What, Where, How and When - Full Chapter Explanation and NCERT Solutions | Class 6 History Chapter 1

Key Concepts:

• History: What happened in the past, including events from yesterday to thousands of years ago.
• Hunter-Gatherers: Early humans who survived by hunting animals and gathering plants.
• Settled Agriculturists: People who began farming and living in one place.
• Manuscripts: Books written by hand, usually on palm leaves or birch bark.
• Inscriptions: Writings engraved on hard surfaces like stone or metal.
• Archaeologists: People who study the past by examining objects and remains.
• Indian Subcontinent: The region including India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bhutan, and parts of Afghanistan.
• Tributaries: Smaller rivers that flow into a larger river.
• BC/BCE (Before Christ/Before Common Era): Years before the birth of Jesus Christ.
• AD/CE (Anno Domini/Common Era): Years after the birth of Jesus Christ.

1. Introduction to History and Key Questions

• The chapter explores the "what, where, how, and when" of history.
• Rashiada's question about how we know what happened 100 years ago sets the stage for understanding historical sources.
• Finding out about the past involves different methods depending on the time frame (yesterday, a year ago, 100 years ago, 1000 years ago).

2. Where Did People Live?

• Early humans lived along riverbanks, such as the Narmada River, for easy access to water.
• Many were skilled hunter-gatherers, living near forests to hunt animals and gather food.
• Evidence of settled agriculture, such as growing wheat and barley, dates back 8000 years in areas like the Suleiman and Kirthar Hills (present-day Pakistan).
• People also began rearing animals like cattle, sheep, and goats.
• Agriculture developed in areas like the Garo Hills (northeast India) and north of the Vindhyas (central India), where rice was first grown.
• Around 4700 years ago, some of the earliest cities flourished along the Indus River.
• Later, around 2500 years ago, cities developed along the Ganges River.
• The area south of the Ganges, known as Magadha, became a large and powerful kingdom.

3. Movement of the People

• People traveled from one part of the Indian subcontinent to another for various reasons.
• Reasons for movement:
  • In search of livelihood: Seeking food and work.
  • To escape natural disasters: Avoiding floods and droughts.
  • Movement of armies: Conquering other lands.
  • Merchants traveling for trade: Trading goods.
  • Religious teachers: Spreading religious messages.
  • Adventure and discovery: Exploring new lands.
• Geographical barriers like hills, mountains, deserts, rivers, and seas made journeys dangerous and difficult.
• These movements led to the sharing of ideas and enriched social and cultural traditions.
• People shared new ways of carving stone, composing music, and cooking food.

4. Names of the Land

• The two words often used for the country are India and Bharat.
• The word "India" comes from the Indus River, which is called "Sindhu" in Sanskrit.
• Iranians and Greeks, familiar with the Indus, called it "Hindos" or "Indos," and the land to the east of the river was called "India."
• The name "Bharat" is mentioned in the Rigveda, a Sanskrit text dating back 3500 years.
• It was used for a group of people who lived in the northwest.

5. Finding Out About the Past

• Two major sources for learning about the past are manuscripts and inscriptions.
• Manuscripts:
  • Handwritten books written long ago.
  • Usually written on palm leaves or the bark of the birch tree (found in the Himalayas).
  • Covered a variety of subjects, including religious beliefs, the lives of kings, medicine, science, epics, poems, and plays.
  • Written in Sanskrit, Prakrit, and Tamil.
• Inscriptions:
  • Writings engraved on hard surfaces like stone or metal.
  • Used to record orders of kings, lives of people, and victories in battle.
  • An inscription from about 2250 years ago, found in Kandahar (Afghanistan), was written in Greek and Aramaic on the orders of the ruler Ashoka.

6. Tools, Weapons, Pots, and Coins

• Archaeologists study the remains of buildings, paintings, sculptures, tools, weapons, pots, ornaments, and coins to learn about the past.
• Archaeologists also look for bones of animals, birds, and fish to find out what people ate.
• They are like detectives, using these sources to reconstruct history bit by bit.
• Pots were used about 4700 years ago to store grains.
• Silver coins were in use from about 2500 years ago.

7. One Past or Many?

• The title "Our Pasts" is used to draw attention to the fact that the past was different for different groups of people.
• The lives of farmers and kings were very different.
• Even today, different groups of people have different experiences and histories.
• The past of kings and queens is easily available to us through records, but the history of ordinary people is more difficult to obtain.

8. What Do Dates Mean?

• Years are generally assigned to the birth of Jesus Christ.
• Years before the birth of Jesus are referred to as BC (Before Christ) or BCE (Before Common Era).
• Years after the birth of Jesus are referred to as AD (Anno Domini) or CE (Common Era).
• For example, 2019 AD means 2019 years after the birth of Jesus Christ.

9. Conclusion

• The chapter provides a comprehensive introduction to the study of history, covering key concepts, sources, and methods.
• It emphasizes the importance of considering multiple perspectives and recognizing that the past was different for different groups of people.
• Understanding dates and timelines is essential for studying history.
• The chapter encourages critical thinking and a deeper understanding of the past.