Title Ancient and Medieval India: (Important Terms + Books and Authors).pdf ✅

MARKS BOOSTER SERIES ANCIENT AND MEDIEVAL INDIA (Important Terms + Books and Authors) FOR UPSC CIVIL SERVICES PRELIMS EXAM 2025

CONTENTS Important Terms and Descriptions 1. Palaeolithic Period............................................................................................................................................... 1 2. Mesolithic Period................................................................................................................................................. 1 3. Neolithic Age ....................................................................................................................................................... 2 4. Chalcolithic Age/Copper-Stone Age..................................................................................................................... 2 5. Bronze Age........................................................................................................................................................... 2 6. Harappan/ Indus Valley Civilisation ..................................................................................................................... 3 7. Early Vedic/Rigvedic Period ................................................................................................................................. 3 8. Later Vedic Period................................................................................................................................................ 4 9. Age of Mahajanapadas (Pre-Mauryan Period) .................................................................................................... 5 10. Buddhism............................................................................................................................................................. 6 11. Jainism................................................................................................................................................................. 7 12. Mauryan Empire.................................................................................................................................................. 8 13. Post Mauryan Period ........................................................................................................................................... 9 14. History of South India: The Sangam Dynasties.................................................................................................. 10 15. Gupta Age.......................................................................................................................................................... 11 16. Pala and Pratiharas............................................................................................................................................ 11 17. The Imperial Cholas of South India.................................................................................................................... 12 18. Delhi Sultanate .................................................................................................................................................. 13 19. Mughal Rule ...................................................................................................................................................... 14 20. The Marathas..................................................................................................................................................... 15 21. Vijayanagara Empire.......................................................................................................................................... 15 22. Bhakti and Sufi Movements............................................................................................................................... 16 Important Books and Authors 23. Ancient India Literature..................................................................................................................................... 16 24. Medieval Literature ........................................................................................................................................... 21
IMPORTANT TERMS AND DESCRIPTIONS Palaeolithic Period Terms Description Lower/Early Palaeolithic Age Extends from approximately 2.58 million BCE to 250,000-200,000 BCE, encapsulating a substantial portion of the Ice Age. Utilization of primitive stone tools such as hand axes, choppers, and cleavers. Oldowan Tools Simple pebble tools and flakes used for cutting and scraping. These are older than Acheulean tools. Acheulean Tools Encompass polyhedron spheroids, hand axes and cleavers. Middle Palaeolithic Age Extends roughly from around 300,000 years ago to 30,000 years ago. Development of tools such as scrapers, borers, points, and bladelike implements. Nevasan Industry A term coined by H.D. Sankalia in 1960. It is associated with the Middle Palaeolithic Period. Named after the Nevasa site in Maharashtra, this industry refers to the distinctive technological characteristics and tool types identified during this period. Later or Upper Palaeolithic Age Spans from approximately 40,000 BCE to 10,000 BCE. Later Paleolithic period coincides with the last phase of the Ice Age, during which the climate experienced a shift towards warmer and less humid conditions. Emergence of advanced tools, including parallel-sided blades, bruins, and, in some instances, the use of bone tools. Mesolithic Period Terms Description Mesolithic Period Spans from approximately 10,000 BCE to 4,000 BCE. Both Mesolithic and Neolithic Cultures fall under the Holocene era, succeeding the Pleistocene era. Communities demonstrated a shift in settlement patterns, choosing to stay in one area for longer durations compared to their predecessors. The Mesolithic period witnessed a gradual transition towards domestication of animals. Discovery of fire and invention of microliths. Microliths Miniature stone tools, usually made of crypto-crystalline silica, chalcedony, or chert, both of geometrical and non-geometrical shapes. These tools were smaller in size compared to the larger implements of the Palaeolithic period. Pleistocene Epoch Also known as the Ice Age, it spanned from roughly 2.6 million to 11,700 years ago and is characterized by repeated glacial and interglacial periods, along with the evolution and expansion of humans. Holocene Epoch The current geological epoch; began approximately 11,700 years ago following the last glacial period and extends to the present day.