Class 6 History Notes - On the Trail of the Earliest People

Introduction

• Over millions of years, human life has developed. Men were originally hunters and gatherers of food.

• They harvested fruits, nuts, and seeds as well as hunting wild animals and fish.

Why did the Earliest people lead a Nomadic life? 

• Resources such as plants and animals would run out if they stayed in one place.
• Plants produce different fruits at different times of the year. As a result, man had to move in quest of these in accordance with the seasons.
• People had to move to wherever there was water.

How do we know about Early People?  

• Several tools used by hunter-gatherers have been discovered by archaeologists/
• Tools were made of stone, wood, etc.  
• Tools were used to cut meat, chop fruits, etc.  
• Wood was used to make huts and firewood.  

Where did Early Man Live?  

• Early man lived near sources of water.  
• They lived in places where stones were found and people made tools.  
• The place was called factory site.  
  
  Early man life
• The factory sites were found near discarded blocks of stone.  
• These were known as habitation-cum-factory sites.  

Stone Age

You have read that hunter-gatherers lived during the prehistoric period. People in this age used stones for making tools. Due to this, this period is also called the Stone Age.
The Stone Age is divided into three phases:

• Palaeolithic or Old Stone Age 
• Mesolithic or Middle Stone Age 
• Neolithic or New Stone Age

Making Stone Tools

Two procedures were used to create stone tools: stone on stone and pressure flaking.

Man Discovers Fire  

• Fire was one of man's most important discoveries by accident. 
• Over time, man learned to employ fire in a variety of ways.
• It was utilised to keep warm in the winter and in the art of cooking.

Early Rock Paintings  

• Man early caves had paintings on the walls.  
• These were found in M.P. and Southern U.P.  
• Early man’s painted and what they felt in these paintings.  
• They depicted men hunting, women grinding, children jumping, etc.  
  
  Early rock painting

The Deccan

• Paleolithic sites have been found in the Deccan.  
• Some major sites are Chirki - Nevasa in Maharashtra.  

Kurnool in Andhra Pradesh and Hungsi in Karnataka:  

• Rivers like Godavari, Krishna and Tapti drained the region.  
• Large number of Paleolithic tools made from stone have been found along the river.  
• Archaeologists are studying these tools carefully to understand the life of early man.  
• Bones, horns and tusks of animals like elephant and wild ox have been found.