Class:- 6th (History ) 1. What, Where, How and When?

Name:- _________

 Importance of History:
 History helps us in knowing about the past kings, kingdoms and the society.
 History tells us about the way people lived, the food they ate and the clothes they
wore.
 History tells us about the occupations of people.
 History tells us about the great achievements of our ancestors.
 History tells us about the mistakes made by our ancestors.
 History also tells us about the games children played during a particular time.
 We learn from history to make a better future.

 WHERE DID PEOPLE LIVE

During prehistoric times; people lived at following places in the Indian subcontinent.
 Banks of the river Narmada
 Sulaiman and Kirthar Hills of the Northwest
 Garo hills in the northeast and the Vindhyas in central India
 River Indus and its tributaries
 River Ganga and its tributary Son

 River Narmada:
For several thousand years; people lived near the banks of the Narmada. They were
hunters-gatherers. It means; they were nomadic, i.e. did not lead a settled life.

 Sulaiman and Kirthar Hills:

People lived in the Sulaiman and Kirthar Hills about 8000 years ago. They were among
the first people to begin farming. They used to grow crops; like wheat and barley. They
also begun to domesticate animals; like sheep, goat and cattle. People lived a settled
life. Villages came into origin around this time.

 Garo Hills and the Vindhyas:

People living in Garo hills were among the first to grow rice. Rice was also grown
towards the north of the Vindhyas.
 Indus and its tributaries:
The earliest cities developed near the banks of Indus and its tributaries; around 4700
years ago.

 Ganga and Son:

It was about 2500 years ago when cities also developed on the banks of the Ganga.
Some cities also developed along the tributaries of the Ganges. Some cities also
developed along the sea coast.

 THE NAME OF OUR COUNTRY:

India is known by many names; like Aryavarta, Jambudweep, Bharatvarsh, Bharat,
Hindustan, India, etc. Out of them, India, Hindustan and Bharat are more frequently used.

India: The people from Iran and Greece came to the north west of India. Thus, they became
familiar with the river Indus. They called it Indos or Hindos. The land to the east of this
river came to be known as India.

Bharat: People who lived in the northwest were known as Bharatha. They are mentioned
in the Rigveda. The name Bharat came because of the term ‘Bharatha’.

 Sources of HISTORY
Some of the sources which tell us about history are as follows:
 Manuscripts
 Inscriptions
 Coins
 Archeological Sites

 Manuscripts:
A handwritten book is called manuscript. Before the discovery of printing; books were
handwritten. The early manuscripts were written on palm leaves and on bark of birch
trees. The ancient manuscript give a lot of information about religious beliefs and
practices, life of kings, medicines, science, poems, plays, epics, etc.

 Inscriptions:
The text written on stone slabs is called inscription. An inscription on stone could
survive longer than a manuscript. Most of the inscriptions contain some order or
announcement by a king. Such announcements were written in inscriptions so that a
large number of people could read them. Some inscriptions contain good deeds by
 people; especially by kings and merchants. The inscriptions and manuscripts from
ancient period were usually written in Sanskrit or Prakrit or Tamil.

 Coins:
A coin gives information about the king of that period because coins usually contained
the image of the king. Coins also tell us about the level of skill among artisans during
that period. Coins were first developed in ancient Greece during 600 BC.

 Archaeological Sites:
Sites from where historical remains are obtained are called archaeological sites. Buildings
and monuments also come under archaeological sites. Archaeological sites also include old
buildings and monuments. Artifacts and other items excavated from different
archaeological sites give rich information about a period.

 Archaeologists:
People who specialize in studying the archaeological remains are known as
archaeologists.

Meaning of Dates
Dates are very important while studying history because dates help us in arranging the
events in some sequence. While discussing history, two distinct terms (BC and AD) are
used for dates. The term BC stands for before Christ. On the other hand, AD stands for
‘Anno Domini’ which means ‘In the year of the Lord’. Sometimes, CE is used instead of
AD and it means Common Era. Similarly, BCE is used instead of BC and it means before
the Common Era.

2. On The Trail Of the Earliest People

Life of Hunter Gatherer

The primitive man was a hunter gatherer. He used to hunt animals and gather fruits and
other plant produce for food. The early man did not live at one place, rather used to move
from one place to another. This means that the early man lived a nomadic life.
 Reasons of Nomadic Life:
 The food resource at a particular place was exhausted after some time. Hence,
people were forced to move in search of a better place.
 Moving from one place to another was also important for hunting. We know that
animals also keep on moving from one place to another.
 Most of the plants are seasonal. They bear fruits or seeds in a particular season. So,
to get constant supply of fruits, roots, seeds, etc. people needed to be on move.
 People also needed to move in search of water. You know that some rivers and
ponds become dry during summer.

THE STONE AGE

You have read that hunter-gatherers lived during the prehistoric period. People in this age
used stones for making tools. Due to this, this period is also called the Stone Age. The
Stone Age is divided into three phases:

 Palaeolithic or Old Stone Age

 Mesolithic or Middle Stone Age
 Neolithic or New Stone Age

 Palaeolithic Age

The term ‘Palaeolithic’ is made up of two Greek words; ‘Palaeo’ and ‘Lithos’. The term
‘Palaeo’ means ‘Old’ and the term ‘Lithos’ means ‘Stone’. Hence, this period is also called
the Old Stone Age. This period extends from 2 million years ago to 12,000 years ago. The
tools from this period were crude and had no refinement.

Uses of Stone Tools:

 For cutting meat and bones.
 For scraping bark (from trees) and hide (from animals).
 For chopping fruits and roots.
 Some tools were attached to handles; made of wood or bone; to be used as axe or
hammer.

The Earliest People

 Climate Change
You will be surprised to know that a major part of the Stone Age was during the Ice Age.
Ice was all around and there was negligible vegetation on the earth. After global warming;
the Ice Age came to an end about 12,000 years ago. End of the Ice Age meant clearance of
a vast tract of land. This also meant an ambient temperature for the growth of plants. More
green plants resulted in better availability of food for animals and humans. This was the
period when many modern day mammals must have proliferated. More animals meant
better availability of meat.
After the Ice Age; the plants of the grass family began to grow in most parts of the world.
You must be aware that rice, wheat and corn belong to the grass family. It means that a
major portion of our food comes from the grass family. This was the period when people
may have started using cereals and grains.

The Old Stone Age are:

 Bhimbetka (Madhya Pradesh)
 Hunsgi (Karnataka)
 Kurnool Caves (Andhra Pradesh)

 Factory Sites: Places where people could get plenty of stones for making tools were
used as sites for making the tools. Such places are called factory sites. At some places,
people also lived at such factory sites. Such sites are called habitation-cum-factory sites.

 Proofs for Factory Sites: Historians have found many proofs at factory sites. They
have found much larger stones and some unfinished tools. These proofs show that these
were the locations of factory sites.

Discovery of Fire:

The discovery of fire was a major revolution for the human beings. It changed the human
life dramatically. People may have learnt to use fire after seeing the effects of forest fire.
A person may have accidentally dropped a piece of meat in fire and may have tasted the
cooked meat for the first time. People may have learnt to produce fire by rubbing two
stones together.

Historians have found traces of ash from Kurnool caves. This suggests that fire was used
by the people who lived in these caves.

Fire could be used for many purposes. Fire can be used for clearing forest. It can be used
for cooking. Fire could be used for keeping the wild animals away from human dwellings.
The people of the Stone Age were very good artists as well. Many cave paintings have been
found in the cave dwellings of the Stone Age. For example; the caves in Bhimbetka show
beautiful paintings. Most the paintings show animals and hunting scenes.
Historians believe that these paintings may have been made as a part of a ritual. People
may have made those drawings before going for hunting. Another possibility is that people
must have got enough spare time to think about the beautiful nature around them.

These paintings also show that people used to live as a community. Living with the herd
has many benefits. A large group provided better protection against predators. A group
could easily kill a big animal. This ensured the supply of plenty of food. Historians guess
that usually men went for hunting, while women lived in caves to take care of children.
Women may have focused on collecting fruits, roots and berries.

What tools would you use today for cutting fruit? What would they be made of ?
Answer: We use knife for cutting fruit. Knives are made of steel.

List three ways in which hunter-gatherers used fire. Would you use fire for any of these
purposes today?
Answer: Three ways in which hunter-gatherers used fire are as follows:
 For cooking
 For warding off wild animals
 For clearing fores

People of the Stone Age lived in which natural structure?

Asnwer: Caves

Bhimbetka is in which modern state of India.

Answer: Madhya Pradesh

Remains of ashes have been found from the caves of which place?
Answer: Kurnool

Cave paintings usually depict which type of scene?

Answer: Hunting scene

Discarded stone pieces and chips can be found on which type of sites of the Stone Age?
Answer: Factory sites

What is Stone Age?

Answer: The period during which only stone tools were used by people is called the Stone
Age.

What is the meaning of Palaeolithic Age?

Answer: Palaeolithic Age means the Old Stone Age.

What were the sources of food for early people?

Answer: Meat, fish, fruits, roots, berries, etc. were the sources of food for early people.

Cave paintings usually contained pictures of which animals?

Answer: Bison, deer and other wild animals.

Why is Bhimbetka famous?

Answer: Bhimbetka is famous for cave paintings of the Stone Age. This site has been
termed the World Heritage Site by the UNESCO.

3.The Early Farmers

 Neolithic Age:

The last phase of the Stone Age is called the Neolithic Age. This phase began about 10,000
years ago. This phase marks a significant change in the life of humans because this is the
period when man began farming.

 Tools of the Neolithic Age:

The tools of the Neolithic Age were much smaller and more refined. Stone was given better
shape and some tools were fitted with handles, e.g. spears, axe, sickles, arrows, etc.

 Beginning of Agriculture

The beginning of farming was the most revolutionary development in the human history.
This marked the beginning of progress towards a settled life.
Historians guess that farming was first discovered by women. This was possible because
women had to live at a place for a longer duration during pregnancy and raising children.
While staying at a place for a long duration; women and children may have observed that
seeds develop into plants. They may have learnt growing plants after that observation.

Benefits of Farming:
 Farming meant there was better supply of food. Additionally, there was less reliance
on hunting and gathering.
 We know that a plant takes many months to bear fruits and seeds. So people
needed to stay at a place for longer duration to take care of the crop. This helped
humans to live a settled life.
 Once food was surplus, people could focus intellectual development during their
spare time. This helped in developing scientific, linguistic and artistic skills.
 After the beginning of settled life; communities became bigger and eventually took
the form of villages. It is important to remember that a village is a place where
agriculture is the main occupation of people.

 Life of Tribe: People who live close to the nature and follow the primitive ways of life
are called tribal. Some of the characteristics of a tribe are as follows:
 Members of a tribe live together as small groups.
 Tribes usually live near a forest. They depend on forest produce for most of their
needs.
 People of a tribe worship trees and animals and never exploit natural resources.
 A tribe has a rich cultural heritage. They have their own music, sculpture and
paintings.

 Invention of Wheels:

This was the period when another major discovery took place, i.e. the invention of wheel.
You may be thinking that an intelligent scientist may have invented the wheel but this was
not the case. It must have taken hundreds of years before humans could perfect the design
of wheel. People may have observed wooden logs and rocks rolling down the slopes.
People may have started with using cylindrical logs to move heavy objects. With gradual
passage of time; they may have perfected the design of the wheel.

Wheel gave many benefits to human beings. Carts could be easily pulled using human
power or animal power. Long distance travels could become much easier. The craft of
pottery also flourished because of potter’s wheel. Now-a-days; we cannot imagine of a life
without wheels. Almost all machines have wheels of different sizes to move different parts.