Introduction to History Chapter Notes | History for Grade 6 PDF Download

Introduction

History and Prehistory

• History comes from the Greek word "historia," meaning inquiry or research.
• History is the systematic study of past events in chronological order, based on written records.
• Prehistory is the period before written records, studied through fossils, tools, weapons, bones, and cave shelters.
• Key prehistoric developments, like the discovery of fire and the invention of the wheel, lack exact dates due to the absence of written records.

Why is Study of the Past Important?

• Helps understand ancestors' lifestyles, including food, clothing, beliefs, and crafts.
• Provides a journey into past societies and their cultures.
• Offers insights into the history and culture of our country and others.
• Culture includes manners, dress, language, religion, rituals, and laws.

​History help us in many way:

• Understanding people and societies.
• Explaining societal changes and their origins.
• Providing moral lessons.
• Shaping our identity.
• Teaching research and evidence analysis skills.
• Recording changes over time.

Chronology

• Chronology is the arrangement of events in the order they occurred.
• It helps historians understand the sequence of historical events.

Before Common Era (BCE)

• BCE refers to years before the birth of Jesus Christ, also called Before Christ (BC).
• Dates in BCE are counted backwards; a larger number indicates an earlier event (e.g., 100 BCE is earlier than 99 BCE).

Common Era (CE)

• CE refers to years after the birth of Jesus Christ, also called Anno Domini (AD), meaning "Year of the Lord."
• Dates in CE are counted forward (e.g., 99 CE comes before 100 CE).

Timeline

Geographical Factors

• Geographical features shape a region's history.
• The Indian subcontinent includes India and neighboring countries with unique features.
• Fertile plains of the Indus and Ganga rivers supported early human settlements and cities.
• The Himalayan mountains acted as a barrier, with passes serving as contact routes.
• The Deccan Plateau in the south was divided by mountains, river valleys, and plateaus.
• Natural barriers like mountains protected parts of the subcontinent.

Causes of Cultural Diversity

• People traveled within the subcontinent for livelihood, trade, or exploration.
• Religious leaders spread teachings, and rulers expanded empires through conquest.
• Travelers from outside India also visited, sharing ideas and traditions.
• This exchange of ideas, customs, and traditions led to a diverse and unique culture.

Sources of History

Literary Sources

• Written records from the past, providing details on social, political, economic, and cultural conditions.
• Before paper (introduced in the 13th century), documents were written on palm leaves or birch bark (bhojapatra), called manuscripts.
• Manuscripts cover topics like medicine, science, religion, and beliefs, preserved in temples, monasteries, and libraries.
• In north India, manuscripts used Sanskrit, Pali, or Prakrit; in the south, Tamil was common.

Literary sources are divided into:

• Indigenous works: Written by Indian authors.
• Foreign works: Accounts by foreign travelers like Megasthenes (Greek envoy during Chandragupta Maurya's time) and Fa-Hien (Chinese pilgrim studying Buddhism during Chandragupta II's reign).

Indigenous literature is further divided into:

• ​Sacred literature: Religious texts like the Vedas, Ramayana, Mahabharata, Buddhist Tripitakas, and Jain Angas.
• Secular literature: Non-religious works like poetry, drama, grammar, science, and politics (e.g., Arthashastra by Kautilya, Abhijnanasakuntalam by Kalidasa, Panchatantra).
• Historians must learn ancient languages and scripts (e.g., Prakrit, Brahmi) to study manuscripts.
• Some scripts, like the Harappan script, remain undeciphered.

Archaeological Source

• Archaeology is the study of material remains from the past, conducted by archaeologists through excavation.
• Inscriptions are writings on stone tablets, pillars, or metal plates, recording kings' orders, victories, and other details.
• The study of inscriptions is called epigraphy.
• Archaeological sources include tools, weapons, pottery, paintings, sculptures, jewellery, coins, buildings, and seals.
• Grains, plant remains, and animal bones reveal information about food and livelihoods.
• Monuments like temples, forts, palaces, Sanchi Stupa, and Ashokan pillars show the artistic skills, religion, and conditions of their time.
• Coins provide details about kings, their empires, reign periods, trade links (e.g., Roman coins in India indicate trade), and social-economic conditions.
• The study of coins is called numismatics.

Conclusion

• Literary, archaeological, and oral sources together provide a complete understanding of the past.
• Historians and archaeologists act like detectives, using these sources as clues to reconstruct history.
• Studying the past is an adventure, piecing together events from available evidence.