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BHIC-102: Social Formations and Cultural Patterns of the Ancient World

BHIC-102: Social Formations and Cultural Patterns of the Ancient World

IGNOU Solved Assignment Solution for 2021-22

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Assignment Code: BHIC-102 / ASST / TMA / 2021-22

Course Code: BHIC-102

Assignment Name: Social Formations and Cultural Patterns of The Ancient World

Year: 2021 – 2022 (July 2021 and January 2022 Sessions)

Verification Status: Verified by Professor

 

Note: There are three Sections in the Assignment. You have to answer all questions in the Sections.

 


Assignment – I

 


Answer the following in about 500 words each.

 

Q1. What is Archaeology science ? Explain the sources and methods of archaeological researches. 20

Ans) Simply described, archaeological science is the study of archaeological materials through the development and use of scientific procedures. Archaeology has enthusiastically embraced many other scientific methods, ranging from imaging to physical, chemical, and biological analysis, as they often provide the best means of understanding the date, geographic origins, manufacture, and use of the artefacts we study, as well as the ancestry, diet, and life-histories of past humans, animals, and plants.

 

Sources of Archaeology

'Features,' which are non-portable items, are also valuable sources of knowledge on archaeological sites. Soil stains indicate the location of a storage pit, waste dump, structures, or fences that may have once existed. Biofacts or natural remains discovered on archaeological sites also aid archaeologists in their research. Biofacts are organic remains of animals and plants, such as animal bones, pollen seeds, and wood, that can be used to determine a person's nutrition, eating habits, and subsistence patterns.

 

Methods Of Archaeological Research

The primary source of archaeological research on prehistory is artefacts or material remnants from the past.

 

In recent years, archaeologists have used a variety of scientific methodologies to gather evidence of historical human settlement on a site. These are some of the more current archaeological methods of investigation:

 

Aerial Photography: This method entails capturing aerial images of a field from a plane, a helicopter, a hot air balloon, or with the assistance of a drone. Aerial images are taken with the use of very accurate cameras to capture changes in the level of the ground surface. Differences in the colour of the soil or the development of flora, which are typically caused by buried archaeological remains, can also be recorded using pictures. This method is more effective in wide landscapes and is not ideal for surveying a forested area due to its nature.

 

Underwater Prospection or Marine Archaeology: In both marine and fresh water, this approach is used to detect archaeological items and submerged sites. The approach has proven particularly beneficial in the recovery of shipwrecks. Underwater surveys also need the use of tools such as an underwater television camera and a bathyscaphe.

 

Magnetic Survey: This method, also known as magnetometry, is a geophysical survey technique that aids in the detection and definition of historical human activity regions. The approach is used on grasslands, crop fields, and open soil areas. Metal objects, ovens, hearths, filled-in pits and wells, foundations, tombs, and other constructions can all benefit from this procedure. Caesium magnetometers and fluxgate gradiometers are the most common devices used in archaeological research for magnetic prospection.

 

Chemical Analysis of Soil: This process is used to determine the amount of phosphate and potassium in a soil, which can be used to determine the presence of human activity in the past.

 

Detection of Anomalies in Subsoil: Archaeologists use an electric device called a potentiometer to measure a subsoil's resistivity or resisting power in this procedure. The detection and amount of any anomalies/irregularities, as well as variations in resistivity, are used to infer the presence of ancient structures such as cultural strata, stone walls, ditches, burials, and so on.

 

Prospection by Acoustic or Seismic Methods: This method involves striking a ground and recording the sound and vibrations that ensue. The approach is carried out with the aid of devices that record vibratory phenomena like as reflection, refraction, or resonance as a result of site sounding or variable-frequency Hertzian wave transmission. When paired with underwater prospection, the strategy is very useful for discovering and examining submerged areas.

 

Q2. Discuss the contribution of Thucydides to Historiography by explaining the Greek history and Tradition of history writing. 20

Ans) Greek history arose from the work of a group of writers known as logographoi ("logographers" in Greek). The literary compilation of oral stories relating to the beginnings of towns, peoples, and places was known as logography. It was an early form of cultural anthropology because it incorporated geographical and cultural knowledge.

 

Thucydides was Herodotus' most famous critic and imitator (flourished 5th century BCE). Thucydides had little splendour to celebrate, unlike Herodotus, who wished to preserve the glory of Greeks and barbarians from the ravages of time. Thucydides aspired "not to put down the first narrative that came my way, and not even to be led by my own general impressions" in his famous work, the History of the Peloponnesian War, which details the catastrophic struggle (431–404 BCE) between Athens and Sparta. When reporting on incidents he hadn't directly witnessed, he double-checked eyewitness accounts, keeping in mind their prejudice and faulty memory. "It's possible," he admits.

 

As a result, we see in the two major Greek historians an intellectual endeavour that parallels philosophy and science: staying true to past traditions and sources of perception and knowledge while also breaking free enough to allow for a change that is marked and recognised in any history of historiography.

 

Greek History and Tradition of History Writing

The term 'history' comes from the Greek word istoria, which meaning inquiry, and Herodotus is known as the "Father of Historiography." We'll look at the writings of Herodotus and Thucydides, who lived in the fifth century BCE, during the golden age of Greek civilisation.

 

A preoccupation with some of the considered key features of historical writing is apparent. The importance of sources is acknowledged in the work of Greek historians, who used eyewitness reports, interviews, and a variety of documented sources in addition to drawing material from tradition, religious centres, and chronicles. 'And herein I shall follow those Persian authorities whose goal appears to be not to embellish the deeds of Cyrus, but to convey the straightforward truth,' writes Herodotus regarding the Persian ruler Cyrus. Apart from that, I'm aware of three different versions of Cyrus' storey, all of which differ from mine.'

 

The emphasis of their concerns, the subject matter of their interests, remained confined; yet this was also true until well into the contemporary age of historiography. They desired to chronicle and preserve the memory of what they thought were outstanding events, particularly battles and combat from their time or earlier. For example, Herodotus' primary book (484-425 BCE) was an account of the origins and events of the Greek-Persian conflict and war, which took into consideration human choices, purposeful actions, and social limits in its telling. He had travelled much, visited significant cities, and gathered stories and knowledge, allowing him to provide a "grand panorama of the civilised world at the end of the sixth century BCE."

 

 

Assignment – II

 


Answer the following questions in about 250 words each, (Any three)

 

Q3. Write a note on the evolution of nomadic life and major nomadic groups in Central Asia. 10

Ans) Central Asia was inhabited by hunter-gatherers and fishermen from the sixth to fourth millennia BCE. The origins of nomadic social structures in Central Asia can be traced back to the Bronze Age's final phase (thirteenth to twelfth centuries BCE). The establishment of small tribes in Central Asia was facilitated by the organising of hunter-gatherers into groups. Small groups had established permanent settlements in the region as early as 4500 BCE, as they began to participate in agricultural techniques such as cow herding. Herds of sheep, goats, horses, and camels were kept by the scattered nomadic communities and utilised to transfer them from one location to another in quest of new pastures.

 

Major Nomadic Groups

By 2000 BCE, nomadic populations were using wheeled war chariots. Around 2000 BCE, the use of horses became fashionable, and a lack of water made it difficult to practise substantial agriculture in the region. They went from pastoral nomads to pastoral nomads. Around 2000 BCE, the habit of using horses, along with a lack of water, resulting in a lack of irrigation systems, presented a barrier to significant agriculture in the region. One of the key causes contributing to the rise of pastoralism in Central Asia was this. The condition of a nomadic tribe was determined by the sort of yurt they lived in. The yurts were separated into sections based on social order. ‘The larger a nomad's yurt was, the higher his rank.'

 

Grasslands, subsistence animals, and movement were the main characteristics of nomadic pastoralism. Together, they could meet people's basic material requirements for food, clothes, and shelter. Meat and milk products were used to make food. Sheepskin spun and woven woollen products, and leather or felt footwear were among the clothing items worn by Central Asian nomadic people. Layers of animal skins were used to make fur, which was a premium item.

 

Q5. Throw light on the reasons for the expansion and decline of the Assyrian Empire. 10

Ans) The year 1350 BCE saw the emergence of Assyria as a significant power in West Asia.

 

Expansion of Assyrian Empire

Major territorial expansions marked the initial phase of Assyria's ascent. As the Mitannian power over north Mesopotamia declined (c.1500-1300 BCE), the Assyrians acquired control of the Upper Tigris area by 1300 BCE and marched westwards towards Shalmaneser I's Syria (1274-1245 BCE). The subjugation of Syria and Babylon, as well as the extraction of tribute from the Phoenicians on the coast of Lebanon, occurred during the reign of Tiglathpileser I (1115-1077 BCE), resulting in Assyria's development as a significant force in West Asia. Ashurnaipal II launched wars into Syria and consolidated authority over northern Mesopotamia in order to restore Assyria to the size it had attained under Tiglathpileser I. He established a new city near Assur called Kalhu (modern-day Nimrud), which became the centre of governance. Under Tiglathpileser III, the Assyrian kingdom spanned from the Caspian Sea to the Mediterranean Sea, as well as from the Zagros and Taurus mountains to the Persian Gulf. Under Tiglathpileser's successor, Sargon II, Assyrian dominance rose even more (721-705 BCE).

 

Decline of Assyrian Empire

For several decades after Shalmaneser III, Assyrian authority was on the decline, but it was resurrected during Tiglathpileser III's reign (744-727 BCE). The Babylonians and Medes joined forces to seize Nineveh (Ninua), a key city in Assyria, in 612 BCE. In the Old Testament of the Bible, the people's enmity for the Assyrian empire is represented. These draconian tactics, however, aided Tiglathpileser III in building his empire, which was carried on by his Sargonid successors and served as a model for many empires to follow.

 

Q6. Write a brief note on the sources and urbanization of the Bronze Age. 10

Ans) The Bronze Age world's relationship with urbanisation was one of its most prominent features. Even if one disagrees with a list of characteristics for urbanisation, it is apparent that the Bronze Age's setting was the city. Several cities epitomise the Bronze Age city, including Ur and Uruk in Mesopotamia and Mohenjodaro and Harappa in South Asia.

 

Urbanism was such a prominent component of these civilizations that Gordon V. Childe coined the phrase "Urban Revolution" to describe the process. The city was the Bronze Age's setting. People had more mobility as a result of their craft specialisation. Ploughing technology was equally important for agricultural output. High degrees of specialisation were obtained in the absence of a monetary economy by systematic labour appropriation. Much of this data is based on myths and stories that were documented at the time. In these societies, there appears to be a significant link between wealth, power, and status.

 

A stable agricultural base is necessary for urbanisation. High agricultural output, just like it does now, provided a solid economic foundation for the support of persons conducting other specialised but non-agricultural occupations. Without coined money, a Bronze Age society could only exist because its productivity allowed non-agriculturists to subsist on it without participating in its production. Specialists such as scribes, traders, artisans, and ritual practitioners are concentrated in cities, which are noted for their secondary occupations. These occupations could thrive in cities as a result of surpluses generated by primary producers located both within and on the outskirts of cities.

 


Assignment – III

 


Answer the following questions in about 100 words each.

 

Q7. Egypt : Religion and Temple. 6

Ans) God was viewed as an individual in Egypt, typically connected with certain traits or places, and defined and distinguished by his form and name. Gods, like humans, were thought to have been created by a primordial God, i.e., the first of all Gods and Goddesses. The Gods were not always immortal, and it was thought that the Moon God Thoth estimated both Gods' and humankind's lifespans.

 

God was served in Egypt by the King's charitable activities, such as the construction of a temple, the donation of images, and the restoration or washing of those images. The land was frequently shared by the temple and the state, and there was little distinction between the two. Temple lands were frequently tilled on behalf of Pharaoh. The priests were in charge of maintaining the temples and images. In festivals, the common people served God by honouring and worshipping Gods.

 

Q8. Written and Epigraphical evidence of Iron, 6

Ans) Iron goods have been unearthed dating back to the second millennium BCE, and evidence of their widespread use dates back to the first millennium BCE. Iron ore mining has been documented in the region since the second millennium BCE. P. Villard, for example, has suggested a relationship between the collapse of Bronze Age political systems and the rise of iron as a preferred metal. Scholars Mario Liverani discuss how the spread of settlements increased during the Iron Age compared to the Bronze Age, and they attribute this to the popularity of iron.

 

Approximately 200 Hittite writings mention iron, leading researchers to think that the Hittites were large-scale makers of iron artefacts. This would demonstrate their technological prowess as well as their ability to use iron as a powerful metal. The Hittite ability to produce iron is supported by iron ores discovered in the Anatolian region.

 

Q9. Sassanid Empire 6

Ans) From the third century CE until the seventh century CE, the Sasanian Empire was a powerful empire in the territory of modern-day Iran. The prominence of this empire stemmed from the fact that great breakthroughs in the domains of art, agriculture, and urbanism occurred in Iran during this time. Pre-Islamic Iranian empires were even regarded to be in their 'Golden Age.'

 

Ardashir I, who is said to be Sasan's grandson, is regarded as the first important king of the Sasaniaan Empire. The most plausible explanation, according to scholars, is that Sasan was a distant ancestor of Ardashir I, whose name was assigned to the empire.


Q10. Women in Greek society 6

Ans) Women worked as domestic slaves, as well as in textiles and handicrafts, in Greek civilization. They were captured as prisoners of war and sold as slaves, in addition to being exploited as women. Women, too, benefited from and shared in the magnificence of these civilizations, which had been inflated in the first place. There were individual prominent knowledgeable women from the ruling classes whose names occur in literary sources, and woman goddesses were adored.

 

Women did not have the same freedoms as citizens. They were not regarded citizens and were unable to participate in assemblies at any level, let alone higher bodies. Women were prohibited from inheriting or owning property. Greek society included prostitution as well.

 

Q11. Dark Age

Ans) Greece is thought to have regressed to a more basic level of civilization and society circa 1200 BCE, which lasted until 800 BCE. Some cities lost their lustre in the immediate aftermath of the Mycenaean fall, and there was a depopulation of prosperous economic centres. Some of the cities were sacked and destroyed completely. Greece during this time was poorer, more rural, and less organised, with governing classes made up of petty warriors raiding and battling amongst themselves.

 

As a result, this time of Greek history was not uniformly dark. It was merely that some aspects of society that appeared to be on the rise suffered a setback, or things did not continue to operate as they had in the past. So, as is often the case, the period was labelled as "black" simply because little was known about it for a long time, and the means for learning about it were unavailable, or because our vantage point overlooked much of what was going on.

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