On the trail of the earliest people

Testing your previous knowledge

 Where did people live or how do they used to live?
 How can we know about past?
 What must have been their occupation and why?
The earliest people - Topic 1
 The people who lived in the subcontinent as early
as two million ( 2,000,000 ) years ago are called
hunter -gatherers as they hunted wild animals,
caught fish and birds, gathered fruits, roots, nuts,
seeds, leaves, stalks and eggs to gather food.
 Animals are faster and stronger than human
beings that’s why people need to be alert, quick
and have lots of presence of mind.
 To collect plant produce need to find out which
plants or plant parts are edible and need to find
out about the seasons.
The Ancient man moved from place to
place mainly for four reasons,
 If he had stayed in the same place for the longer time,
he would have used up all the resources like animals,
plants, water of that place. So they have to go to other
places in search of food.
 Plants bear fruits, grains in particular seasons. So man
moved to fetch his food accordingly.
 Animals do not stay in one place but they move in
search of prey. Hence man moved along with the
animals as the animals formed the food of man.
 Man needs water to perform almost all of his
functions. Though some rivers were perennial (flow
throughout the year) some were not so. Hence
man had to move even in search of water.
 People travelled to meet their friends and relatives.
 Wandering people or Nomadic people are communities
who move from one place to another, rather than
settling permanently in one location
Discussion

 What could be the challenges faced by hunters?

 Differences and Similarities between the lives of hunters and
Farmers.
 Why was it difficult to hunt animals and gather plant produce in the
early times?
 The earliest man moved from one place to another? Do you know
why?
How do we know about these
people? - Topic 2
 According to archaeologists, hunters and gatherers probably made and
used tools made of stone, wood and also bone. Out of these tools only the
ones made from stone have survived.
 Ancient man used stones to cut meat, bone and hides (animal skin),
scrape(scratch) tree bark, chop fruits, dig plant roots, hunting, stitching clothes
from animal skin etc.
 They even chopped wood with stone tools. Wood was used for fire and
also to make huts and tools.
 “Archaeology means the study of the past by looking for the remains and
objects left by the people who lived long ago. These remains can include old
coins, tools, buildings, and inscriptions.
 Archaeologists are the persons who discovered about the past.
Stone
tools
Making stone tools

 Historians have made guesses about the

possible methods of making stone tools.
There were two possible methods of
making stone tools. They are as follows:
 a. Stone on stone: In this method, a
stone was taken in one hand and was
hit with another stone to make a
particular shape. The stone which was
made into a tool was called the core.
Stone on stone
 b. Pressure Flaking: In this method, the core was kept on a hard
surface. It was then hammered with a bigger stone to make a
particular shape.
Test your understanding

 How were stone tools made?

Choosing a place to live in - Topic
3
 The places where the ancient man made tools with the
stones are called as Factory Sites. Usually, at these sites we
find blocks of stone, tools that were made an d discarded
because they were not perfect and chips of waste stone
left behind. Sites may be found on the surface of the
earth, buried under the earth, or sometimes even under
water.
 Some people also used to live there for longer spells of
time. And these kind of places were called Habitat
cum factory sites
 Bhimbetka, in present day Madhya Pradesh is a very
famous Habitation site. It consists of caves and rock shelters
close to Narmada valley. People chose these
natural caves because they provided shelter from the
rain, heat and wind. Caves of this kind are also found close
to Narmada valley in Vindhyas and Deccan plateaus.
Test your understanding

 What are habitations – cum – factory sites?

 Earliest people were spread all over the world, even in India. Some
major sites during which Stone Age people lived in India are:
 Bhimbetka (Madhya Pradesh)
 Hunsgi (Karnataka)
 Kurnool Caves (Andhra Pradesh)

Bhimbetka
Activity – One word answer

 Wandering people
 Early man used, made of stone
 It is a unique planet
 Hunter gatherers chose to live in
 In which state is Bhimbetka
 Activity – One word answer

 Wandering people - nomads

 Early man used, made of stone - Tools
 It is a unique planet - Earth
 Hunter gatherers chose to live in – caves, rock shelters
 In which state is Bhimbetka – Madhya Pradesh