UPSC Class 6th NCERT Chapter 2 - Buniyaad (PDF)

# UPSC Class 6th NCERT Chapter-2 Buniyaad: From Hunting-Gathering to Growing Food ## Topics to be Covered - Hunting-Gathering - Change in Climate - Food Growing and Herding of Animals - Towards a Settle Life ## Where did people live? - **2500 Years Ago:** Magadha Kingdom, Ganga Tributaries - **4...

# UPSC Class 6th NCERT Chapter-2 Buniyaad: From Hunting-Gathering to Growing Food ## Topics to be Covered - Hunting-Gathering - Change in Climate - Food Growing and Herding of Animals - Towards a Settle Life ## Where did people live? - **2500 Years Ago:** Magadha Kingdom, Ganga Tributaries - **4700 Years Ago:** Cities flourished along the Indus and its tributaries - **8000 Years Ago:** Villages were found near the Narmada, Sulaiman and Kirthan - **Skilled gatherers:** hunted animals and gathered food ## Earliest People Earliest people appeared around **2 million years ago**. They were **hunter-gatherers** who transitioned to **food cultivators** (farmers and herders) around **12,000 years ago**. This change was driven by **climatic change**. ## Hunter-gatherer **Movement-Reason** - In search of food: they would hunt animals and gather plants to eat - In search of water: water sources were a priority for survival - In search of seasonal plants and animals: they would follow the movements of animals and seasonal plants **Tools Used** - Stone Tools - Wood Tools - Bone Tools **Places Lived** - **Rock Shelters**: such as caves, provided shelter from rain, cold and heat. - **Bhimbetka caves:** Located in MP, these caves have paintings that indicate people lived there. **Knowledge of Fire** - Fire was used to roast food and scare animals. **Kurnool Caves** - These caves are an example of where hunter-gatherers lived. ## Tools Used - **Meat and Bones:** used from animals they hunted - **Bark from trees:** used for clothing and shelter - **Animal Skin:** used for clothing and shelter - **Fruits etc:** used for food and as ingredients for medicine ## People and the Tools they used - **2 million years ago:** Paleolithic Age - Old stone tools were used - Old stone age - **12,000 years ago:** Mesolithic Age - Microliths (small stone tools) were used - Middle stone Age - **10,000 years ago:** Neolithic Age - Fine cutting edge tools were used - Polished tools - New stone age - **4,500 years ago:** Bronze Age ## Stone Age - **Paleolithic tools:** Included rough stone tools - **Mesolithic tools:** Included smaller stone tools - **Neolithic tools:** Included polished stone tools ## 12,000 Years Ago: Climate Change - **Warm Conditions:** Ice melted leading to grasslands and the formation of grain-bearing grass (wheat, barley, rice) - **Animals:** Survived on grasslands - **Man followed animals:** This led to the development of food habits and breeding - **Man learnt cultivation and ripening:** This led to the development of agriculture and farming - **Man became farmer:** Cultivating crops became a way of life - **Man became herder:** Raising animals like sheep, goat, cattle and pigs ## Taming of Animals - **Wild Ancestral Dog:** became tamed when people started leaving leftover food outside their camps and the animals started eating it. This started a process where people began protecting the animals from wild animals. - **Sheep, Goat, Cattle, Pig:** These animals were tamed due to reasons similar to the dog ## People: Farmer and Herder - **Farmers:** - Grew crops - Used crops as seeds, gifts and food - **Herders:** - Herded sheep, cattle, goat and pig. - Used animals as meat and for milk ## Settled Life - **Huts or homes:** similar to Burzahom in present-day Kashmir - Dig grounds - Steps leading downwards - Protection from the cold - **Cooking Hearth:** Inside or outside huts - **Earthen Pots:** used for storage and decorative purposes - **Storage of food:** stored in large clay pots, dug pits and baskets. - **Tools:** Polished tools with fire cutting edges were used - **Weaving clothes:** People started weaving their own clothes ## Archaeological Sites - **Mehrgarh:** One of the earliest villages we know about, located in Bolan Pass, Iran. - **Bhimbetka Caves:** Famous for rock paintings - **Kurnool Caves:** Indicates that people lived there - **Burzahom:** Located in Kashmir, with evidence of huts and cooking hearths ## Belief in Life After Death - **Burial Pattern:** People buried their dead along with animals which they believed would serve them in the afterlife. ## Image Description: - **Page 9:** Two cave paintings - **Page 11:** Paleolithic tools and Mesolithic Tools - **Page 12:** Neolithic tools, a pot and a mortar and pestle - **Page 17:** Tools from the Neolithic period, including a clay pot and a mortar and pestle. The pot is a good example of the type that was used in this period. - **Page 18:** A map depicting important archaeological sites, including Neolithic sites. The map shows that these sites were located in different parts of India. - **Page 19:** A diagram depicting the relationship between food, burial patterns and animals in the Mehrgarh civilization. The diagram shows: - That barley and wheat were important food sources. - That the people of Mehrgarh buried their dead along with animals. - That sheep, cattle and goats were important animals in their culture. - **Page 20:** A schematic depiction of human and animal skeletons. The text states that this depiction is used to identify animal skeletons.