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From Hunting-Gathering to Growing Food Summary Class 6 Social Science Chapter 2

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.
  • The reasons why hunter-gatherers moved from place to place:
    • They eaten up all the available plants and animals resources where they stay for the long time, for the search of food they have to move from place to place.
    • Some of the animals move from place to place in search for food that is why the hunters have to follow their movement.
    • Because of seasons change some of the plants and trees don’t bear fruits so people have to move place to place in search of different kinds of plants.
    • Plants, animals and people needs water, people need water during dry seasons that’s why they travelled on foot from place to place.

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.

Choosing a place to live in

  • Many sites of hunter-gatherers were located near sources of water, such as rivers and lakes.
  • Places where stone was found and where people made tools are known as factory sites.
  • Sometimes, people lived here for longer spells of time. These sites are called habitation-cum-factory sites.

Making Stone Tools

  • Stone tools were made using two techniques: stone on stone and pressure

Finding out about fire

  • One of the biggest discoveries made by man was fire.
  • Fire could have been used for many things: as a source of light, to roast meat, and to scare away animals.

A changing environment

  • Around 12,000 years ago, the temperature of the world started increasing.
  • In many areas, this led to the development of grasslands.
  • This increased the number of deer, antelope, goat, sheep and cattle, i.e. animals that survived on grass.
  • People started thinking about herding and rearing these animals themselves.
  • Fishing also became important.

The beginnings of farming and herding

  • Domestication is the process in which the man grows the plants and protects the animals. Most of these animals tended by man become different from there wild counterparts.
  • People often select the animals and plants to be domesticated by them. This process of domestication began some 12,000 years ago.
  • Virtually all the plant and animal produces which we eat today are the result of Domestication.

‘Storing’ animals

  • Animals multiply naturally. Besides, if they are looked after carefully, they provide milk, which is an important source of food, and meat, whenever required.
  • In other words, animals that are reared can be used as a ‘store’ of food.

Finding out about the first farmers and herders

  • The archaeologists have found evidence of early farmers and herders.
  • These are found all over the subcontinent.
  • Some of the most important ones are in the north-west, in present-day Kashmir, and in east and south India.
  • To prove that these settlements belonged to farmers and herders, scientists study the evidences of plants and animals.
  • Scientists have found burnt grain at these sites. These grains could have been burnt accidentally or purposefully. Also, bones of different animals are found.
  • Based on these finds scientists confirm that a number of crops plants and animals existed in different parts of India sub-continent.

Towards a settled life

  • Archaeologists have found traces of many things. They have use these things to know how the ancient people lived, what did the ancient people eat etc.,
  • Traces of huts at some sites. For example, in Burzahom (in Kashmir) people built pit-houses, which were dug into the ground, with steps leading into them. These houses may have provided shelter in cold weather.
  • Cooking hearths: Cooking places were found both inside and outside the huts, which suggests that, depending on the weather, people could cook food either indoors or outdoors.
  • Neolithic tools: Included polished stone tools to give cutting edge and mortar pistils used for grinding grains. Along with these Neolithic tools, even the tolls of Paleolithic age were still used.
  • Farmers and herders live in groups called tribes.

Living and dying in Mehrgarh

  • Mehrgarh site is located in a fertile plain, near the Bolan Pass, which is one of the most important routes into Iran.
  • Mehrgarh was probably one of the places where women and men learnt to grow barley and wheat, and rear sheep and goats for the first time in this area.
  • It is one of the earliest villages that we know about.
The document From Hunting-Gathering to Growing Food Summary Class 6 Social Science Chapter 2 is a part of the Class 6 Course Social Studies (SST) Class 6.
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FAQs on From Hunting-Gathering to Growing Food Summary Class 6 Social Science Chapter 2

1. What were the main activities of hunter-gatherers?
Ans. Hunter-gatherers primarily engaged in hunting animals and gathering edible plants and fruits for their survival. They relied on their knowledge of the environment to find food sources, such as wild game, fish, nuts, berries, and roots.
2. How did hunter-gatherers transition to growing food?
Ans. The transition from hunting-gathering to growing food occurred gradually over thousands of years. Hunter-gatherers began experimenting with collecting and planting seeds of wild plants. As they observed the growth and reproduction of these plants, they learned to cultivate crops and eventually transitioned to settled farming communities.
3. What were the advantages of transitioning to agriculture?
Ans. Transitioning to agriculture brought several advantages for early human societies. It allowed for a more stable and reliable food supply, as crops could be planted and harvested in larger quantities. Agriculture also enabled the development of permanent settlements, the establishment of social hierarchies, and the growth of complex civilizations.
4. Did all hunter-gatherer societies transition to agriculture?
Ans. No, not all hunter-gatherer societies transitioned to agriculture. Some societies, particularly those living in regions with abundant natural resources, continued their traditional hunting and gathering practices, as they did not face the same pressures for agricultural development. However, the majority of societies eventually adopted agriculture as a more sustainable way of obtaining food.
5. What were the long-term consequences of the transition to agriculture?
Ans. The transition to agriculture had significant long-term consequences. It led to population growth, the development of specialized labor, and the rise of complex social structures. It also brought about changes in the environment, as land was cleared for farming and domesticated animals were introduced. Additionally, the transition to agriculture paved the way for technological advancements, such as the invention of tools and irrigation systems.
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