1 Looking Back in the Past

Introduction
Humans lived on planet Earth from around 200000 years but our calendar is still counting
only the 21 centuries. Why are the years before that not counted? What happened before
that? How did the people before that live? So many questions arise when we talk about the
past.
People did not know anything about dinosaurs before the first skeleton of dinosaur was
found and studied by experts. Some people with immense curiosity study the past by the
signs and things that they left behind.

History is derived from the Greek word a person. It was

‘Historia’ which means research or study of the time period
past events. History consists of events that took between the Stone
place in the past like the growth of humans, the Age, when stone
forming and change in the civilizations etc. tools were used
The past can be studied by the tools or sources to hunt till the
of history like old books, inscriptions, coins, time writing was
monuments, architecture and so on. According invented. The end of
to the time, the overall human journey on Earth the prehistoric time
is divided in to three unequal parts: period is different Prehistorical age

™ Prehistory for different places. It is so because writing and

™ Proto-history
™ History
Prehistory
The time before humans started recording
events is known as prehistory. This was the
time before humans were civilized. As people
were not civilized, they did not know how to
write and how to record any specific event or
reading were introduced and adopted slowly at
different places.
Facts and Information
The prehistory is further divided into
different ages like Stone Age, Bronze Age
and Iron Age. These were named according
to the material used for making weapons
and tools.

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Proto-history them are destroyed as they were very fragile. It
It is the time period between prehistory and makes them a valuable artefact.
history. In this period, writing was already
invented but it was not widely spread and
adopted by the whole world. But the writings
are not the only sources to know about the
past. There were less of writings in that time
and more of monuments, structures, drawings,
patterns and pottery Carving on pillar Use of papyrus paper for writing
works, some of which can
be seen in museums all Intext Questions
around the world. This
a. Why is the end of the prehistoric time
time period ended when
period different for different places?
people started recording
events properly and some b. ________ plant was turned into paper
of them studied about it for the first time by the Babylonians
Pot from the
and became historians. proto-historical age and Egyptians.

Facts and Information Why do people study History?

A historian is a person who studies and
research about the events and people in
human history. These events and people
are recorded for a special reason.
History
The time after the invention of reading and
writing was adopted by most of the world till
now falls under the period of human history.
They had no paper sheets and pens to write
at that time so they usually carved on a stone,
pillar, wall or a big rock. That was before the
invention of paper. Papyrus was a plant that
was turned into paper for the first time by the
Babylonians and Egyptians after them who
made it even better to use. The first paper was
made around 3000 BC. Not all the sources or
evidences of history are found yet and most of
History is like a mystery box, in which many
secrets are hidden. To uncover the box we need
to study the past. When we study the past we
can compare the present lifestyle of people
with the past. Like in earlier times when people
died, items like jewellery, pots, food etc. were
buried with the body, as people thought that a
life existed after death. We study history as it
provides us with an opportunity to understand
the evolution of humans and their societies
and cultures.
These days, we all use rubber tyres. It was
originated from the early stone wheel. Most
of the modern world inventions are based on
the discoveries made in the past. Not just the
things, but ideas, beliefs and influences have
been made by the early humans that can be
seen even today. One of the famous example is
Karl Marx. He was a German philosopher and

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historian and his thoughts are still valued all
over the world.
Karl Marx— a German
philosopher and historian
Facts and Information
Bhagat Singh was highly influenced by the
thoughts and ideologies of Karl Marx.
Any place where human activity occurred
and where artefacts are found is called an
archaeological site. There are two kinds
of archaeological sites, prehistoric and
historic.
Role of Geography in History
Geography has played a vital role in India’s
history. India is protected by The Himalayas
in the North, Arabian Sea in the East, Indian
Ocean in the South and Bay of Bengal in the
west. India has different landforms like very big
mountains, rivers, plains, plateaus, vast forests.
Other fascinating landscapes are wonderful
deserts, refreshing shores, beautiful hills and
waterfalls, forests and a rich and rare wildlife.
There are several number of river system in
India as well.
The name India is derived from the name of
Indus River. Around 4700 years ago, some of
the earliest civilization initiated on the banks
of Indian Rivers. The Indus Valley civilization,
which was one of the ancient civilizations
in the world flourished near the Indus River.
The Indus River flows in the North-west part
of India and the Sanskrit name for Indus is
Sindhu.
India is a land of rivers. People of India
started to live near rivers like Ganga and cities
developed on the banks of the Ganga and its
tributaries, and along the seacoasts. The area
in the South of the river Ganga was known as
Magadha and it was ruled by many powerful
rulers. The rulers had big kingdoms and armies.
Most of the men marched in the armies, some
of them were traders and transported goods
from one place to another. Other people were
sculptors, potters, craftsmen, builders, healers,
fishermen, farmers, ironsmiths etc.
Geography also determines the population and
developments seen in a particular area. The
areas which lack favourable conditions required
for a good living are sparsely populated;
whereas, the areas with favourable conditions
are densely populated.
Intext Questions
a. The name India is derived from the
name of ________ River.
b. Name two sources which help us to
study the history.
History Timeline
A timeline is used to represent the dates in the
history and present on a single line. It is just like
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a number line, as we move left on the timeline
we go back in time. Similarly, when we move
right on the timeline we go forward in time.
While talking about the events in history, we
denote the dates and years with BC and AD.
BC and AD indicate the time before and after
the birth of Christ respectively.
500 BC means 500 years before the birth of
Christ and 400 AD means 400 years after the
birth of Christ. BC is also known as BCE and
AD is also known as CE. BCE means ‘before
common era’ and CE means ‘common era’.
Sources of History
How can we possibly know about an event that
happened thousands of years back? We can
know it by studying carefully the remains which
people of that time left behind. These materials
used by the historians and archaeologists are
known as sources of history. There are two
main sources of history:
™ Archaeological sources of history
™ Literary sources of history
Archaeological Sources
The direct sources of history that are the
evidence of past are called archaeological
sources of history. While studying about ancient
cultures and civilizations, most of information
comes from archaeological expeditions that
succeed in uncovering artefacts and human
remains from those earlier periods. It is the
evidence or proof of history even before written
records were kept.
Archaeology and history are completely linked
with each other. Archaeology is the scientific
study of historic and prehistoric times, people
and their cultures by analysis of their artefacts,
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inscriptions, monuments, and other such
remains, especially those that have been dug.
Some of the archaeological sources are yet to
be excavated. A person who studies human
history and prehistory through the excavation
of sites and the analysis of artefacts and other
physical remains is called Archaeologist.
Monuments
A building or structure like a palace, fort, tomb,
temple, monastery etc. that has a historical
importance is called a monument. These places
were built by early people and rulers. These are
very useful sources of history to know about
the religious beliefs, cultural beliefs and their
sciences and architecture. Some examples are
Taj Mahal, India Gate, Ashoka pillar, etc.
Inscriptions
A piece of text carved on a solid surface like a wall
or a rock is called an inscription. Early people used
to carve on rocks, clay and copper tablets, pillars,
walls of temples and tombs etc. They give us useful
information like the dates, the events, the people,
the rulers and the expansion of their empires at
that time. Taj Mahal consists of inscribed verses
and passages on its wall. The verses are from the
holy book of Quran. These verses and passages
were inscribed by Amanat Khan.
Inscription on a stone
Coins
We all know what coins are. They are a part
of our currency. But very less people know
that coins are being used from thousands of
years. Rulers of a certain kingdom at a certain
period of time started these coins. These coins
were made by, copper, silver, gold etc. Many
coins display inscriptions and legends that
were carved on them long time back. These
inscriptions give us information about the
early dates, events, rulers etc.
Harappa Civilization Coins
Artefacts
Objects like tools, ornaments, weapons, metal
works, jewellery and other object from the past
are called artefacts. They are excavated from the
earth. They are then studied by the historians
to the maximum information from them. The
information is used to get an idea about what it
was like in the past. The dead remains of plants
and animals or fossils are also very useful
source of information about the past.
Historical artefacts
Facts and Information
A palaeontologist is a scientist who studies
the animal and plant fossils from early
times.
Intext Questions
a. Taj Mahal consists of inscribed verses
from the holy book of ________.
b. What are monuments?
Literary Sources of History
Humans started writing around 5000 years
back, they invented letters, symbols, patterns
etc, and combined them to form words and
sentences. These sentences were written in the
form of books or manuscripts by historians.
Most of our knowledge of past comes from
these scripts but they are the indirect sources as
we have no clues of the information extracted
to be correct.
The indirect sources of history that contain
the written proofs and records of early
humans are called literary sources of history.
The manuscripts were usually written on
slabs, rocks, pillars, walls, skin of animals,
bark of trees, palm leaves, clay tablets etc.
These scripts are very valuable so they are
preserved and kept in museums. The range of
literary sources consists of mainly books and
manuscripts having religious literature and
secular literature.
Religious Literature
The books and manuscripts that contain
matter, verses or texts about a specific religion
falls under the category of religious literature
like The Vedas, The Upanishads, The Angas,
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The Tripitakas etc. The most popular ones are
The Ramayana, The Mahabharata and The
Gita. These kinds of texts help us in a better
understanding of religious practices and the
reasons behind them.
such as autobiographies, biographies, poems,
plays, court chronicles and texts on politics,
science and healing falls under the category
of secular literature. Some examples of secular
literature are Harshacharita (Biography of
king Harshavardhana written by Banabhatta),
Abhijnanashakuntalam by Kalidas, Arthashastra
by Kautilya.

Intext Questions
a. Name any two secular literatures.
b. Why are manuscripts preserved and
Manuscript of Veda Book
kept in museums?
Secular Literature
Some books that contain non-religious matter

Important terms
Artefact : an object from the past
Coin : a piece of metal with an official stamp, used as money
Inscription : a piece of text carved on a solid surface like a wall or a rock
Fragile : an object which is easily broken or damaged
Secular literature : books from the past that contain non-religious matter

Recall
• The time before humans started recording events is known as prehistory.
• Proto-history is the time period between prehistory and history.
• The first paper was made around 3000 B.C.
• We study history as it provides us with an opportunity to understand the evolution of humans and
their societies and cultures.
• BC is also known as BCE and AD is also known as CE. BCE means ‘before common era’ and CE means
‘common era’.
• There are two sources which help us to study the history, archaeological sources and literary sources.
• Archaeological sources include the study of monuments, inscriptions, coins, skeletons, fossils, etc.
• Literary sources include scripts, writings and patterns on rocks or walls, etc.

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 Revision

1. Fill in the blanks.

prehistory, indus, before, timeline, manuscript

a. The name India is derived from the name of ______________ River.

b. A ______________ is a written record of text that contains valuable information about the human
history
c. The full form of BCE is ______________ common era.
d. The time before humans started recording events is known as ______________.
e. A ______________ is used to represent the dates in the history and present on a single line.

2. Write T if the statement is true and F if the statement is false.

a. A building of historical importance is called a monument. __________
b. BC is also called BCE and AD is also called CE. __________
c. Artefacts fall under the category of literary sources. __________
d. A scientist who excavates objects and studies them is called an archaeologist. __________
e. The Vedas and Upnishads are examples of religious literature. __________

3. Tick () the correct answer from the given options.

a. Which of the following is not an example of archaeological source of history?
i. Fossil ii. Manuscript
iii. Pottery iv. All of these
b. Which of the following was written by Banabhatta?
i. Harshacharita ii. Arthashastra
iii. The Mahabharata iv. Ramayana
c. Literary sources are ________ sources of history.
i. Direct ii. Indirect
iii. Both iv. None of these
d. The North part of India is protected by
i. Bay of Bengal ii. Arabian Sea
iii. The Himalayas iv. None of these
e. The time when humans did not know how to write is called?
i. History ii. Prehistory
iii. Proto-history iv. All of the these

4. Define the following terms.

a. History b. Prehistory c. Proto-history

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5. Give short answers to the following questions.
a. Why do we study the past?
b. What are monuments?
c. What is prehistory?
d. What are the main sources of history?
e. Who is an archaeologist?
f. Why are coins useful source of history?

6. Give long answers to the following questions.

a. What are the two types of sources of history? Explain them with the help of examples.
b. How did geography affect the India history?
c. Write about how early people used to write before the invention of paper.
d. What are inscriptions? Why are they valuable?
e. Why did early people settle near the rivers?
f. Write a short note on secular literature.

HO T S
a. In what ways, the past help us in understanding the present?
b. Literary sources are more preferred to know about our history. Why?

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