, and tributaries →
deserted after 1500 BC.
Post-Harappan Phase (1370-1340 BC):
 The first iron pieces appeared → around 1370-1340 BC.
 Cultural continuity from the pre-iron phase.
 Mud brick houses like the → pre-Harappan stage.
 Coarse pottery with appliqué bands, and finger-tip impressions.
 Terracotta figurines are more frequent, including horses, camels, and humans.
 Barley and rice cultivation becomes prominent.
Iron Age in the West of Indus (1100-900 BC)
 Iron Age in the west of Indus falls between 1100-900 BC.

Painted Grey Ware Culture (PGW) Culture

 Overview and Chronology

 Lasting from roughly 1000 BC to 600 BC.
 It is Contemporary to and the successor of → the Black and Red Ware culture.
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 Probably corresponds to the later Vedic period and succeeded by Northern Black Polished
Ware from ca. 500 BC.
 Discovery and Significance
 Found at Ahicchatra in Bareilly district → of Uttar Pradesh in 1944.
 Fully realized importance after B.B. Lal's → excavation at Hastinapura during 1950-51.
 Iron Usage and Technological Aspects
 First Large-Scale Iron Use → Associated with PGW culture.
 Geographical Presence: Found in the Indo-Gangetic Divide and upper Ganga-Yamuna
doab → (ancient Aryavarta and Madhyadesa).
 Manufacturing Process and Pottery Characteristics
 Clay and Wheel: Produced from well-lavigated clay → manufactured on a fast wheel.
 Baked at 600 degrees Celsius under reducing conditions.
 Pottery Shapes → Dishes with curved sides and bowls with straight sides.
 Painting Techniques → Black pigment with geometric and naturalistic patterns (dots, lines,
circles, lotuses, flowers, sun).
 Lifestyle and Agriculture
 Cultivation: PGW people cultivated → rice and wheat.
 Housing: Lived in → wattle-and-daub houses.
 Horse Domestication: First people to definitely → use domesticated horses

Northern Black Polished Ware (NBPW) Culture

 Iron Age Transition from PGW

 Successor to PGW Culture: Definite Iron Age culture succeeding → Painted Grey Ware
(PGW).
 Iron Technology Impact:
 Accelerated colonization of → the middle and lower Ganga valley by farmers from 700 BC
onwards.
 Characteristics of NBPW Culture:
 Pottery: Characterized by Northern Black Polished Ware.
 Period Emergence: Cities and Mahajanapadas (political entities) in the Ganga plains
around 600 BC.
 Historical and Cultural Significance
 Rise of Buddhism and Jainism in the NBP region.
 Witnessed the second urbanization of India by 600 BC.
 Political Entities and Empires
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 Mahajanapadas: Emerged as the first political entity.

 Magadhan Empire → Formed by assimilating Mahajanapadas → the capital at
Pataliputra (modern Patna) by 600 BC.
 Mauryan Empire → Succeeded the Magadha Empire around 400 BC.
 Ashoka's Expansion: Ashoka → expanded the empire south to Karnataka, east to
Bangladesh, and northwest to Afghanistan.
 Cultural and Literary Developments
 After a gap of about → 1500 years, writing reappeared.
 Brahmi script emerged during this period.
 Language and Literature → Buddhist and Jain literature in Pali language.
 Ashoka's Edicts → Pillar and rock edicts of Emperor Ashoka → written in Brahmi script.
 Coinage → Silver punch-marked coins introduced → during this period

Southern Zone Iron Age Megalithic Culture:

 Regional Development (1500-1300 BC)

 Southern Zone developed a → consolidated regional character during 1500-1300 BC.
 The Iron Age in this area does not develop → any special characteristic of its own like what
→ has been observed in Western Uttar Pradesh.
 The Iron Age in South India is known → primarily for burials and accompanying grave goods.
 Megalithic Culture: Characterised by megalithic burials, known as "Megalithic Culture."
 Megalithic Types in South India
 Large Urns Burials:
 Urns contain bones → collected from previously excarnated dead bodies.
 Kept with → grave goods in a pit.
 Circular demarcation of stones → marks the covered pit.
 Cist Burials:
 Made of → stone slabs.
 Sometimes covered with a flat stone on top.
 Portholes curved out on → chamber wall slabs.
 Legged-Urn or Sarcophagi:
 Used to encase → the body before burial.
 Chambers cut in the → compact lateritic floor.
 Body placed inside → the chamber.
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DECCAN

 The transition from Jorwe to Iron Age:

 Early Deccan artefacts → linked to megaliths.
 Jorwe sites were → abandoned for centuries, and reoccupied around the 6th/5th century
BC.
 Cultural Continuity: Variable continuity → observed between Jorwe and the succeeding
Iron Age.
 Cultural Sequence:
 A sequence similar to Nagda Malwa culture is exhibited.
 Short break is followed by BRW → deposit with iron artefacts.
 Artifact Types: Various items like → arrowheads, axe heads, knives, and more.
 Megalithic Burials in Maharashtra
 Various sites (Naikund, Mahurjhari etc) in Maharashtra → with calibrated dates.
 Flourishing settlements → shown by grains found.
 Iron Objects and Artefacts
 Copper and iron artefacts → include tools, weapons, and more.
 Iron Hoes: Found at Naikund → indicating possible local iron smelting.
 Workshop Remains → Furnace and tools found at an ancient workshop.
 Bead Manufacturing at Mahurjhari → Rich grave goods suggest continued bead making.
 Horse Sacrifices and Warrior Tradition
 The horse remains → adorned with iron bits and copper ornaments, at Mahurjhari and
Naikund.
 Notable burials depict warrior traditions and possible horse sacrifices.

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