CHEATSHEET: CBSE/BSEB Class 12 History (Themes in Indian History – Part I) Chapter 1: Bricks, Beads and Bones – The Harappan Civilisation का एक सुपर आसान, एग्ज़ाम-फोकस्ड Cheat Sheet / Revision Notes

📘 **CHEAT SHEET – Class 12 History

Chapter 1: Bricks, Beads and Bones (Harappan Civilisation)**

1️⃣ Harappan Civilisation (Indus Valley) – Introduction

  • समय: 2600 BCE – 1900 BCE
  • क्षेत्र: Indus valley + NW India + Pakistan
  • प्रमुख नगर: Harappa, Mohenjodaro, Dholavira, Lothal, Kalibangan, Banawali

2️⃣ Harappan Town Planning (सबसे महत्वपूर्ण)

✔ Grid pattern – सड़कों का सीधा-सीधा जाल
✔ Town divided – Citadel (ऊपरी भाग) + Lower town
✔ Drainage system – Covered drains, soak pits
✔ Standardized bricks – 1:2:4 ratio
✔ Wells – प्रचुर मात्रा में

3️⃣ Important Sites & Their Special Features

Mohenjodaro

  • Great Bath
  • Granary
  • Assembly hall

Harappa

  • Granaries
  • Copper scale

Dholavira (Gujarat)

  • Water conservation system
  • Signboard with inscriptions

Lothal (Gujarat)

  • Dockyard
  • Bead-making industry

Kalibangan

  • Ploughed fields
  • Fire altars

4️⃣ Agriculture & Technology

  • मुख्य फसलें: Wheat, barley, lentils, mustard, cotton
  • बैल द्वारा hal (plough)
  • सिंचाई: नहरें और बारिश पर निर्भरता
  • तांबा, कांसा, पत्थर के औज़ार

5️⃣ Craft Production

Beads

  • Lothal = Bead manufacturing centre
  • Carnelian, lapis lazuli, shell, copper

Metallurgy

  • Copper, bronze, gold, silver
  • Lost-wax casting technique

Pottery

  • Red & black pottery
  • Painted designs

6️⃣ Trade

Internal Trade

  • Raw materials: Stones, metals
  • Workshop sites: Nageshwar, Balakot, Lothal

Foreign Trade

  • Mesopotamia (Iraq) के साथ व्यापार
  • Harappan seals वहाँ मिले
  • Commodities: beads, lapis lazuli, copper, shell, textiles

7️⃣ Harappan Religion

  • Mother Goddess
  • Proto-Shiva (Pashupati seal)
  • Sacred animals: unicorn, humped bull
  • Fire altars (Kalibangan)

(important: कोई पक्का मंदिर नहीं मिला)

8️⃣ Script and Seals

  • Harappan script अभी भी unreadable
  • Mostly pictographic
  • Seals: steatite से बने
  • Uses: Trade + identity + authentication

9️⃣ Burials & Social Life

  • Graves with pottery
  • Multiple burial types
  • Elite class: larger houses, better items
  • Social hierarchy मौजूद थी

🔟 Decline of Harappan Civilisation (BIG EXAM TOPIC)

Possible reasons:

  • River shifts (Ghaggar-Hakra drying)
  • Floods
  • Climate change
  • Decline in trade
  • Deforestation

(No single reason is confirmed)

⭐ Most Important Exam Questions

✔ Great Bath features & significance
✔ Why Harappans are called urban civilisation
✔ Standardisation (bricks, weights)
✔ Craft production: beads, pottery, metals
✔ Town planning
✔ Trade with Mesopotamia
✔ Causes of decline
✔ Evidence from archaeological findings
✔ Burials & social differences