This MCQ module is based on: Sources of History & Early Humans — History
TOPIC 11 OF 37
Sources of History & Early Humans — History
🎓 Class 6
Social Science
CBSE
Theory
Ch 4 — Timeline and Sources of History
⏱ ~15 min
🌐 Language: [gtranslate]
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[myaischool_lt_sst_assessment grade_level="class_6" subject="history" difficulty="basic"]
Sources of History, Early Humans & The First Crops
NCERT Exploring Society: India and Beyond | Chapter 4: Timeline and Sources of History
What Are the Three Types of Sources of History?
Definition
Source of History: A place, person, text, or object from which we gather information about some past event or period. Sources are the raw materials that historians use to reconstruct what happened long ago.
LET'S EXPLORE — Your Family's Past
L3 Apply
Can you collect information about at least three generations of your family on both your mother's and father's sides? Try to find out the names, occupations, and birthplaces of your grandparents and great-grandparents. Create a simple family tree and note the sources you used — photographs, diaries, identity cards, or memories shared by your parents and relatives.
Guidance
Common sources for family history include: old photographs and albums, school certificates, identity documents like voter IDs or ration cards, letters, diaries, religious records, and — most importantly — the oral memories of your family elders. Notice how each source provides different kinds of information. This is exactly how historians work, but on a much larger scale!
THINK ABOUT IT — Objects from the Past
L4 Analyse
Have you ever come across old coins, books, clothes, jewellery, or utensils in your home? What kind of information can we gain from such objects? What about old houses or buildings in your neighbourhood?
Guidance
Old objects can reveal a great deal: coins tell us about rulers and trade, clothing shows changes in fashion and materials, utensils indicate cooking habits and technology, and old buildings reflect the architectural styles and lifestyles of earlier times. Every object is like a piece of a jigsaw puzzle that helps reconstruct the past.
Every object or structure tells a story and serves as a piece in a vast jigsaw puzzle. Just as the objects in your home reveal something about your family's history, historians? piece together historical events from a wide variety of sources. However, unlike a regular puzzle, many pieces of the historical puzzle may remain permanently missing!
The Major Categories of Historical Sources
Historical sources can be broadly grouped into several categories. The diagram below shows the main types that historians rely upon:
Sources of History — Classification
L4 AnalyseSOURCES OF HISTORY
Archaeological Sources
- Excavations & mounds
- Tools & weapons
- Pottery & toys
- Figurines & ornaments
- Human, animal & plant remains
- Habitations & burials
Literary Sources
- Vedas & Itihasas
- Historical texts & chronicles
- Poems & plays
- Collections of stories
- Scientific & technological texts
- Travelogues
Inscriptions & Structures
- Inscriptions on stone & metal
- Copper plates
- Monuments & temples
- Coins
- Genealogical records
Other Sources
- Foreign accounts
- Oral traditions & folklore
- Artistic sources (paintings, sculptures, panels)
- Newspapers (modern history)
- Electronic media (recent decades)
Figure: Classification of the main sources of history (adapted from NCERT)
How Historians Use Multiple Sources
When historians study a king or queen from 1,500 years ago, an ancient monument, a war, or trade routes, they gather information from as many sources as possible. Sometimes the sources confirm each other — like matching pieces of a jigsaw. At other times, sources provide contradictory information, and the historian? must decide which source is more trustworthy. This is how they attempt to re-create the history of any period.
Who contributes to building these sources? Not just historians, but also archaeologists, epigraphists? (who study ancient inscriptions), anthropologists, and experts in literature and languages. In recent decades, scientific studies — including analysis of ancient climates, chemical studies of excavated materials, and genetic? research on ancient human remains — have added fresh insights that supplement traditional historical sources.
LET'S EXPLORE — Reading Historical Objects
L3 Apply
Think of a very old object or building you have seen — perhaps in a museum, temple, fort, or even your own home. Describe it briefly and then list at least three things it might tell a historian about the time and people it came from.
Guidance
Consider the material (stone, metal, clay), the craftsmanship (how skilled were the makers?), the design (what does it show — religious symbols, animals, daily life?), and the condition (how well-preserved is it?). Each detail is a clue. For instance, an old coin might reveal the ruler's name, the script in use, religious symbols of the time, and even the metals available in that region.
How Did Early Humans Live as Hunter-Gatherers?
Modern humans (Homo sapiens) have walked the Earth for approximately 300,000 (three lakh) years. Though this seems enormously long, it is merely a tiny fraction of our planet's 4.54-billion-year history. Let us take a closer look at how our earliest ancestors lived.
Hunters and Gatherers
Early humans faced immense challenges from nature and survived by living in bands or groups that helped each other. They were constantly seeking shelter and food, and relied primarily on hunting animals and gathering edible plants and fruits for survival. These groups are therefore called hunter-gatherers?.
These communities lived in temporary camps, rock shelters, or caves. They communicated using languages that are now lost forever. They learned to use fire and gradually created improved tools — stone axes, blades, arrowheads, and other implements that made their lives easier. Our early ancestors also held certain beliefs about the natural elements and possibly some notion of an afterlife?.
Historical Context — Rock Art
Aspects of early human life are visible in rock paintings found in hundreds of caves across the world. Some depict simple figures or symbols, while others show detailed scenes with animals and humans. Over time, early humans also learned to make simple ornaments — stone or shell beads, pendants from animal teeth — and sometimes exchanged them with other groups, marking the beginnings of trade.
LET'S EXPLORE — Life in a Rock Shelter
L3 Apply
Imagine a scene inside a rock shelter where early humans are gathered. What activities might you observe? Think about how they obtained food, kept warm, made tools, and communicated with each other. List at least four activities you can identify.
Guidance
You might observe: people sharpening stone tools, tending a fire for warmth and cooking, preparing animal skins for clothing, painting scenes on the rock walls, caring for children, gathering fruits and berries, and perhaps making ornaments from shells or animal teeth. Each of these activities represents an important aspect of early human survival and culture.
How Did the First Crops Change Human Life? The Neolithic Revolution
Over vast stretches of time, Earth's climate has undergone many dramatic changes. At certain periods, the planet was extremely cold, with much of its surface covered in ice — these cold spells are called Ice Ages. The last major Ice Age lasted from over 100,000 years ago to roughly 12,000 years ago.
When the climate eventually warmed, the ice partly melted. Rivers swelled with meltwater and eventually drained into the oceans. Living conditions improved significantly, and in many parts of the world, humans began doing something revolutionary: they started settling down and cultivating cereals and grains. They also domesticated animals such as cattle, goats, and sheep.
Key Turning Point
The shift from hunting and gathering to agriculture was one of the most important transformations in human history. With more food available, communities grew in size and number, and people often settled near rivers — not only for water but because the soil there was more fertile, making crop-growing easier.
LET'S EXPLORE — An Agricultural Community
L3 Apply
Picture a farming community from a few thousand years ago, settled beside a river. What activities would you see? Think about farming, animal care, food preparation, crafts, and community life. List the main activities you can identify.
Guidance
You might see: people ploughing fields and sowing seeds, tending cattle and goats, grinding grain, cooking food, building houses with mud bricks, making pots on a wheel, weaving cloth, children playing, and elders discussing community matters. River-side settlements also involved fishing and irrigating crops. These communities were far more complex than the earlier hunter-gatherer bands.
THINK ABOUT IT — Gender Roles in History
L4 Analyse
In many illustrations of early human life, men and women are shown doing specific tasks — men hunting while women cook, for example. But are these roles necessarily accurate? Think about whether women might also have helped in painting rock walls or making tools, and whether men might have helped with cooking or caring for children. Discuss this with your classmates.
Guidance
We have very limited information about exactly who did what in prehistoric communities. The roles shown in textbook illustrations are based on assumptions that may not always be accurate. In reality, survival required everyone to contribute in various ways, and strict divisions of labour may not have existed. It is important to question assumptions about gender roles in history, just as we question them in the present.
Growing Social Complexity
As communities expanded, their social structures became more complex. Leaders or "chieftains" emerged to look after the welfare? of the people, and everyone worked collectively for the community's benefit. In these early societies, there was no concept of individual land ownership — the lands were communally sowed and harvested.
Over time, small hamlets? grew into larger villages that began exchanging goods — mainly food, clothing, and tools. Communication networks were established between villages, and some settlements eventually grew into small towns. New technologies appeared: pottery for making pots and clay objects, and the use of metals (copper first, then iron), which allowed people to make more durable tools, everyday objects, and ornaments.
From Hunters to Early Towns — A Timeline of Change
L4 Analyse~300,000 years ago
Hunter-Gatherer Bands
Small groups of humans survived by hunting animals and gathering wild plants, fruits, and roots.~40,000 years ago
Rock Art & Early Ornaments
Humans began painting on cave walls and making simple jewellery from shells, stones, and animal teeth.~12,000 years ago
End of Last Ice Age
Warmer conditions allowed new kinds of plants to grow and animals to thrive in previously frozen regions.~10,000 years ago
Agriculture Begins
Humans began cultivating crops and domesticating animals, leading to permanent settlements near rivers.~8,000 years ago
Pottery & Village Life
Communities developed pottery for storage and cooking. Villages grew and began trading with neighbours.~6,000 years ago
Copper Metallurgy & Early Towns
The discovery of copper working allowed stronger tools and ornaments. Some villages grew into towns.Figure: The long journey from nomadic bands to settled agricultural communities
Key Takeaways — Sources of History and Early Humans Revision
Sources Matter
History is reconstructed from many types of sources — archaeological, literary, inscriptional, oral, and scientific. Each source provides different kinds of evidence.
Historians as Detectives
Like detectives, historians gather clues from multiple sources, compare them, and try to build the most accurate picture of the past — knowing that some pieces will always be missing.
Agricultural Revolution
The shift from hunting-gathering to farming was transformative — it led to settled communities, population growth, trade networks, and eventually the rise of civilisations.
Growing Complexity
Human societies grew increasingly complex over time — from small bands to villages to towns — with new technologies like pottery and metalworking driving progress.
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Competency-Based Questions
Case Study: A team of researchers is excavating a site near a dried-up river in Rajasthan. They discover broken pottery, copper arrowheads, stone grinding tools, burnt wheat grains, and the remains of mud-brick walls. They also find a few shell ornaments and some animal bones. No written records are found at the site.
Q1. Based on the evidence found, what can the researchers conclude about the people who lived at this site?
L2 Understand
Q2. The shell ornaments found at this inland site in Rajasthan suggest which of the following?
L3 Apply
Q3. Why is the absence of written records at this site a challenge for historians? What other methods might they use to learn about the people who lived here?
L4 Analyse
HOT Q. Imagine you are a historian 500 years from now, trying to understand life in your town today. What five objects or sources from your daily life would best help a future historian understand how people lived in the 2020s? Explain your choices.
L6 Create
🎯 Practice Questions
✅ True or False
Early humans were primarily hunter-gatherers who lived in permanent brick houses.
FALSE
Archaeological, literary, and oral traditions are all types of historical sources.
TRUE
The shift from hunting-gathering to agriculture led to the growth of settled communities near rivers.
TRUE
Historians rely on only one type of source to understand the past accurately.
FALSE
Corrections:
1. FALSE — Early hunter-gatherers lived in temporary camps, rock shelters, or caves, not permanent brick houses. Brick houses came much later with settled agricultural communities.
4. FALSE — Historians use multiple types of sources and compare them to build a more accurate picture. Relying on a single source can lead to incomplete or biased conclusions.
1. FALSE — Early hunter-gatherers lived in temporary camps, rock shelters, or caves, not permanent brick houses. Brick houses came much later with settled agricultural communities.
4. FALSE — Historians use multiple types of sources and compare them to build a more accurate picture. Relying on a single source can lead to incomplete or biased conclusions.
🔗 Match the Following
1. Inscriptions
→
(a) Stories passed down through speech
2. Oral traditions
→
(b) Digging up tools, bones, pottery
3. Excavations
→
(c) Writings carved on stone or metal
4. Travelogues
→
(d) Accounts written by travellers
Answers: 1→(c), 2→(a), 3→(b), 4→(d)
✨ Think & Create
Imagine you are an early human living 12,000 years ago, just as the Ice Age is ending. The weather is growing warmer, new plants are sprouting, and you notice that seeds you accidentally dropped near your camp have grown into food plants. Write a short story about how you and your group decide to try growing food on purpose for the first time, and what challenges you face.
Guidance
Think about the discovery — noticing that seeds grow into plants. Describe the excitement and uncertainty: Will it work? How long will it take? What if animals eat the crops? You might mention the group's discussion about whether to stay in one place or keep moving. Include challenges like learning which seeds to plant, how to water them, and protecting crops from animals and weather. This moment changed human history forever!
Continue Learning — Chapter 4: Timeline and Sources of History
Frequently Asked Questions — Sources of History and Early Humans
What are the three types of historical sources in Class 6 NCERT?
The three types of historical sources are literary sources, archaeological sources, and oral sources. Literary sources include manuscripts, inscriptions, books, and letters — any written record from the past. Archaeological sources include physical objects like tools, pottery, coins, buildings, and bones found through excavation. Oral sources are stories, songs, legends, and traditions passed down through generations by word of mouth. NCERT Class 6 History Chapter 4 explains how historians combine all three to reconstruct history.
What is the difference between literary and archaeological sources?
Literary sources are written records from the past, including manuscripts, inscriptions carved on stone or metal, royal decrees, religious texts, traveller accounts, and official documents. Archaeological sources are physical objects and structures discovered through excavation, such as tools, weapons, pottery, coins, buildings, ornaments, and skeletal remains. Literary sources tell us what people thought and wrote, while archaeological sources reveal how they lived, worked, and crafted things.
How did early humans live before farming began?
Early humans lived as hunter-gatherers, moving from place to place in search of food. They hunted animals, caught fish, and collected wild fruits, roots, and seeds. They used stone tools for cutting and scraping, lived in caves or temporary shelters, and travelled in small groups. This nomadic lifestyle lasted for hundreds of thousands of years until humans discovered how to grow crops, which marked the beginning of settled life, as described in NCERT Class 6 History.
What was the Neolithic Revolution and why is it important?
The Neolithic Revolution was the transition from hunting and gathering to farming and settled life, which began around 10,000 years ago. Humans learned to domesticate plants like wheat, barley, and rice, and animals like sheep, goats, and cattle. This revolution is important because it allowed people to stay in one place, build permanent homes, store food, and develop villages, eventually leading to civilisations. NCERT Class 6 History Chapter 4 covers this transformative period.
What are inscriptions and why are they important sources of history?
Inscriptions are writings carved or engraved on hard surfaces like stone pillars, rocks, copper plates, and temple walls. They are extremely valuable historical sources because they are durable and often survive for thousands of years. Inscriptions can contain royal decrees, land grants, religious teachings, and records of achievements. For example, the Ashokan inscriptions from around 250 BCE provide crucial information about the Mauryan Empire. NCERT Class 6 introduces inscriptions as key literary sources.
What crops did early humans first domesticate according to NCERT Class 6?
According to NCERT Class 6 History, some of the earliest domesticated crops included wheat, barley, and rice. Wheat and barley were first cultivated in the Fertile Crescent region (modern-day Iraq, Syria, and Turkey), while rice was domesticated in parts of China and India. Early humans also domesticated animals such as sheep, goats, cattle, and dogs. This shift to agriculture transformed human society from small nomadic bands to large settled communities.
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Social Science Class 6 — Exploring Society: India and Beyond
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