Weaving and Pottery Ceramic Technology: Two Marks Important Questions and Answers

Tamils and Technology

Unit-I

WEAVING AND POTTERY (CERAMIC) TECHNOLOGY

1. What are the evidences of clothing in the Sangam period?

In the Sangam period, the reference of wearing Thazhaiyudai, Maravuri and Kachai is found in Kurunji Thinai songs. Kuravars wore dresses woven from Kartazhai and the Kurinji land Kodichiyars wore leaf dresses made from the shoots of Ashoka tree.

2. What are the names of the clothes? (or) What are the other names that are given to the 'cloth' in sangam literature.

(i) Thazhai dress (ii) Thugil – Kalingam (iii) Kachchai – Kachchu (iv) Padam - Meippai (v) Sithar - Sitharvai (vi) Kazhagam (vii) Aruvai (viii) Kandam

3. Who were the weaving women (or) cotton women? (or) Explain 'Paruthi Pendir'

The women who plucked the cotton and cleaned it by removing the nuts and seeds from it were called 'Cotton Women'. They were engaged in this work even at night with lanterns.

4. What are the types of fabrics?

(i) Fine fabrics (ii) Beautiful high quality fabrics like snake skin (iii) Coarse fabrics (iv) Silk clothes

5. What are professional tax and sales tax in textile industry?

(1) Professional Tax

The practice of taxing only the functioning 'Weaving looms' existed during the Sangam period. A Non-weaving loom was called 'Madi loom'. It was not taxed.

(ii) Sales Tax

They had gone to other places and sold the woven clothes. The tax paid for selling on streets was called 'Kulavari'.

6. Give the meaning of Kachai - Kachu (Girdle)

i) The chief son (lover) of Kurinji land was wearing an elaborate girdle called Kachu.

ii) The chief daughter of Kurinji land was wearing a dress called Kachai.

7. What is weaving industry?

Weaving industry is an industry used by people to produce clothing, bedspreads, mats, carpets and socks.

8. Give the sculptural evidence proving the existence of dress in sangam age.

Women wore sarees that hung down to their knees. The sculptures show that they used to wear various types of knots made of four-square pieces of cloth on their heads.

Example

Some of the sculptures found at Amaravati and Jagkaiyapet, Andhra Nadu 200 BC - 100 AD show that men wore a turban, a pleated garment hanging down to the knee, a flower-worked girdle and a small stitched towel hanging from it.

9. How did spinning and weaving of cloth take place?

(i) Yarning Thread

Cotton was cleaned and ginned by hand and spun into cotton yarn. Women did the work. They had learnt the technology of manufacturing women's clothes and engaged in the industry.

(ii) Weaving Cloth

Widowed women, women separated from their husbands who had gone out for earning or who had gone out for war reasons took up weaving at home for their earning, Women engaged in such occupations were called 'Cotton Women'. The yarn made of cotton was called 'Panuval'.

10. Write notes on history of dress in sangam period.

When the world originated, man was living without clothes like animals. After knowing the air, mixing the water, seeing the earth, feeling the sky, using the fire and gaining knowledge, people were ashamed and wore leaves and barks as clothes. Then they wore the skins of deer, tiger, etc., as clothes.

11. How was the dresses of saints in sangam age?

They wore dresses made with barks, grass and skins of animals.

12. Give meaning of Leaf dress.

(i) Narikurava women put bunches of mango leaves in between and wore a veil of leaves, which they placed around the bouquets.

(ii) Neithal women wore a leafy dress made of shoots, leaves abosni and flowers.

13. What is meant by Dhukil - Kalingam?

Dhukil: It is a dress worn by men.

Kalingam : It is a dress worn by women.

14. How is Avuri plant dye was made in ancient times?

Avuri flowers were plucked and soaked overnight in a big tank, while they were soaked like that they turned yellow. Then, they were filtered and placed in another tank. At that time, it reacted with oxygen and turned into blue colour. This was later called blue dye (Indigo).

15. Which plant was used for dyeing in textile industry?

Avuri, Saffron, Turmeric, Kadukkai.

16. What is padam - Meipai?

Padam (or) Meipai means shirt in these days.

17. Give the meaning of Sithar - sitharvai..

Dirty torn rags were called 'Sithar' and 'Sitharvai".

18. What is meant by Kandam?

The rough cloth used to wrap around the tent like a wall was called Kandam.

19. What are the works done by Cotton women?

(i) Cleaning of cotton (ii) Weaving the thread (iii) Weaving cloth

20. In which Sangam literatures can we find datas related to the weaving industry.

 (i) Purananooru (ii) Nattrinai (iii) Akananooru (iv) Malaipadukadam

21. What are potteries?

Pottery is a type of material used by people for their needs with clay types. A pot is an object made of clay.

22. What substances are contained in clay soil?

The primary mineral found in clay is white clay or Kaolinite. In this, clay mineral, the following items are found.

(i) 40% Aluminiam Oxide (ii) 46% Silicon Oxide (ii) 14% Water

23. What are the other names given the pot makers in literature.

Vetko, Kalancheiko

24. What are the types of rotators (Thiruvai)?

There are two types of Thiruvais in Tamil Nadu. They are

(i) Ball tipped rotator

(ii) Cone - slot rotator

25. Which are the places where evidences relating to ceramic technology of Tamils are found?

(i) Thiruchengodu hill (ii) Thiruchengodu nilathambiran hill (iii) Thirukovilur Taluk, Kilvalai village (iv) Vellore district, Giri Giri village.

26. Describe Black and Red tiles. Or What are Black and Red Ware potteries (BRW)

Since both black and red colours appears on the same surface of the potteries, they are called black-red vessels.

Though, both the colours appear on the same surface, in most the vessels red colour appears on the outer surface and black colour appears on the inner surface.

27. What are the raw materials used in Black-Red pottery?

The red colour of the black-red pottery was due to hamatite, an iron mineral and the black colour was due to the use of organic matter, charcoal.

28. What is the reason for the black and red colours of the pots?

i) For black colour: Charcoal

ii) For red colour: Hamatite

29. What is meant by pot ?

Pot is an object made of clay.

30. Name any 4 types of pots.

(i) Thasumbu (ii) Kannal (iii) Kadi (iv) Kumuzhi (v) Thadavu.

31. What is the temperature required for creating nanotubes in pots?

1200° C.

32. Give any 2 uses of Black red vessels.

 (i) Cooking (ii) Storing grains.

33. How are scratch symbols created on objects?

i) One is the markings that were put before burning the pottery.

ii) Another is the markings put on the pottery after they were burnt. Generally, the marks were made using hard substances like stone, iron, ivory, etc.,

34. Explain about the scratches and symbols found on pots?

Between the end of the Indus Valley Culture and the appearance of the 'Tamizhi' letters, there was a written form. They were called symbols and incisors by the researchers.

It is clear that the scratch symbols are considered to predate the Tamizhi script. Scratches on pottery found in the excavations look like letters and paintings.

During the Sangam period, these symbols were used for communication. To know the trade exchanges and the economic conditions of the Tamils at that time.

35. Point out the gradual changes occured in the tamil letters.

Scratch codes → Indus letters → Tamil brahmi → line form.

36. What are Elder's Thazhi? Mention their uses.

It is a large earthen pot. In ancient times, the method of keeping the dead body and the ornaments used by them inside the large pot and bury in the soil.

37. What is fine art?

Fine art is an art created for aesthetic, intellectual and emotional purposes.

Example: Painting, sculpture, music, dance and poetry.

38. Mention any one of the literary evidence reported in Sangam isnel literature regarding weaving industry.

Bow is used to separate cotton from its cocoon. Later, Sangam literature mentions that the cotton cocoon was thoroughly pounded to remove the outer skin and the remaining cocoons and dust.

Proof: Nattrinai 299:7

The women who removed the cotton and cleaned it by removing the nuts and seeds from it are called 'Cotton Women". This work was carried out by 'Cotton Women' even at night with lanterns.

Proof: Purananooru 125:1

39. What is Thamizhi?

The next available notation to scratch in the Tamizhi (Tamil- Brahmi). This is also inscribed by one type of symbols.

Anna University Part A Two Marks Important Questions

1. What is weaving industry?

2. Which are the places where evidences relating to ceramic technology of Tamils are found?

3. What are the other names that are given to the 'Cloth' in sangam literature?

4. Explain 'Paruthi pendir'.

5. Description of black and red tiles.

6. Explain about the scratches and symbols found on pots.

7. Which plant was used for dyeing in textile industry?

8. What is the reason for the black and red colors of the pots?

9. What are Black and Red Ware potteries (BRW)?

10. In which Sangam literatures can we find datas related to the weaving industry?

11. What is fine art?

12. Mention any one of the literary evidence reported in Sangam literature regarding weaving industry.

13. List the various types of clothes worn by the people of the Sangam Period.

14. Write the types of "Tiruval'.