CBSE Class 6 History Chapter 2 Notes - From Hunting-Gathering to Growing Food

From Gathering to Growing Food  Summary

This is an essential chapter for students studying History in class 6 because it brings the importance of migration and how it shaped travel for people. After cavemen, we call the people who inhabited earth at the time as hunters and gatherers. The people then were named so because of their wild hunting habits where they would hunt for wild animals, fishes, birds, nuts, fruits etc. These people couldn't stay in one place because they would exhaust all the resources available in the land after a certain period. Now also to hunt animals that would be on the move always was another reason for them to move around often. At the time getting fresh water was also a problem so they would be on the search always and trying not to exhaust the water of one place either.

How Do We Know About Their Existence?

Archaeologists have found the various tools that they used, which were made of wood, stone and bone which stood the stand of time. These tools were used for hunting purposes, chopping up the meat, making clothes out of animal fur and chop plants. These resources were found mostly in places near water bodies and caves because these areas had more stone for them to make tools out off. Traces of ash have also been discovered proving that they discovered fire and probably used it to scare away animals, for heat and to cook their food.

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Hunters and Gatherers 

Beginning of Farming and Herding 

According to a study, there was a substantial climatic change in the world, and this had created a lot of grasslands around the entire world. So this, in turn, created a phenomenon where several animals were able to survive off the grasslands. So this is when people started to consider herding and farming. 

Farming started when people discovered all the crops that could be grown on these lands, such as wheat, barley and rice, and all these crops led to farming. The first animal to be appropriately tamed was a dog, and it was used to take care of the cattle. People started taking in different animals such as sheep, goats and cows to herd and rear.

A Settled Life 

Archaeologists have found different types of huts and various houses in these places that show these people have had a sedentary life. Cooking Hearths were discovered both inside and outside the house, and archaeologists assume that they would cook wherever based on the weather condition. The tools found were excellent cut and well-polished which were made for people to hunt down animals and also for cutting up things. Different types of cooking utensils were also found like earthen pots which must have been kept for storing items or also as a decorative item.

Mehrgarh 

This was one of the first places where people started to farm and grow crops on a proper scale. Different animals were also reared for the first time. Crops like barley and rice; animals grew were goats and sheep. Here people used to carry out rituals for people who died, and they used to bury goats with them. Lots of burial sites have been found at this place. The houses found here were in cubical shapes.