Kings, Farmers and Towns Class 12 NCERT Solutions, PYQs & Notes

Ans: The Mauryan Empire had a highly organized administrative system:
1. Five Major Political Centres: The capital Pataliputra and the provincial centres of Taxila, Ujjayini, Tosali, and Suvarnagiri.
2. Committees for Coordination: Megasthenes mentioned a committee with six subcommittees for coordinating military activity (navy, transport, infantry, cavalry, chariots, and elephants).
3. Communication: A vast network of roads and rivers connected the empire, making travel for administrative purposes easier.
4. Dhamma Mahamattas: Special officers appointed by Asoka to spread the message of Dhamma.
Evident in inscriptions: Asokan inscriptions found across the empire mention his principles of Dhamma, the appointment of Dhamma Mahamattas, and his messages to officials in the provincial capitals.

Ans: Epigraphists face several challenges:
1. Technical Limitations: Letters may be very faintly engraved, making reconstructions uncertain.
2. Damage: Inscriptions may be damaged or letters missing over time.
3. Exact Meaning: It is not always easy to be sure about the exact meaning of the words used, as some may be specific to a particular place or time.
4. Bias: Inscriptions were mostly commissioned by kings and the wealthy. They record what the author wanted to boast about. They rarely mention the daily life of ordinary farmers, laborers, or women.

Ans: We know about craft production from archaeological excavations and texts:
1. Artifacts: A wide range of items like fine pottery bowls and dishes (Northern Black Polished Ware), ornaments, tools, weapons, vessels, and figurines made of gold, silver, copper, bronze, ivory, glass, shell, and terracotta have been found.
2. Guilds (Shrenis): Textual evidence mentions organizations of craft producers and merchants. These guilds probably procured raw materials, regulated production, and marketed the finished products.
3. Coins: The widespread use of punch-marked coins indicates a booming trade network supported by immense craft production.

Ans: James Prinsep was an officer in the mint of the East India Company. He is famous for deciphering two ancient Indian scripts—Brahmi and Kharosthi—in 1838, which unlocked the history of the Mauryan Empire and King Asoka.

Ans: 'Piyadassi' translates to "pleasant to behold". It was a title used extensively in ancient inscriptions by Emperor Asoka, the most famous Mauryan ruler.

Ans: 'Janapada' literally means the land where a jana (a people, clan, or tribe) sets its foot or settles. It was a term used to describe early republics and kingdoms in northern India.

Ans: Out of the sixteen Mahajanapadas, the most important and frequently mentioned ones were Vajji, Magadha, Koshala, Kuru, Panchala, Gandhara, and Avanti.

Ans: From the 6th century BCE onwards, Brahmanas began composing Sanskrit texts known as the Dharmasutras. These laid down norms for rulers (who were ideally expected to be Kshatriyas) as well as for other social categories.

Ans: The Mauryan Empire was founded by Chandragupta Maurya in c. 321 BCE. Its control extended as far northwest as Afghanistan and Baluchistan.

Ans: 1. Indica, written by Megasthenes, a Greek ambassador to the court of Chandragupta Maurya.
2. The Arthashastra, a treatise on statecraft, parts of which were composed by Kautilya (Chanakya), the minister of Chandragupta.

Ans: The introduction of the iron-tipped ploughshare. This technology was crucial for turning the heavy, clayey soil of the Ganga valley, resulting in a significant increase in agricultural productivity.

Ans: A gahapati was the owner, master, or head of a household, who exercised control over the women, children, slaves, and workers who shared a common residence. In Pali texts, it often refers to wealthy peasants or large landowners.

Ans: Prabhavati Gupta was the daughter of Chandragupta II. According to Sanskrit legal texts, women were not supposed to have independent access to real estate (land). However, an inscription shows that she had access to land and granted it to a Brahmana, proving that queens sometimes bypassed standard laws.

Ans: Guilds or shrenis were organizations of craft producers and merchants in ancient towns. They procured raw materials, regulated the production process, and marketed the finished products efficiently.

Ans: The earliest coins to be minted and used were "punch-marked coins" made of silver and copper (c. 6th century BCE onwards). They were issued by various kings, and sometimes even by merchants and bankers.

Ans: The first gold coins in India were issued in the first century CE by the Kushanas. These coins were virtually identical in weight to those issued by contemporary Roman emperors and Parthian rulers.

Ans: Written by an anonymous Greek sailor in the 1st century CE, 'Periplus' is a sailing itinerary. It provides a detailed account of the ports, coastal routes, and trade goods along the Indian coast and the Red Sea.

Ans: The early Tamil Sangam texts contain poems describing chiefs (like the Cholas, Cheras, and Pandyas in Tamilakam). They mention how these chiefs acquired resources through gifts, raids, and trade, and how they distributed this wealth among their supporters.