CLASS: VI SUBJECT: HISTORY
TOPIC : CH- 1 AN APPROACH TOWARD THE PAST
INTRODUCTION AND CONTENT
WHAT IS HISTORY? WHAT HISTORY TEACHES US?
The word ‘History’ comes from the Greek word ‘historia’ which means ‘knowing or learning by inquiry’. Knowledge that is gained from the study of past is called History.
History teaches us great lessons. It guides us what to do and what not to do.
History also informs us about our rich past, how people lived, what they ate, what they wore and what types of houses they built.
• The people who describe the past are known are historians.
• Herodotus is known as the Father of History.
IMPORTANCE OF HISTORY
The study of history is important in many ways:
• We come to know about kingdoms, dynasties, kings and leaders by studying history. It also deals with the lives and activities of ordinary people.
• The knowledge gained from the study of history is important to understand both the past and the present. Whatever is happening today will be history tomorrow.
• History guides people to set goals and tells them not tot make the same mistakes.
• We understand the continuous development of human beings by studying history.
• We can easily understand the basic nature of society by studying history.
DIVISION OF THE PAST
The past has been divided by historians into two periods
1) Prehistory: It is the period of human development when writing had not been invented and humans beings did not know how to read and write. Hence there are no written records for this period.
2) History: It is the period for which written records are available. This covers the time period after the invention of writing. Early writing was done on the bark of birch trees, clay tablets, palm leaves, copper plates and rock pillars.
ARCHAEOLOGICAL SOURCES
Archaeological sources are (direct) evidences. They are physical evidences that are available. For eg:
• Artefacts: The objects of different kinds made by humans in the past are called artefacts. For eg: things like metal objects, pottery, tools, ornaments and sculptures.
• Monuments: Old buildings, ruins of buildings, temples, stupas, mosques, tombs, caves, palaces and old settlements which are historically important and provide important information of our past heritage are called monuments. The
archaeological excavations at Harappa and Mohenjodaro have proved that a planned civilization existed in the Indus valley 5,000 years ago.
• Coins: Coins are valuable sources of information. These coins are made of gold, silver, copper and other metals.
• Inscriptions: Inscriptions are written records engraved on rocks,metal pillars, copper plates, cave walls, walls of templess and palaces and on clay tablets.
LITERARY SOURCES
Whatever our ancestors wrote is an evidence in the form of written records. These are literary sources. In the beginning when paper was not invented, people of that period used to write on bhojpatra, the dried bark of trees.
• They also wrote on solid rocks stone, copper plates, rock pillars and tablets.
• Handwritten records of the past, in the form of books are called manuscripts.
• terary sources can be divided into two types:
• Religious literature: Writings that deals with religion is called religious literature. The Vedas, The Brahmanas, The Upanishads etc are religious books that gives important information.
• Secular literature: Writings which are not religious are known as secular literature. These include the historical accounts and biographies written by poets and foreign travellers. For eg: Arthashastra written by Kautilya & Indika written by
Megasthenes.
GEOGRAPHICAL IMPACT
The geography of a country plays a major role in its history. Similarly, the geographical features of India have greatly influenced its people and their history. Even the name of the country India has its origin in its geography.
The Iranians and Greeks called River Indus as Hindos or Indos, and so the land of the east of the river was called India. The physical features of India that have shaped Indian history are :
• The Great Himalayas
The Himalayas in the north of India are very high, so they work as a natural barrier for invaders from the north. Hence, very fewn invasions have taken place from this side.
• The Northern plains
The Northern Plains have determined the development of India. The places along the rivers have developed faster than any other part of the country. Rivers were the main mode of travel. They provided the important resource of water and made the areas around them highly fertile. As a result, agriculture became prosperous near the bank of the rivers and even trade could easily
flourish near the rivers. Some important rivers of North India are Beas, Ganga, Yamuna, Indus.
•The Deccan Plateau
The Deccan had always been a very strong and powerful military base. So, it was not easy for mighty powers of the north to win and control deccan for a long time.
• The Coastal plains
The Coastal plains of India were isolated by land. They were open to the sea to establish commercial relations with Europeans and south- east Asian and African countries.
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