History Notes NCERT Class 6 CBSE – Chapter 2 (Early Human – I)

History Notes

Class 6

Early Human – I

    Early humans were hunter-gatherers and nomads. They always on the move, they traveled from one place to another in search of food, water and shelter. They hunt wild animals and gathered fruits roots, nuts and seeds. They discovered fire and fire their life easier

The Stone Age

1. Palaeolithic Age (Old Stone Age):- 

                Till 1000BC, About 12000 years ago. It is further divided into Early (lower), Middle and late (Upper) Palaeolithic. Human used cured stones during this period.

2. Mesolithic or Middle Stone Age:-

                Casted from about 10000 BC till about 800 BC. Stone tool of this period are called microliths.  More efficient and sharper, smaller than Palaeolithic Period. Apart from stones, animal’s bones and horns were also used to make tools.

3. Neolithic or New Stone Age:-

                8000 BC – 4000 BC. These tolls were much sharper than the Mesolithic period. They also polished to sparkle. A large amount of sickles and spears and arrowheads have been found.

 

Early humans searched for stones which could be used as tools. Later, they started making crude stone tools for specific needs.

Flint, a type of stone, was widely used to make tools and weapons. It could be moulded into different shapes easily.

 

Techniques of tool making

 

1.       Stone on Stone (Rubbing or striking)

2.       Pressure Flaking (like using hammer and chisel)

 

Bhimbetka :-

                Bhimbetka in Madhya Pradesh is famous for prehistoric rock paintings. There are over 750 rock shelters here, nearly 500 of which have paintings. The painting depict science from everyday life – of men hunting, riding, dancing, and so on and large no of animals.

Learn More

8. The First Empire - The Mauryas

9. Life in Villages and Towns

10. The Post Mauryan Period

11. The Gupta and Post-Gupta Period

                The colours used in the paintings are red, green, white, and ochre. The colour perhaps made by grinding various rock and minerals till they become powder.

In September 2010, a large number of stones tools and weapons, dating back to more than 80,000 years ago were unearthed from a dry lake bed in south of Chennai. Hand-axes, choppers, scrapers and microlithic tools were the common  finds.

The Deccan

                Many prehistoric sites have been excavated in the Deccan. Some of these are in Bori, Morgan, Chirki- Nevasa, Isampur, Gunore, Saswad Nasre, Yedurwadi and Attirampakkam. All these sites are characterized by the discovery of stone tools - hand-axes, choppers, cleavers and scrapers, among other tools.

                The Hunsgi and Baichbal Valley in the Deccan also have made stone age site. If both the large and the small ones are taken into account, the number would cross 200, many finished and unfinished stone tools have been found here. It appears that early humans lived here over a very long period of time.

                The stone tools found from the prehistoric sites of Deccan are the important links with the past. Archaeologists are studying these tools carefully to found out how they were used. In the early human lived, what they ate and how they overcome the harsh living condition of those time.

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