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History

Chapter 1: What, Where, How & When?


 

✅ 1. What Can We Know Through History?

  • History tells us about people's lifestyles, food, clothes, houses, customs, and beliefs.

  • We learn about farmers, rulers, merchants, musicians, scientists, and ordinary people.

✅ 2. Where Did People Live in the Past?

  • Along Narmada River: Skilled Gatherers hunted & collected plants.

  • Sulaiman & Kirthar Hills (NW): First wheat & barley farmers.

  • Vindhya Region (Central India): First rice growers.

  • Garo Hills (Northeast) & Central India: Early agriculture.

  • Ganga Valley: Early cities like Magadha emerged ~2500 years ago.

✅ 3. How Did People Travel in the Past?

  • On foot or with animals, across mountains and rivers.

  • For livelihood, trade, religion, natural disasters (flood/drought).

  • Traders, teachers, migrants all moved frequently.

✅ 4. What is India/Bharat?

  • India: From Indus/Sindhu River. Persians/Greeks called it Indos → Hindos → India.

  • Bharat: First mentioned in Rigveda, refers to a tribe in the NW.

✅ 5. How Do We Know What Happened? (Sources of History)

📜 Manuscripts:

  • Written by hand on palm leaves or birch bark.

  • In Sanskrit, Prakrit (common people), and Tamil.

  • Topics: Religion, science, medicine, life.

🪨 Inscriptions:

  • Writings on stone/metal (e.g., royal orders, laws).

  • Eg: Ashoka’s Kandahar Inscription (Greek & Aramaic).

🏺 Archaeology:

  • Study of buildings, tools, pottery, bones, paintings.

  • Tells us about lifestyle, diet, and technology.

✅ 6. Decipherment & Dates

  • Decipherment: Interpreting ancient scripts & languages.

  • Dates:

    • BC = Before Christ (counted backward)

    • AD = Anno Domini (after Jesus' birth)

🧠 Quick Facts & Terms

Term Meaning
Narmada Valley Early hunter-gatherer site
Magadha Ancient powerful kingdom in Bihar
Manuscript Handwritten document
Inscriptions Writings on hard surfaces
Archaeology Study of ancient physical remains
BC / AD Time divisions in history
Bharat Ancient name mentioned in Rigveda

📊 Visual Chart (Sources of History)

Sources of History
├── Manuscripts → Palm leaf, Birch (Sanskrit, Tamil, Prakrit)
├── Inscriptions → Stone/metal (Royal orders)
└── Archaeology → Tools, bones, buildings, paintings

❓ MCQs Practice (Moderate + Advanced + UPSC PYQs)

🔹 Level 1: Moderate

  1. The earliest people lived on the banks of which river?
    👉 (c) Narmada

  2. What is the script of a language?
    👉 (b) Script

  3. India is derived from which word?
    👉 (a) Indus (Sindhu)

  4. Manuscripts were written in?
    👉 (d) Sanskrit, Prakrit, Tamil

  5. Ashoka’s Kandahar Inscription is in?
    👉 (d) Greek and Aramaic

🔹 Level 2: Advanced

  1. Prakrit was used by:
    👉 Common people

  2. Rice was first grown in:
    👉 North of Vindhyas

  3. Garo hills are known for:
    👉 Early agriculture

  4. What does decipherment mean?
    👉 Understanding old scripts/languages

  5. Archaeologists find out about food habits by studying:
    👉 Animal bones

🔹 UPSC Previous Year Question

  1. “Whosoever praises his religious sect or blames other sects…” — this inscription was given by:
    👉 (a) Ashoka

📝 Short Notes for Revision

  • People in ancient times lived near rivers.

  • Farming began ~8000 years ago.

  • India = Indus; Bharat = Rigveda tribe.

  • Manuscripts = hand-written sources.

  • Inscriptions = royal records on stone.

  • Archaeology = bones, tools, homes.

  • BC/AD system for history dating.

🧪 Self-Test Questions

  • Where was rice first grown?

  • Name two languages of ancient manuscripts.

  • What is the significance of inscriptions?

  • What is the difference between BC and AD?