📝 Chapter Notes & Revision

What, Where, How and When?

🏫 MP BoardClass 6Social Science

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Class 6 Social Science: Quick Revision Notes

Chapter: What, Where, How and When?

### Concept 1: Introduction to History

History is the study of the past. It helps us understand how our lives have changed over time and how human society has evolved.

  • What can we know about the past?
    • What people ate, the kinds of clothes they wore, and the houses in which they lived.
    • The lives of hunters, herders, farmers, rulers, merchants, priests, crafts-persons, artists, musicians, and scientists.
    • The games children played, the stories they heard, the plays they saw, and the songs they sang.

### Concept 2: Where Did People Live? (Important River Valleys)

People have lived along the banks of rivers for several hundred thousand years because rivers provide water, fertile land for agriculture, and attract animals and fish.

  1. Narmada River:
    • People lived along the banks of this river for several hundred thousand years.
    • Early people were skilled gatherers (who gathered their food, roots, fruits, and forest produce) and also hunted animals.
  2. Sulaiman and Kirthar Hills (North-West):
    • About 8,000 years ago, men and women first began to grow crops such as wheat and barley.
    • People began rearing animals like sheep, goats, and cattle, and living in villages.
  3. Garo Hills (North-East) and Vindhyas (Central India):
    • These were some of the other areas where agriculture developed.
    • Rice was first grown to the north of the Vindhyas.
  4. Indus and its Tributaries:
    • About 4,700 years ago, some of the earliest cities flourished on the banks of these rivers.
  5. Ganga and its Tributaries (Magadha):
    • About 2,500 years ago, cities developed on the banks of the Ganga and along the sea coasts.
    • The area along the Ganga in ancient times was known as Magadha (located in present-day Bihar). Its rulers were very powerful and set up a large kingdom.

### Concept 3: Why Did People Travel?

People have travelled from one part of the subcontinent to another throughout history.

  • Reasons for Travel:
    • In search of livelihood (work).
    • To escape natural disasters like floods or droughts.
    • Marching in armies to conquer other lands.
    • Merchants travelled with caravans or ships, carrying valuable goods from place to place.
    • Religious teachers walked from village to village, town to town, stopping to offer instruction and advice.
    • People travelled driven by a spirit of adventure, wanting to discover new and exciting places.
  • Impact of Travel:
    • Sharing of ideas, cultures, traditions, art, and music between different people over hundreds of years.

### Concept 4: Naming the Land

Our country is often known by two words: India and Bharat.

  1. India:
    • Comes from the Indus, called Sindhu in Sanskrit.
    • The Iranians and Greeks who came through the northwest about 2,500 years ago were familiar with the Indus and called it the Hindos or the Indos, and the land to the east of the river was called India.
  2. Bharat:
    • Used for a group of people mentioned in the Rigveda (the earliest composition in Sanskrit, dated to about 3,500 years ago).
    • Later used for the country.

### Concept 5: Finding Out About the Past (Sources of History)

Historians and archaeologists use various sources to study the past:

  1. Manuscripts:
    • Definition: Books that were hand-written long ago (derived from the Latin word 'manu', meaning hand).
    • Material: Usually written on palm leaf or on the specially prepared bark of a tree known as the birch, which grows in the Himalayas.
    • Usage: Over the years, many manuscripts were eaten away by insects, while some were destroyed, but many have survived, preserved in temples and monasteries.
  2. Inscriptions:
    • Definition: Writings on relatively hard surfaces such as stone or metal.
    • Usage: Kings got their orders inscribed so that people could see, read, and obey them. Sometimes, kings and queens recorded what they did (victories in battles, etc.).
  3. Archaeology:
    • Definition: The study of the remains of buildings made of stone and brick, paintings, and sculpture.
    • Archaeologists: People who study the past by exploring and excavating (digging 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.

### Concept 6: One Past or Many?

  • History is not singular; it is plural. Look at the title of the history textbook: Our Pasts.
  • The lives of herders or farmers were different from those of kings and queens.
  • Even today, people in different parts of India follow different customs and practices. For example, Andaman Islanders gather their own food, fish, and hunt, whereas city dwellers depend on supplies for food. Hence, the past was different for different groups of people.

### Concept 7: What Do Dates Mean?

  • Dates in history are usually counted from the birth of Jesus Christ, the founder of Christianity.
  • BC (Before Christ): Years before the birth of Christ are counted backwards and usually have 'BC' added to them. (Counts down to 0).
  • AD (Anno Domini): Years after the birth of Christ. (Stands for two Latin words, meaning 'in the year of the Lord').
  • CE (Common Era) and BCE (Before Common Era): Used nowadays instead of AD and BC, because these terms are now used in most countries.
  • BP (Before Present): Sometimes used to mean dates before the present time.