NCERT Textbook: From Hunting-Gathering to Growing Food | Old & New NCERTs for IAS Preparation (Must Read) - UPSC PDF Download

 Page 1


? 10
our pasts –i The earliest people: why were they on the move?
We know about people who lived in the subcontinent 
as early as two million years ago. Today, we describe 
them as hunter-gatherers.  The name comes from 
the way in which they got their food. Generally, 
they hunted wild animals, caught fish and birds, 
gathered fruits, roots, nuts, seeds, leaves, stalks 
and eggs.  
Hunter-gatherers moved from place to place. 
There are many reasons for this.
First, if they had stayed at one place for a long 
time, they would have eaten up all the available 
plant and animal resources. Therefore, they would 
have had to go elsewhere in search of food. 
Second, animals move from place to place — 
either in search of smaller prey, or, in the case of 
deer and wild cattle, in search of grass and leaves. 
That is why those who hunted them had to follow 
their movements. 
FROM HUNTING–GATHERING TO 
GROWING FOOD
CHAPTER 2
T ushar’s train journey
Tushar was going from Delhi to Chennai for his cousin’s 
wedding. They were travelling by train and he had 
managed to squeeze into the window seat, his nose 
glued to the glass pane. As he watched trees and houses 
fly past, his uncle tapped his shoulder and said: “Do 
you know that trains were first used about 150 years 
ago, and that people began using buses a few decades 
later?” Tushar wondered, when people couldn’t travel 
quickly from one place to another, did they spend their 
entire lives wherever they were born? Not quite.
Chapter 1-2.indd   10 22 April 2022   12:12:46
Rationalised 2023-24
Page 2


? 10
our pasts –i The earliest people: why were they on the move?
We know about people who lived in the subcontinent 
as early as two million years ago. Today, we describe 
them as hunter-gatherers.  The name comes from 
the way in which they got their food. Generally, 
they hunted wild animals, caught fish and birds, 
gathered fruits, roots, nuts, seeds, leaves, stalks 
and eggs.  
Hunter-gatherers moved from place to place. 
There are many reasons for this.
First, if they had stayed at one place for a long 
time, they would have eaten up all the available 
plant and animal resources. Therefore, they would 
have had to go elsewhere in search of food. 
Second, animals move from place to place — 
either in search of smaller prey, or, in the case of 
deer and wild cattle, in search of grass and leaves. 
That is why those who hunted them had to follow 
their movements. 
FROM HUNTING–GATHERING TO 
GROWING FOOD
CHAPTER 2
T ushar’s train journey
Tushar was going from Delhi to Chennai for his cousin’s 
wedding. They were travelling by train and he had 
managed to squeeze into the window seat, his nose 
glued to the glass pane. As he watched trees and houses 
fly past, his uncle tapped his shoulder and said: “Do 
you know that trains were first used about 150 years 
ago, and that people began using buses a few decades 
later?” Tushar wondered, when people couldn’t travel 
quickly from one place to another, did they spend their 
entire lives wherever they were born? Not quite.
Chapter 1-2.indd   10 22 April 2022   12:12:46
Rationalised 2023-24
11 ?
from hunting –gathering 
to growing food Third, plants and trees bear fruit in different 
seasons. So, people may have moved from season 
to season in search of different kinds of plants. 
Fourth, people, plants and animals need water 
to survive. Water is found in lakes, streams and 
rivers. While many rivers and lakes are perennial 
(with water throughout the year), others are 
seasonal. People living on their banks would have 
had to go in search of water during the dry seasons 
(winter and summer).
How do we know about these people?
Archaeologists have found some of the things 
hunter-gatherers made and used. It is likely 
that people made and used tools of stone,  
wood and bone, of which stone tools have  
survived best.
Some of these stone tools were used to cut 
meat and bone, scrape bark (from trees) and 
hides (animal skins), chop fruit and roots. Some 
may have been attached to handles of bone or 
wood, to make spears and arrows for hunting. 
Other tools were used to chop wood, which was  
used as firewood. Wood was also used to make 
huts and tools.  
Stone tools may also  
have been used for :
Left : Digging the ground  
to collect edible roots.
Right : Stitching clothes  
made out of animal skin.
Chapter 1-2.indd   11 22 April 2022   12:12:46
Rationalised 2023-24
Page 3


? 10
our pasts –i The earliest people: why were they on the move?
We know about people who lived in the subcontinent 
as early as two million years ago. Today, we describe 
them as hunter-gatherers.  The name comes from 
the way in which they got their food. Generally, 
they hunted wild animals, caught fish and birds, 
gathered fruits, roots, nuts, seeds, leaves, stalks 
and eggs.  
Hunter-gatherers moved from place to place. 
There are many reasons for this.
First, if they had stayed at one place for a long 
time, they would have eaten up all the available 
plant and animal resources. Therefore, they would 
have had to go elsewhere in search of food. 
Second, animals move from place to place — 
either in search of smaller prey, or, in the case of 
deer and wild cattle, in search of grass and leaves. 
That is why those who hunted them had to follow 
their movements. 
FROM HUNTING–GATHERING TO 
GROWING FOOD
CHAPTER 2
T ushar’s train journey
Tushar was going from Delhi to Chennai for his cousin’s 
wedding. They were travelling by train and he had 
managed to squeeze into the window seat, his nose 
glued to the glass pane. As he watched trees and houses 
fly past, his uncle tapped his shoulder and said: “Do 
you know that trains were first used about 150 years 
ago, and that people began using buses a few decades 
later?” Tushar wondered, when people couldn’t travel 
quickly from one place to another, did they spend their 
entire lives wherever they were born? Not quite.
Chapter 1-2.indd   10 22 April 2022   12:12:46
Rationalised 2023-24
11 ?
from hunting –gathering 
to growing food Third, plants and trees bear fruit in different 
seasons. So, people may have moved from season 
to season in search of different kinds of plants. 
Fourth, people, plants and animals need water 
to survive. Water is found in lakes, streams and 
rivers. While many rivers and lakes are perennial 
(with water throughout the year), others are 
seasonal. People living on their banks would have 
had to go in search of water during the dry seasons 
(winter and summer).
How do we know about these people?
Archaeologists have found some of the things 
hunter-gatherers made and used. It is likely 
that people made and used tools of stone,  
wood and bone, of which stone tools have  
survived best.
Some of these stone tools were used to cut 
meat and bone, scrape bark (from trees) and 
hides (animal skins), chop fruit and roots. Some 
may have been attached to handles of bone or 
wood, to make spears and arrows for hunting. 
Other tools were used to chop wood, which was  
used as firewood. Wood was also used to make 
huts and tools.  
Stone tools may also  
have been used for :
Left : Digging the ground  
to collect edible roots.
Right : Stitching clothes  
made out of animal skin.
Chapter 1-2.indd   11 22 April 2022   12:12:46
Rationalised 2023-24
? 12
our pasts –i Choosing a place to live in
Look at Map 2 below. All the places marked with 
red triangles are sites from which archaeologists 
have found evidence of hunter-gatherers. (Hunter-
gatherers lived in many more places. Only some 
are shown on the map). Many sites were located 
near sources of water, such as rivers and lakes.
Map : 2   
Some Important Archaeological Sites
Chapter 1-2.indd   12 22 April 2022   12:12:48
Rationalised 2023-24
Page 4


? 10
our pasts –i The earliest people: why were they on the move?
We know about people who lived in the subcontinent 
as early as two million years ago. Today, we describe 
them as hunter-gatherers.  The name comes from 
the way in which they got their food. Generally, 
they hunted wild animals, caught fish and birds, 
gathered fruits, roots, nuts, seeds, leaves, stalks 
and eggs.  
Hunter-gatherers moved from place to place. 
There are many reasons for this.
First, if they had stayed at one place for a long 
time, they would have eaten up all the available 
plant and animal resources. Therefore, they would 
have had to go elsewhere in search of food. 
Second, animals move from place to place — 
either in search of smaller prey, or, in the case of 
deer and wild cattle, in search of grass and leaves. 
That is why those who hunted them had to follow 
their movements. 
FROM HUNTING–GATHERING TO 
GROWING FOOD
CHAPTER 2
T ushar’s train journey
Tushar was going from Delhi to Chennai for his cousin’s 
wedding. They were travelling by train and he had 
managed to squeeze into the window seat, his nose 
glued to the glass pane. As he watched trees and houses 
fly past, his uncle tapped his shoulder and said: “Do 
you know that trains were first used about 150 years 
ago, and that people began using buses a few decades 
later?” Tushar wondered, when people couldn’t travel 
quickly from one place to another, did they spend their 
entire lives wherever they were born? Not quite.
Chapter 1-2.indd   10 22 April 2022   12:12:46
Rationalised 2023-24
11 ?
from hunting –gathering 
to growing food Third, plants and trees bear fruit in different 
seasons. So, people may have moved from season 
to season in search of different kinds of plants. 
Fourth, people, plants and animals need water 
to survive. Water is found in lakes, streams and 
rivers. While many rivers and lakes are perennial 
(with water throughout the year), others are 
seasonal. People living on their banks would have 
had to go in search of water during the dry seasons 
(winter and summer).
How do we know about these people?
Archaeologists have found some of the things 
hunter-gatherers made and used. It is likely 
that people made and used tools of stone,  
wood and bone, of which stone tools have  
survived best.
Some of these stone tools were used to cut 
meat and bone, scrape bark (from trees) and 
hides (animal skins), chop fruit and roots. Some 
may have been attached to handles of bone or 
wood, to make spears and arrows for hunting. 
Other tools were used to chop wood, which was  
used as firewood. Wood was also used to make 
huts and tools.  
Stone tools may also  
have been used for :
Left : Digging the ground  
to collect edible roots.
Right : Stitching clothes  
made out of animal skin.
Chapter 1-2.indd   11 22 April 2022   12:12:46
Rationalised 2023-24
? 12
our pasts –i Choosing a place to live in
Look at Map 2 below. All the places marked with 
red triangles are sites from which archaeologists 
have found evidence of hunter-gatherers. (Hunter-
gatherers lived in many more places. Only some 
are shown on the map). Many sites were located 
near sources of water, such as rivers and lakes.
Map : 2   
Some Important Archaeological Sites
Chapter 1-2.indd   12 22 April 2022   12:12:48
Rationalised 2023-24
13 ?
from hunting –gathering 
to growing food Bhimbetka (in present-
day Madhya Pradesh). 
This is an old site with 
caves and rock shelters.  
People chose these 
natural caves because 
they provided shelter 
from the rain, heat 
and wind. These rock 
shelters are close to the 
Narmada valley. Can 
you think of why people 
chose to live here?
As stone tools were important, people tried to 
find places where good quality stone was easily 
available.
Many of the caves in which these early people 
lived have paintings on the walls. Some of the best 
examples are from Madhya Pradesh and southern 
Uttar Pradesh. These paintings show wild animals, 
drawn with great accuracy and skill.
A painting from a rock shelter.
Describe the painting. 
Rock paintings and what they tell us
Chapter 1-2.indd   13 22 April 2022   12:12:49
Rationalised 2023-24
Page 5


? 10
our pasts –i The earliest people: why were they on the move?
We know about people who lived in the subcontinent 
as early as two million years ago. Today, we describe 
them as hunter-gatherers.  The name comes from 
the way in which they got their food. Generally, 
they hunted wild animals, caught fish and birds, 
gathered fruits, roots, nuts, seeds, leaves, stalks 
and eggs.  
Hunter-gatherers moved from place to place. 
There are many reasons for this.
First, if they had stayed at one place for a long 
time, they would have eaten up all the available 
plant and animal resources. Therefore, they would 
have had to go elsewhere in search of food. 
Second, animals move from place to place — 
either in search of smaller prey, or, in the case of 
deer and wild cattle, in search of grass and leaves. 
That is why those who hunted them had to follow 
their movements. 
FROM HUNTING–GATHERING TO 
GROWING FOOD
CHAPTER 2
T ushar’s train journey
Tushar was going from Delhi to Chennai for his cousin’s 
wedding. They were travelling by train and he had 
managed to squeeze into the window seat, his nose 
glued to the glass pane. As he watched trees and houses 
fly past, his uncle tapped his shoulder and said: “Do 
you know that trains were first used about 150 years 
ago, and that people began using buses a few decades 
later?” Tushar wondered, when people couldn’t travel 
quickly from one place to another, did they spend their 
entire lives wherever they were born? Not quite.
Chapter 1-2.indd   10 22 April 2022   12:12:46
Rationalised 2023-24
11 ?
from hunting –gathering 
to growing food Third, plants and trees bear fruit in different 
seasons. So, people may have moved from season 
to season in search of different kinds of plants. 
Fourth, people, plants and animals need water 
to survive. Water is found in lakes, streams and 
rivers. While many rivers and lakes are perennial 
(with water throughout the year), others are 
seasonal. People living on their banks would have 
had to go in search of water during the dry seasons 
(winter and summer).
How do we know about these people?
Archaeologists have found some of the things 
hunter-gatherers made and used. It is likely 
that people made and used tools of stone,  
wood and bone, of which stone tools have  
survived best.
Some of these stone tools were used to cut 
meat and bone, scrape bark (from trees) and 
hides (animal skins), chop fruit and roots. Some 
may have been attached to handles of bone or 
wood, to make spears and arrows for hunting. 
Other tools were used to chop wood, which was  
used as firewood. Wood was also used to make 
huts and tools.  
Stone tools may also  
have been used for :
Left : Digging the ground  
to collect edible roots.
Right : Stitching clothes  
made out of animal skin.
Chapter 1-2.indd   11 22 April 2022   12:12:46
Rationalised 2023-24
? 12
our pasts –i Choosing a place to live in
Look at Map 2 below. All the places marked with 
red triangles are sites from which archaeologists 
have found evidence of hunter-gatherers. (Hunter-
gatherers lived in many more places. Only some 
are shown on the map). Many sites were located 
near sources of water, such as rivers and lakes.
Map : 2   
Some Important Archaeological Sites
Chapter 1-2.indd   12 22 April 2022   12:12:48
Rationalised 2023-24
13 ?
from hunting –gathering 
to growing food Bhimbetka (in present-
day Madhya Pradesh). 
This is an old site with 
caves and rock shelters.  
People chose these 
natural caves because 
they provided shelter 
from the rain, heat 
and wind. These rock 
shelters are close to the 
Narmada valley. Can 
you think of why people 
chose to live here?
As stone tools were important, people tried to 
find places where good quality stone was easily 
available.
Many of the caves in which these early people 
lived have paintings on the walls. Some of the best 
examples are from Madhya Pradesh and southern 
Uttar Pradesh. These paintings show wild animals, 
drawn with great accuracy and skill.
A painting from a rock shelter.
Describe the painting. 
Rock paintings and what they tell us
Chapter 1-2.indd   13 22 April 2022   12:12:49
Rationalised 2023-24
? 14
our pasts –i Sites
are places where the remains of things (tools, 
pots, buildings, etc.) were found. These were made, 
used and left behind by people. These may be found 
on the surface of the earth, buried under the earth, 
or sometimes even under water. You will learn more 
about different sites in later chapters.
Finding out about fire
Find the Kurnool caves on Map 2 (page12). Traces 
of ash have been found here. This suggests that 
people were familiar with the use of fire. Fire could 
have been used for many things: as a source of 
light, to roast meat, and to scare away animals. 
What do we use fire for today? 
Names and dates
Archaeologists have given lengthy names for the time that we are studying. 
They call the earliest period the Palaeolithic. This comes from two Greek 
words, ‘palaeo’, meaning old, and ‘lithos’, meaning stone. The name points 
to the importance of finds of stone tools. The Palaeolithic period extends 
from 2 million years ago to about 12,000 years ago. This long stretch of time 
is divided into the Lower, Middle and Upper Palaeolithic. This long span of 
time covers 99 per cent of human history. 
The period when we find environmental changes, beginning about 12,000 
years ago till about 10,000 years ago is called the Mesolithic (middle stone). 
Stone tools found during this period are generally tiny, and are called 
microliths. Microliths were probably stuck on to handles of bone or wood 
to make tools such as saws and sickles. At the same time, older varieties 
of tools continued to be in use.
The next stage, from about 10,000 years ago, is known as the Neolithic.   
What do you think the term Neolithic means?
We have also mentioned the names of some places. You will find the 
names of many more places in later chapters. Very often, we use present-
day names of the places where people lived in the past, because we do not 
know what they called them.
Chapter 1-2.indd   14 7/1/2022   2:48:31 PM
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