The Earliest Societies Chapter Notes | Footprints Class 6: Book Solutions, Notes & Worksheets PDF Download

Introduction

In prehistoric times, a long, long time ago, there were no big cities, cars, or schools like we have today. People lived very differently back then. In this chapter, we will learn about the first people who lived on Earth and how they survived.

The First People on Earth

• About 200,000 years ago, the first people like us, called Homo sapiens, appeared on Earth.
• They were not like us today; they were hunter-gatherers, which means they hunted animals, caught fish and birds, and collected fruits, roots, seeds, and leaves to eat.
• Because they needed to find food, they had to move from one place to another, so they were called nomads.

The Stone Age

• Over time, these early humans evolved from ape-like creatures to stand on their feet and use their hands.
• Their brains grew bigger, and they learned to make tools.
• The tools they made were mainly from stones because stones were easy to find. So, historians call this time the Stone Age.
• The Stone Age is divided into three periods:
  • The Palaeolithic Age (Old Stone Age).
  • The Mesolithic Age (Middle Stone Age).
  • The Neolithic Age (New Stone Age).

Palaeolithic Age

• The Palaeolithic Age lasted from about 500,000 BCE to 10,000 BCE.
• People in this age were nomads who moved in groups to find food and shelter.
• They didn't grow food like we do today but made progress in making tools and even discovered fire.
• They used stone tools for various tasks, like cutting meat, hunting, and clearing forests.

Palaeolithic People and the Need for Tools

• Survival Style: Back then, people survived by hunting animals and gathering plants for food.
• Tool Requirement: Early humans needed tools to help them hunt and prepare food.
• Making Tools: They started making simple tools like sharp stones for cutting and chopping.
• Why Stones?: Stones were good because they could be made sharp and were sturdy.
• Using Stone Tools: These stone tools were used for cutting meat, hunting animals, and working with animal skins.

Discovery of Fire

• The most important thing in the Palaeolithic Age was the discovery of fire.
• Early humans may have seen natural fires, but they learned to make fire by rubbing two stones together.
• Fire was very useful; it kept them warm, helped cook food, scared away wild animals, and even lit up dark caves.

Mesolithic Age

• After the Palaeolithic Age, came the Mesolithic Age, which was from about 10,000 BCE to 8,000 BCE.
• People still lived by hunting and gathering, but they made some changes in their diet.
• They started to focus on smaller animals and plant food, like wild cereals.
• They also began using small, sharp stone tools called microliths.

Nevasa and Kurnool

• In Nevasa, Maharashtra, India, early humans lived about 300,000 years ago. They were nomads and survived on wild grasses, fruits, and plants. They made tools from stones and basalt.
• In Kurnool, Andhra Pradesh, caves revealed remains from the Upper Palaeolithic and Mesolithic periods. People used stone and bone tools and hunted animals like rhinoceros.

Stone Age Art

• Early humans didn't just make tools; they also drew pictures on cave walls.
• You can find these ancient drawings in places like Bhimbetka in Madhya Pradesh, India. They show people hunting animals and birds in red and white colors.

Neolithic Age

• The Neolithic Age followed the Mesolithic Age and lasted from 5,000 BCE to about 3,000 BCE.
• During this time, people stopped moving around and settled in one place.
• They learned how to grow their own food, like rice, wheat, barley, and more.
• They also started to raise animals, like sheep, cattle, and goats.

Beginnings of Farming

• People noticed wild grains like barley and rice.
• They collected these for food.
• They saw seeds sprouting into plants when they fell on the ground.
• They started planting seeds intentionally.
• Eventually, they began cultivating their own crops.
• This marked the start of the Neolithic Age.
• People shifted from hunting to farming.
• This change is called the Neolithic Revolution.

Domestication of Plants and Animals

• People in the Neolithic Age noticed that certain plants grew when they planted seeds. This led to farming.
• They also tamed animals for meat, milk, and other things.

Leading a Settled Life

• In the Neolithic Age, people built mud houses, lived in villages, and even invented the wheel.
• The wheel made transportation and carrying things easier. They also used it for making pottery.

Houses

• Neolithic houses were constructed using mud, straw, and reed.
• Some people lived in dwelling pits, like in Burzahom in Kashmir.
• Pit houses were dug into the ground with steps leading into them.
• Multiple families often lived together for cooperation and protection.
• These settlement sites were called villages, often situated near rivers or lakes.

Inventions of Wheel

• Neolithic people invented the wheel, which was a big deal for everyone.
• Nobody knows exactly how they got the idea for it.
• They probably noticed that round things were easier to move than other shapes.
• Maybe they saw logs rolling or pieces of wood moving smoothly.
• The earliest wheels were found in Mesopotamia, around 3500 BCE, which is now part of Iraq.
• The wheel made it much easier to move stuff and carry people.
• Soon, animals like oxen were pulling carts with wheels.
• People also used the wheel to make pottery and later to spin thread.

Pottery

• When people started growing crops, they needed containers to store their harvest.
• At first, they made large clay pots using the potter's wheel or by digging pits into the ground.
• Around the time of the Neolithic period, they discovered that baking clay in fire made it waterproof.
• This pottery was handy for storing liquids and food.
• Early pottery was plain, but later, people began decorating pots with different colors and patterns.

Tools

Social Practices and Religious Beliefs

• People in the Neolithic Age lived in tribes, which were groups of related families that lived in villages.
• They had leaders and divisions of labor, where everyone had their jobs.
• They had their languages, music, and religious beliefs. When someone died, they buried them with their tools and belongings.

Case Study: The North-West And North-East

Neolithic sites in northern and north-western India, such as Burzahom in Kashmir, Lahuradewa in the middle Gangetic Plains, Sarai Khola in West Punjab, and Mehrgarh in present-day Baluchistan, Pakistan, have been excavated.

Burzahom

• Located near Srinagar in Kashmir, Burzahom means the 'place of birch' in Kashmiri.
• Historians estimate the site dates back to around 3,000 BCE.
• Excavations at Burzahom have unearthed a variety of stone tools, clay pottery, and dwelling pits.
• People at this site lived in pits and used tools made of stone and bone.
• Archaeologists discovered unique dwelling pits dug into the soil below ground level.
• These pits were like wells, circular or oval in shape, wider at the base and narrower at the top, covered with wood or dry grass.
• Historians believe these pits provided shelter from the bitter cold.