Q1."Coins are important archaeological source materials."Explain how the study of coins helps
the historians.
Answers
The archaeological sources played an important role in constructing or/and reconstructing the history of a region.
The archaeological source of Indian history is only about two centuries old.
The archaeological source enhanced our knowledge about our past and also provided important materials, which we could not have been obtained otherwise.
Up to 1920, Indian civilization was considered to have begun about 6th century B.C. However, the excavations at Mohenjodaro, Kalibangan, and Harappa prove its antiquity to be of 5,000 B.C.
Prehistoric artifacts found in the excavations have shown that human activities had started here as early as about two million years ago.
Epigraphy and Numismatics are the important branches of the study of history, which has greatly enhanced the knowledge of India's past.
Epigraphy is the study of inscriptions and Numismatic is the study of coins, medals, or paper money.
Coins
Coins are an important numismatic source that tells us about the Indo-Greek, Saka-Parthian, and Kushana Kings.
Inscriptions of Ashoka and Samudragupta provide valuable information about social and political status of the people of that period.
The study of these inscriptions reveals the world about Ashoka's views on dharma (religion) and conquests of Samudragupta.
Archaeological Monuments
The temples and sculptures display an architectural and artistic history of the Indians from the Gupta period up-to recent times.
During the Gupta period, the large caves i.e. Chaityas and Viharas were excavated in the hills of Western India.
The Kailasa Temple of Ellora and Rathas at Mahabalipuram have been carved out of rocks from outside.
The excavations of the cities of Mohenjodaro and Harappa prove the antiquity of Indian culture and civilization, which are more than two thousand years old.
The historic sites such as Kalibangan, Lothal, Dholavira, and Rakhigarhi are the contemporary of Mohenjodaro and Harappa civilizations.
The Harappan civilizations cover the area of Gujarat, Maharashtra, Haryana, Punjab, Rajasthan, and Uttar Pradesh (in India).
The Dark Age of Indian history was the period between 1500 and 600 B.C. This is known as Dark Age because not much is known about this period.
The archaeological discoveries of Black-and-Red Ware, Painted Grey Ware, Malwa, and Jorwe cultures have filled the chronological gaps as well as covered the geographical extent.