Taking Off
Discuss the following:
• Do you enjoy learning about the past?
• When you go on holidays, do you collect shells, pebbles or any other things I
I
th at will later remind you of your visit to the place? I
You have learnt in Class 3 that the invention of the wheel brought about great changes
in tramportation . Have you ever wondered who invented the wheel?
Wheel was invented by the early humans. The people who lived on the Earth
thousands of years ago are called the early humans .
The early humans lived in prehistoric times. It was the time when no one kn ew how
to read or write, and therefore we do not have any written material or record on how
people lived in those times.
SOURCES THAT TELL US ABOUT THE EARLY HUMANS
Scientists and archaeologists rely upon fossils, tools and weapons left behind by the
early human beings to study the past. Bones and skeletons of human bcin. nd
.1.nirnab belonging to rhit periL1d alrn g,w us ,1 good insi~ht in w their L, ,>-. \\'.,
,, .,. ~0 n.1e
inrt)r11utwn JbL)llt the earh- human beings from their ~helter~ l"d' ,tl~
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~J.lntings on the w.tlls of the c-.1"e3 111 which they lived · ·· · '-4\e
THE HUMAN EVOLUTION
The ston- of eYolutiL)n helps us to understand that human beings evolved .:.
- . ._ iOn1 t~ ..
ape tamil~-. ·,
.--\round 60 million \'ears ago. the apes appeared on the E,u-th. These
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developed into human beinQ's This slow development of hum.rn beino-s ~:.c) 111 ·~
.._, o ., ape~ tu
the modern people is called e,·olution.
Human beings first appeared on this Earth around
three million years J.go. Scientists belie,·e that we,
the human beings, e,·olved from hominids that lived
on this Earth thousands of years ago
Sciennsrs have classified hominids into three distinct
caregones·
• Homo habilis lthe first to make tools of stone)
• Home er2d us t the first to stand upright and use fire )
• Hom0 sapzms (the thinking people)
Homo sapiens
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It is generally believed, from a study of fossils, that hominids were from Africa.
THE STONE AGE
The Stone Age is the period in history when human beings used various kinds of
tools made of stone.
The period can be divided into:
• The Paleolithic Age or the Old Stone Age
• The Mesolithic Age or the Middle Stone Age
• The Neolithic Age or the New Stone Age
• The Chalcolithic Age or the Stone-Copper Age
The Paleolithic Age or the Old Stone Age
Early human beings who lived during this period ate fruits and roots. They
killed animals with their stone weapons and ate their flesh. They were known as
hunter-gatherers because they lived by hunting animals and gathering plants and
fruits to eat. However, they faced two major problems.
• Many animals ran fas ter than the early humans.
• It was dangerous to get too close to the animals as they attacked the early human
beings, often killing or injuring them.
Tools
T o overcome the problems faced during h unting,
the early human beings made tools of stone
which had sharp edges and could be thrown
from a distance. T hey did this by chipping away
small pieces of stone from a big piece. G radually
they learnt that some stones could be chipped
an d made sharper more easily than others. Stone tools used by early humans
,
The hunter-gatherers discovered a stone called flint . Flint stone could be easilv
shaped and was used to make sharp objects. They made knives, spears, arrowhead;,
axes and harpoons with flint and other stones. These tools were used fo r huntin
animals, cutting meat, fish, digging and even sewing. g
During excavations, the archaeologists have found m any such tools which still retain
their sharpness.
Shelters
People living in the Stone Age did not have houses as we have now. So, they lived
on trees to protect themselves from wild animals. Sometimes they made houses with
animal skins. To protect themselves from the sun, cold and rain, the early humans
took shelter in rock caves.
Cave paintings
Early human beings made paintings and drawings on the walls of the caves they
lived in, possibly as a form of recreation. Most of these show images of hunting.
Archaeologists believe that these paintings may have had some religious significance.
What is significant is that the colours used in these paintings are still quite vivid!
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India has one of the largest collections of rock
paint ings in t he world. The most famous of the rock
pa intings are in Bhi mbetka in Madhya Pradesh .
This mea ns that prehistoric hu ma ns existed here in
India also. The recent discovery of a la rge col lection
of tools in Jharkha nd also points out to the same.
Rock paintings in Bhimbetka
Fossils
We can also study the bones and skeletons of these
early people to know them better. T he traces of
prehistoric bones, skeletons, animal and plant
remains preserved in rocks are called fossils . A fossil from the prehistoric times
Gm~Learn
Use reference history books, newspapers or t he Internet to collect pictures of cave
paintings made by the early human bei ngs. Paste the pictures in your scrapbook and
write two lines about each picture.
The life of the hunter-gatherer El
The life of the hunter-gatherer was difficult. They led a nomadic life moving from
one place to another in search of food and water. They hunted animals and ate berries,
nuts and fruits . They wore clothes made of leaves and animal skins.
The discovery and use of fire changed the lives of people in many ways . However,
it is not known how fire was discovered. Many theories abound; some of which are
listed below:
• Lightning set dry woods on fire
• Occurrence of a forest fire
• Sparks from stone tools that were being made
Fire helped the early humans in many ways.
Early humans discove r spark
• Fire could keep people warm. while making stone tools
••mI! f-1• • :; ,t•l'.,y
• Fire protected them from wild animals .
• Food cooked on fire was softer and tastier. -
There are groups of people
• Fire lit up the dark caves at night. in the Andaman Islands
who live the life of a hunter-
gatherer even today.
Think and discuss.
What are the uses of fire in our day-to-day lives?
15'
The Mesolithic Age or the Middle Stone Age
This was the period after the Paleolithic Age. The period saw the beginnin
. ultu re m
agnc . some a1·eas· Canoes
' and bows have been found at some sites Wh·g of
indicate a certain degree of advancement from the Old ~tone Age. However, to'ch
made of flint continued to be used for hunting and ga th ermg food. 01s
The Neolithic Age or the New Stone Age
This period witnessed the beginning of a settled life, the practice of agriculn_
.
domestication of animals. Some of the earliest crops gr~wn were wheat and l11ille
Settled life and agriculture provided the early humans with a regular supply of foodt.
The early humans also started keeping dogs, sheep, goats, cattle, pigs and pou} ,
Domestication of animals had several advantages, some of which are discussed bel::
G) It provided them a regular supply of meat.
• They could use the skin of animals for covering themselves.
• Animal skin was also used for making huts.
o Later, cattle were used for ploughing the land.
e Animals were used by early humans to protect themselves from the att:1ck of
other tribes.
The settled life led to the early human beings making huts using twigs, grass,
sticks, clay and the skin of animals. Gradually, more people started livi ng together
in one area. This is how vilJagcs came about.
Another important development of the Neolithic Age was the invention of the
wheel. This invention made the life of the people much t!asicr. Now they could
transport goods on wheeled carts, make pottery on the potter's wheel and aJso use the
wheel for spinnjng and wcavjng clothes.
\jlli~rulz 0rudJ C:ffiG1~A:Jlr'
Which period do 1he following belong to?
1. Fire
2. Domestication of animals 3. Settled lift'
4. Stone tools 5. Nomadic life
The Chafcolithic Age or the Stone-Copper Age
The next period witnessed a gradual transition fro m the use of stone tools to the use
of metals. T he first metal used was copper. This period is called Chalcolithic Age
or the Stone-Copper Age. During this period, there was a widespread use of stone
tools alongside copper tools. Chalcolithic people were good coppersmiths and stone
workers. Bangles made of copper and tools made of stone have been found in many
sites. They used a different kind of pottery known as black and red pottery.
The Bronze Age
The Bronze Age began when people learnt to mix copper and tin to make bronze.
Tools made of bronze were stronger than stone tools. The discovery of copper and tin
had far-reaching effects, some of which are discussed below.
• People needed to mine tin and copper.
• T his meant that some people had to shift from farming to mining.
• This, in turn, meant that farmers had to produce more food.
• More occupations emerged to sustain each other. For example, the potter had to
create more pots for storing surplus grains.
Therefore, we see major changes during this period.
Some objects of the Bronze Age
[m~
Learn
Visit a museum or an archaeological site. Record your observations there and
conduct a discussion in the class with your teacher's permission.
Gradually, the discovery of metals gave way to the end of the Stone Age.
A;;
VocabularlJ
.
• . .
t dies the past by d1ggmg out and examining th
, archaeologist: a perso~ who s b .ldings that have been buried in t he grou e
remains of old cities, obJects an UI nd
over t he ag es
. . Id b ·ed objects to learn more about the past
excavation: d1ggmg out O uri
hominids: prehistoric apes
significance: importance
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y
Latcgork'> <;ources the stone ages
>Homo habilis , >tools ) The Paleoli thic Age
>Homo erectus , >shelters > The Mesolithic Age
>Homo sapiens >cave painti ngs > The Neolithic Age
>The C halcolithi c Age
A. Answer the following questions.
1. What are our sources of information about life d uring prehisto ric ti mes?
2. Oe:;cribe the nomadic life of early human beings.
3. How did fire affect the lives of early human beings?
4. StatP some advantages of the domestication of an imals.
~- vVhdt were some of thP major changes in t he Neolithic Ag e?
r.. Nanw tho fir st metdl u'icd by the ea rl y human beings.
