Class 6 History Ch 1: What, Where, How & When?

Chapter 1: What, Where, How and When? - Social Science (History)

Chapter Summary

• The past helps us understand what people ate, what clothes they wore, what kind of houses they lived in, and the lives of various groups like hunters, farmers, rulers, merchants, priests, craftspersons, artists, musicians, and scientists.
• Where did people live?
  • People lived along the banks of the river Narmada for several hundred thousand years. They were skilled gatherers, collecting roots, fruits, and other forest produce for food.
  • About 8000 years ago, people in the Sulaiman and Kirthar hills (north-west) began to grow crops like wheat and barley. They also started rearing animals like sheep, goat, and cattle, leading to the development of villages.
  • Agriculture also developed in the Garo Hills (north-east) and the Vindhyas (central India). Rice was first grown in the areas north of the Vindhyas.
  • Around 4700 years ago, early cities flourished on the banks of the river Indus and its tributaries.
  • About 2500 years ago, cities developed along the Ganga and its tributaries, and along the sea coasts.
• Magadha: The area to the south of the river Ganga was known as Magadha. Its rulers were very powerful and established a large kingdom.
• Movement of People: People travelled for various reasons:
  • In search of livelihood.
  • To escape natural disasters like floods or droughts.
  • To conquer other lands.
  • Merchants travelled with caravans or ships.
  • Religious teachers walked from village to village to offer instruction and advice.
  • Some travelled to discover new and exciting places.
  These movements enriched our cultural traditions.
• Naming the Land:
  • India: The word India comes from the Indus, called Sindhu in Sanskrit. The Iranians and Greeks, who came through the north-west about 2500 years ago, were familiar with the Indus, calling it the `Hindos` or the `Indos`, and the land to the east of the river was called India.
  • Bharat: The name Bharata was used for a group of people who lived in the north-west, and who are mentioned in the Rigveda, the earliest composition in Sanskrit (dated to about 3500 years ago). Later, it was used for the country.
• How do we know about the past?
  • Manuscripts: These are handwritten books, usually written on palm leaf or on the bark of the birch tree (which grows in the Himalayas). They covered religious beliefs, the lives of kings, medicines, science, epics, poems, and plays. Many were written in Sanskrit, Prakrit (language of ordinary people), and Tamil.
  • Inscriptions: These are writings on relatively hard surfaces like stone or metal. Kings used them to record their orders, victories in battles, or to describe the deeds of men and women.
  • Archaeology: People who study the remains of the past are called archaeologists. They study buildings made of stone and brick, paintings, and sculptures. They also explore and excavate (dig under the surface of the earth) to find tools, weapons, pots, pans, ornaments, and coins. They also look for bones of animals, birds, and fish to find out what people ate in the past.
  • Historians use these sources (manuscripts, inscriptions, and archaeological findings) to study the past.
• Dates:
  • BC (Before Christ) / BCE (Before Common Era): Years are counted backward from the birth of Jesus Christ.
  • AD (Anno Domini - In the year of the Lord) / CE (Common Era): Years are counted forward from the birth of Jesus Christ.
  • Sometimes BP (Before Present) is also used.
• One Past or Many Pasts? The title "Our Pasts" suggests that the past was different for different groups of people. For example, the lives of kings and queens were different from those of farmers and herders. Also, different regions of the subcontinent had different histories.

Questions and Answers

Let's Recall

1. Match the following:

Column A	Column B
Narmada Valley	Hunting and gathering
Magadha	The first big kingdom
Garo Hills	Early agriculture
Indus and its tributaries	First cities
Ganga Valley	Cities about 2500 years ago

2. List one major difference between manuscripts and inscriptions.

Answer: The major difference between manuscripts and inscriptions is the surface on which they are written:

• Manuscripts are handwritten books, usually written on soft, perishable materials like palm leaves or the bark of birch trees. They are fragile and can be easily damaged or destroyed over time.
• Inscriptions are writings engraved on hard surfaces like stone, metal, or baked clay. They are much more durable and tend to survive for a longer time, providing a more permanent record.

Let's Discuss

3. Return to Ram’s question (see page 2). What would you tell him?

Answer: Ram’s question was, "How can anyone know what happened so many years ago?" I would tell him that we can know a lot about what happened many years ago by studying various sources, much like detectives piece together a case. These sources include:

• Manuscripts: Old handwritten books on palm leaves or birch bark tell us about religious beliefs, the lives of kings, medicines, and scientific discoveries.
• Inscriptions: Writings engraved on hard surfaces like stone or metal provide information about kings' orders, victories, and important events.
• Archaeology: Archaeologists study the remains of buildings, tools, weapons, pots, ornaments, coins, and even bones to understand how people lived, what they ate, and what their culture was like.
• Historians: They are like storytellers of the past. They use all these sources – manuscripts, inscriptions, and archaeological findings – to reconstruct and understand the events and lives of people from long ago.

4. Make a list of all the objects that archaeologists may find. Which of these could be used to decide whether people who lived 2000 years ago were hunters or farmers?

Answer: Archaeologists may find a variety of objects, including:

• Remains of buildings: Such as houses, temples, fortifications.
• Tools: Axes, knives, scrapers, arrowheads.
• Weapons: Spears, daggers.
• Pots and pans: Made of clay, metal.
• Ornaments: Jewellery made of stone, shell, metal.
• Coins: Various denominations, made of different metals.
• Sculptures and paintings: Artworks on walls or as statues.
• Bones: Of animals, birds, and fish, and human bones.
• Plant remains: Seeds, pollen, charred grains (if preserved).

To decide whether people who lived 2000 years ago were hunters or farmers, archaeologists would look for:

• For Hunters: Sharp stone tools (like arrowheads, spear points), bones of wild animals, evidence of temporary shelters or caves, and absence of cultivated crop remains.
• For Farmers: Remains of domesticated animals (like cattle, sheep, goat), charred grains (wheat, barley, rice), agricultural tools (ploughs, sickles), evidence of permanent settlements (houses, granaries), and pottery used for storage and cooking grains.

5. What do you think the lives of farmers and herders would have been different from that of hunting-gatherers? Give reasons for your answer.

Answer: The lives of farmers and herders were significantly different from those of hunting-gatherers due to their shift in food production methods:

• Settlement:
  • Hunting-gatherers: Were nomadic, constantly moving from place to place in search of food (animals, wild plants). Their settlements were temporary.
  • Farmers and Herders: Lived in one place for longer periods because they had to tend to their crops and animals. They developed permanent settlements and built more durable houses.
• Food Security:
  • Hunting-gatherers: Relied on the availability of wild resources, which could be unpredictable. Faced periods of scarcity.
  • Farmers and Herders: Had a more reliable and controlled food supply through agriculture and animal rearing. They could store surplus food.
• Work and Tools:
  • Hunting-gatherers: Focused on hunting, fishing, and gathering. Their tools were primarily for these activities (e.g., spears, arrowheads, collecting baskets).
  • Farmers and Herders: Engaged in activities like ploughing, sowing, harvesting, milking, and shearing. Their tools were adapted for agriculture (e.g., ploughs, sickles, grinding stones) and animal management.
• Social Organization:
  • Hunting-gatherers: Lived in small, mobile bands or groups.
  • Farmers and Herders: Developed larger, more complex village communities, eventually leading to more organized societies. Division of labour became more distinct.
• Impact on Environment:
  • Hunting-gatherers: Had a relatively low impact, living off the land with minimal alteration.
  • Farmers and Herders: Began to significantly modify the environment through clearing forests for cultivation, irrigation, and pasturing animals.

Let's Do

6. Find the word ‘craftspersons’ on page 1. List at least five different crafts that you know about today. Are the craftspersons – (a) men (b) women (c) both men and women?

Answer: The word ‘craftspersons’ refers to people skilled in a particular craft. Here are five different crafts:

1. Pottery: Making pots, vases, and other objects from clay.
2. Weaving: Creating fabrics and textiles from threads or yarns.
3. Jewellery Making: Crafting ornaments from precious metals, stones, or other materials.
4. Carpentry: Building and repairing things made of wood.
5. Embroidery: Decorating fabric with needlework.

Today, craftspersons can be (c) both men and women. Many crafts have traditionally been practiced by both genders, and in modern times, all crafts are open to anyone who develops the skill and passion for them.

7. List down the dates mentioned in the chapter. (For example, 8000 years ago, 4700 years ago, 2500 years ago). Choose any one date and find out why it is important.

Answer: Dates mentioned in the chapter include:

• Several hundred thousand years ago: People lived along the Narmada River.
• About 8000 years ago: People began to grow crops like wheat and barley in the Sulaiman and Kirthar hills, and started rearing animals.
• About 4700 years ago: Early cities flourished on the banks of the Indus and its tributaries.
• About 3500 years ago: The Rigveda was composed, mentioning the group of people called Bharata.
• About 2500 years ago: Cities developed along the Ganga and its tributaries, and along the sea coasts. Iranians and Greeks became familiar with the Indus.

Let's choose "About 8000 years ago" as an important date:

• Importance: This period marks the beginning of settled agriculture and animal rearing in regions like the Sulaiman and Kirthar hills. This shift from a nomadic hunting-gathering lifestyle to a sedentary farming and herding life was a revolutionary change, leading to the development of villages, more stable food supplies, and eventually, the rise of civilizations. It laid the foundation for human societies as we know them today.