More Innovations: Ideas, Iron and Coins

Class 7 Social Science · Chapter 4: New Beginnings: Cities and States · NCERT Exploring Society: India and Beyond section 4.3

Learn

This was an age of deep change. New schools of thought (late Vedic, Buddhist and Jain) spread their teachings through scholars, monks and nuns who travelled across India, and through pilgrims. Art began a renewal that would blossom in the age of empires.

Cities need technology. The Harappans used copper and bronze; the Second Urbanisation ran on iron. Indians had perfected iron-working early in the 2nd millennium BCE, and by its end iron tools were widespread, allowing farming on a bigger scale. Iron also made lighter, sharper weapons, and there is some evidence of wars between neighbouring mahājanapadas, as well as alliances, which later gave rise to kingdoms and empires.

Growing trade led to India's first coins: punch-marked coins of soft silver into which symbols were stamped. Later came copper, gold and other metals. Each mahājanapada usually issued its own coins, but coins from neighbours were used too, and soon Indian coins travelled to other lands.

Explore: which urbanisation?

1. Sort each card.

Remember

• New schools of thought spread across India along with travelling monks and pilgrims.
• Iron tools and weapons and punch-marked silver coins powered the Second Urbanisation.

Quick check

India's first coins were made of …

1. silver, punch-marked
2. paper
3. iron
4. plastic

Think about it

How would trade be harder without coins?

Practice

Practise with fresh questions at three levels (easy, medium, hard), some answered hands-on, with hints and worked answers. Get 4 of your last 5 right to finish the topic.