This book Pracheen Vishwa Ki Samajik Aur Sanskritik Sanrachnayen: Pragaitihas Se Itihas Tak is specifically written for students of the B.A. History (Hons.) Semester I, DSC-2 (Social Formation and Cultural Patterns of the Ancient World) course, in alignment with the NEP 2020 and the latest syllabus of the University of Delhi.
This book endeavours to explain the conceptual and theoretical frameworks of a range of issues pertaining to human evolution, the pre- and proto-historical phases, as well as various unexplored dimensions of ancient civilisations. The book, Pracheen Vishwa Ki Samajik Aur Sanskritik Sanrachnayen, represents a significant transition in human development from prehistoric times to recorded history, spanning from hunter-gatherer communities to the rise of complex, stratified civilisations.
It methodically guides students from the evolution of early human life during the Palaeolithic and Mesolithic periods to the emergence of complex societies in the ancient world. It focuses on the shift from hunter-gatherer societies to settled, food-producing communities, marking the beginning of the Neolithic and Chalcolithic ages. The content extensively covers the major Bronze Age civilisations, including detailed analyses of Mesopotamia, Egypt, and China. The book also explores the impact of ecological conditions, the introduction of iron technology, and the development of trade and crafts on early societies.
It includes analyses of political systems, economic structures, social hierarchies, religion, and cultural patterns. Key themes explored include the development of early agriculture, the rise of urban planning, social stratification, religious beliefs, and political organisation within these ancient societies. Students will gain an analytical understanding of the diverse processes that shaped the political, economic, and socio-cultural life of the ancient world.
The book covers five units: I. Introduction; II. Evolution of Humans and Hunting-Gathering Cultures; III. Transition to Food Production; IV. The Bronze Age Cultures; V. Nomadic Cultures in Transition. This book includes 37 images for better understanding of the subject.
Vijaya Laxmi Singh is an M.A. and M.Phil. in History from the University of Delhi and a Ph.D. from Jawaharlal Nehru University. She is a retired Senior Professor from the Department of History, University of Delhi, with over four decades of teaching experience. She has authored several books, among which Women and Gender in Ancient India, Kashi Banaras: Sacred and Profane, and Portraying Cultures in the Indian Subcontinent: Ancient to Modern are particularly notable.
चित्र सूची Picture List प्रस्तावना Preface इकाई I : परिचय Introduction 1. प्रागैतिहास से इतिहास तक : एक परिचय From Pre-history to History: An Introduction इकाई II : मानव और शिकार-संग्रहण संस्कृतियों का विकास Evolution of Humans and Hunting-Gathering Cultures 2. पुरापाषाण युग Palaeolithic Age 3. मध्यपाषाण युग Mesolithic Age इकाई III : खाद्य उत्पादन की ओर संक्रमण Transition to Food Production 4. पश्चिम एशिया, यूरोप, मेसोअमेरिका और चीन में नवपाषाण युग Neolithic Age in West Asia, Europe, Mesoamerica and China 5. खाद्य उत्पादन की उत्पत्ति : विमर्श Origin of Food Production: Debate इकाई IV : काँस्ययुगीन संस्कृति The Bronze Age Culture 6. काँस्ययुगीन मेसोपोटामिया Bronze Age Mesopotamia 7. काँस्ययुगीन मिस्र : पुरातन राज्य का काल Bronze Age Egypt: The Period of the Old Kingdom 8. काँस्ययुगीन चीन : शांग राजवंश का काल Bronze Age China: Period of Shang Dynasty इकाई V : संक्रमण में खानाबदोश संस्कृतियाँ Nomadic Cultures in Transition 9. तीसरी और दूसरी सहस्राब्दी ई.पू. में पश्चिम एशिया में खानाबदोश पशुचारण Nomadic Pastoralism in West Asia in the Third and Second Millennium BCE 10. लौह युग : प्रादुर्भाव, विकास और प्रभाव Iron Age: Origin, Evolution, and Impact संदर्भ ग्रंथ-सूची Bibliography अनुक्रमणिका Index