Early Humans and Civilizations Class 6 Notes Questions and Answers Social Science Chapter 1

By reviewing Kerala Syllabus 6th Standard Social Science Notes Pdf English Medium and Class 6 Social Science Chapter 1 Early Humans and Civilizations Notes Questions and Answers Kerala SCERT Solutions, students can improve their conceptual understanding.

Class 6 Social Science Chapter 1 Early Humans and Civilizations Notes Questions and Answers

Class 6 Social Science Early Humans and Civilizations Notes Questions and Answers

Class 6 Social Science Chapter 1 Question Answer Kerala Syllabus

Question 1.
The following is a passage from Jawaharlal Nehru’s book, “Letters from a Father to His Daughter.”

a) What is the historical remain that Jawaharlal Nehru mentions here?
b) According to him, where was it obtained from?
Answer:
a) Skull of earliest men.
b) Heidelberg

Question 2.
Look at the family tree that Sinu prepared including members of his family’s previous generations. In this way, details of how many generations of your family can you find?

Answer:
(Hints: Ask your parents and grandparents about their parents names. This will help you find 3 or 4 generations of your family.)

Question 3.
Prepare a note including the various stages of human evolution and their characteristics.
Answer:
The evolution of humans took place through various stages over millions of years. It began with primates, a group of mammals that includes monkeys, apes, and humans. From them evolved hominoids, who walked on four legs. Later came the hominids, who developed the ability to walk’ on two legs, allowing them to use their hands for other tasks. One of the early hominids was Australopithecus, which showed both human like and ape-like features. From this stage, the Homo group evolved. The first in this group was Homo habilis, known as “the tool makers,” who used simple tools. They were followed by Homo erectus, “the upright humans,” who could walk fully upright and had learned to use fire. Finally came Homo sapiens, “the wise or thinking man,” who developed language, culture, and advanced tools. Modem humans belong to this group.

Question 4.
Write the characteristics of the Palaeolithic, Mesolithic and Neolithic periods on strips and place them in a bowl. Arrange the charts with the names of these Stone Age periods in the classroom. The children may pick the strips from the bowl and paste them on the corresponding chart in the correct order.
Answer:

Question 5.
Observe the pictures given below. What materials are they made of?

Answer:
Fig 1 : Stone , Fig 2: Metal

Question 6.
Compare and prepare a note on the features of human life in the Stone Age and the Bronze Age.
Answer:

Human life in the Stone Age	Human life in the Bronze Age
Stone tools	Bronze tools
Agriculture Started	Expanding agriculture
Invented the wheel	Centres were established for product exchange
Started making pottery	Cities and towns were formed
Animal skin, bark of trees and leaves used for clothing	Made Ornaments using metals

Question 7.
Observe the given Map and identify the river valleys where the major Bronze Age civilizations developed and complete the table.


Answer:

Civilization	Rivers
Mesopotamian	Euphrates, Tigris
Egyptian	Nile River
Harappan	Indus River
Chinese	Hwang-Ho

Question 8.
Prepare a note on the cultural contributions of the Mesopotamians.
Answer:

• The first people who contributed to the development of urban life in Mesopotamia were the Sumerians.
• The major cities of Mesopotamian civilization included Ur, Uruk, Lagash, and others.
• The writing system of the Mesopotamians was known as Cuneiform.
• The oldest written code of law in the world is the Code of Hammurabi, which existed during the reign of the Babylonian ruler Hammurabi.
• The temples of the Mesopotamians were known as Ziggurats. These temples were mainly built in cities.

Question 9.
How many months are there in the calendar we use now? Does each month have thirty days? Look at the calendar at your home and find out how many days are there in each month and write it down.
Answer:
It has 12 months in a year.
No, not all months have 30 days. Some have 31 days, and one month (February) has 28 or 29 days.

• January – 31 days
• February – 28 days (29 in a leap year)
• March – 31 days
• April – 30 days
• May – 31 days
• June – 30 days
• July – 31 days
• August – 31 days
• September – 30 days
• October – 31 days
• November – 30 days

Question 10.
Find out the features of the writing system that existed in Mesopotamia, Egypt and China and complete the table.

Answer:

Civilization	Scripts	Features
Mesopotamia	Cuneiform	• They were written on clay tablets. • It was a wedge shaped pictographic script.
Egypt	Hieroglyphics	• The script was a combination of signs and letters. • It is read from right to left.
China	Pictographic Script	• Images were used instead of letters

Question 11.
Look at the given map, find out and list the major cities of the Harappan civilization.

Answer:

• Mohenjodaro
• Harappa
• Lothal
• Kalibangan

Question 12.
Observe the pictures given below. What details about the handicraft of the Harappans can be obtained from these pictures? Find out and complete the concept map.


Answer:

Early Humans and Civilizations Questions and Answers Extended Activities

Question 1.
Prepare a picture album of the tools used by humans in different phases of Stone Age.
Answer:

Question 2.
Collect more information on the topic “Bronze Age Civilizations and Human Progress” and prepare a digital presentation.
Indicators:
• Mesopotamian civilization
• Egyptian civilization
• Chinese civilization
• Harappan civilization
Answer:
(Hint: You can use the given details to create slides in PowerPoint, Google Slides, or any other presentation software.)
• Slide 1: Title Slide (Topic: Bronze Age Civilizations and Human Progress)

• Slide 2: What is the Bronze Age?

• The Bronze Age started about 5000 years ago.
• People made tools and weapons from bronze (a metal).
• They built cities, started farming, and used writing.
• It was the beginning of human progress.

• Slide 3: Mesopotamian Civilization

• Place: Between Tigris and Euphrates rivers (Iraq).
• People wrote using cuneiform on clay tablets.
• Built ziggurats (temples).
• Code of Hammurabi – one of the earliest law codes

• Slide 3: Egyptian Civilization

• Place: Along the Nile River.
• Hieroglyphics were the script.
• Built big pyramids for pharaohs (kings).
• Used the calendar to measure time.

• Slide 4: Chinese Civilization

• Place: Along the banks of river Hwang-Ho.
• Agriculture was the foundation.
• Script: Pictographic Script.

• Slide 5: Harappan Civilization

• Place: Along the Indus Valley.
• Also known as the Indus Valley Civilization.
• Had well-planned cities.
• They used symbols instead of letters to write.

• Slide 6: Human Progress (Learned to write and read, lived in organized cities, made beautiful tools and art, etc.)

• Slide 7: Conclusion & Add Pictures for each civilization.

Question 3.
Prepare a digital album by collecting pictures that showcase the features of Bronze Age civilizations.
Answer:

Question 4.
Make a clay tablet, inscribe a script you know, allow it to dry and display it in the Social Science Lab.
Answer:
(Hints)
• Take a small piece of clay, flatten it like a tablet, use a stick to write any script you know (like English or Malayalam), let it dry, and keep it in the Social Science Lab to show others.

Question 5.
Find out and prepare a list of major cities situated in river valleys.
Answer:

City	River valley	Civilization
Ur	Euphrates River	Mesopotamian Civilization
Memphis	Nile River	Egyptian Civilization
Harappa	Ravi River	Indus Valley Civilization
Mohenjodaro	Indus River	Indus Valley Civilization
Anyang	Hwang-Ho River	Chinese Civilization

Early Humans and Civilizations Class 6 Notes Pdf

Std 6 Social Science Early Humans and Civilizations Notes

• Human fossils are important sources that help us to learn about the history of early humans.
• Fossils are the remains of ancient plants, animals and humans.
• Human evolution began from primates, a category of mammals.
• It was Charles Darwin who proposed a scientific view on the origin of human beings.
• Charles Darwin suggested that humans have originated through organic changes that took place over a long period of time. He called this process ‘evolution’.
• Homo habilis, Homo erectus and Homo sapiens were the subgroups of Homo.
• The human species to which we belong is Homo sapiens.
• Chronologically, history is divided into two periods – Before Common Era (BCE) and Common Era (CE).
• Since stones were used as weapons, this period is called the Stone Age.
• Based on the development achieved over time in weapons and tools made of stones, the Stone Age can be divided into three stages.
  • Palaeolithic age
  • Mesolithic age
  • Neolithic age
• Agriculture began in the Neolithic period.
• Copper was the first metal used by humans.
• The period when humans used weapons and tools made of metals is called the Metal Age.
• The period when weapons and tools made of bronze were used is known as the Bronze Age.
• The word ‘Mesopotamia’ means ‘the land between rivers’.
• Mesopotamian civilization consisted of four different civilizations which were Sumerian, Babylonian, Assyrian, and Chaldean.
• The writing system of the Mesopotamians was known as Cuneiform.
• Egyptian civilization flourished in the Nile Valley.
• The main feature of the Egyptian civilization is the pyramids.
• Mathematics and Medical Science achieved significant advancement in Egypt.
• Chinese civilization originated along the banks of river Hwang-Ho.
• Harappan civilization was a civilization that existed in the Indus Valley during the Bronze Age.
• Harappa was the first city to be discovered. That is why this civilization is called the Harappan Civilization.
• The main feature of the Harappan civilization was town planning.
• The drainage system was another important feature of the Harappan,civilization.
• Mohenjodaro was the major city of the Harappan civilization.
• Harappan people had their own writing system. They used symbols instead of letters to write.

INTRODUCTION

Recording human history of ancient period is a very difficult and laborious task. Since no written evidence is available we rely only on archaeological evidence, to learn about humans and their lives in prehistoric times. Historians have recorded the history of humans since the beginning by analyzing such archaeological evidences. While fossil remains provide evidence of humans that evolved millions of years ago, stone weapons, tools, and cave paintings tell us about people in the Stone Age. The beginning of agriculture and the development of settled life during the Neolithic period were milestones in human history. The civilizations that emerged in different parts of the world during the Bronze Age reveal the history of the achievements of humans during that period. It is the knowledge and practices formed in ancient civilizations that laid the foundation for our culture. We can use such reminders of the past as stepping stones for the future.

ORIGIN AND EVOLUTION OF HUMANS
If we can go back thousands of generations, we can reach the early humans.

• Human fossils are important sources that help us to learn about the history of early humans.
• It is by scientifically calculating the age of such fossils that the history of the origin and evolution of humans is written.
• Fossils are the remains of ancient plants, animals and humans. These are generally embedded in rocks and have been preserved for millions of years.

HUMAN EVOLUTION
It was Charles Darwin who proposed a scientific view on the origin of human beings. He suggested that humans have originated through organic changes that took place over a long period of time. He called this process ‘evolution’. He presented the Theory of Human Evolution in his book ‘On the Origin of Species’, published in 1859.

ANCESTORS OF HUMANS
Early humans evolved millions of years ago. Human evolution began from primates, a category of mammals.

Various stages of evolution
• Homo habilis, Homo erectus and Homo sapiens were the subgroups of Homo. The human species to which we belong is Homo sapiens.

BCE and CE
Chronologically, history is divided into two periods – Before Common Era (BCE) and Common Era (CE). Based on the birth of Jesus Christ, earlier it was divided into BC and AD. The period before the birth of Christ was known as BC (Before Christ) and the period after the birth of Christ was known as AD (Anno Domini). These days, it is known as BCE and CE respectively.

• A century denotes hundred years. A million years denotes ten lakh years.

Charles Darwin Charles Darwin was born in England on February 12, 1809. He is a naturalist who helped in understanding the processes that led to the origin of life on earth and the diversity of living organisms. Charles Darwin explained through his theory of evolution that all living species evolved over a period of time and took millions of years to reach its present form.

VARIOUS STAGES OF HUMAN DEVELOPMENT

• Early humans lived in the forests. They lived by gathering fruits and vegetables and hunting animals to eat their meat.
• They used rough stones from their surroundings as weapons.
• Since stones were used as weapons, this period is called the Stone Age.
• Based on the development achieved over time in weapons and tools made of stones, the Stone Age can be divided into three stages.

Characteristics of the various Stone Age periods:

BEGINNING OF AGRICULTURE AND SETTLED LIFE

• Agriculture began in the Neolithic period.
• As humans started farming, it became necessary for them to settle near the farmlands.
• They settled near their farms to maintain the crops, protect the fields from wild animals and to care for their domesticated animals.

Bhimbetka
Bhimbetka in Madhya Pradesh is an important rock shelter in India which was inhabited by stone age humans. The paintings inside this cave tell us about the varied ways of life of ancient humans. These cave paintings are also a proof of their communication.

FROM STONE TO METAL

• Copper was the first metal used by humans.
• The period when humans used weapons and tools made of metals is called the Metal Age.
• Since copper was not strong enough for tilling the soil and cutting trees, they mixed copper and tin to make a harder and stronger alloy called bronze.
• The period when weapons and tools made of bronze were used is known as the Bronze Age.
• With the use of bronze tools, there occurred significant changes in human life.

BRONZE AGE CIVILIZATIONS
• As a result of the changes that have occurred in human life in the Bronze Age, civilizations were formed centered around cities.

Bronze Age civilizations formed in river valleys. Because

MESOPOTAMIAN CIVILIZATION

• The word ‘Mesopotamia’ means ‘the land between rivers’.
• This region lies between the Euphrates and the Tigris rivers.
• This region is presently a part of Iraq.
• Mesopotamian civilization consisted of four different civilizations which were Sumerian, Babylonian, Assyrian, and Chaldean.

Urban Life and Art of Writing

• The Sumerians were the first people who contributed to the development of urban life in Mesopotamia.
• The major cities of Mesopotamian civilization were Ur, Uruk, Lagash, and so on.
• The writing system of the Mesopotamians was known as Cuneiform.

Contributions of the Mesopotamians

EGYPTIAN CIVILIZATION

• Egyptian civilization flourished in the Nile Valley. The main city of the Egyptian civilization was Cairo.
• The Egyptian kings were known as ‘Pharaohs’.
• The main feature of the Egyptian civilization is the pyramids.
• Agriculture was the main livelihood of the people. Wheat, barley, millet, fruits, flax, cotton, and so on grew abundantly in the Nile river basin.
• This agricultural prosperity facilitated the development of a civilization in the Nile Valley. Hence, Egypt is called the ‘Gift of the Nile’.

Art of Writing

Achievements in Science

• Mathematics and Medical Science achieved significant advancement in Egypt.
• The Egyptians laid the foundation of geometry in Mathematics.
• Addition and subtraction were their contributions.
• Their solar calendar consisted of twelve months of thirty days each, and an added five days to complete a year of 365 days.

CHINESECIVILIZATION

• Chinese civilization originated along the banks of river Hwang-Ho.
• Agriculture was the foundation of this civilization as well.
• They were also experts in weaving, pottery, and silk production.
• They made excellent bronze sculptures.

Writing System

• The Chinese had a writing system since ancient times.
• The pictographic script, that used pictures instead of letters, was common. Gradually, they developed symbols to use in place of pictures.
• That script still exists in China with modifications.

HARAPPAN CIVILIZATION
It was a civilization that existed in the Indus Valley during the Bronze Age. It is generally considered to have existed from about 2600 BCE to 1900 BCE.

• Harappa was the first city to be discovered. That is why this civilization is called the Harappan Civilization.
• Since it emerged in the Indus Valley, it is also known as the Indus Valley Civilization.
• This civilization developed around urban centres. Therefore, this civilization is termed as the first
  urbanization in India.

Town Planning

• The main feature of the Harappan civilization was town planning.
• They built houses on both sides of the streets. They used burnt bricks for the purpose of construction.
• The drainage system was another important feature of the Harappan civilization.
• The cities and drains were planned in such a way that the waste water from the houses was drained out of the city through the drains in the streets.

Great Bath of Mohenjodaro
Mohenjodaro was the major city of the Harappan civilization. The Great Bath is the most distinctive structure of this city. There were flights of steps on both sides to enter this tank and it had bathrooms. There was also arrangement for filling fresh water and draining out waste water.

Granary
Agriculture was the main livelihood of the Harappan people. Evidences of rice cultivation have been found from sites like Rangpur and Lothal in Gujarat. The granary is the most significant historical remain found in Harappa. It was used to store and preserve grains.

Handicrafts
The Harappans were skilled in handicrafts. Necklaces, bracelets and earrings made of gold, silver, beads and shells were widely used. They made seals from clay and stones. The toys, clay pots and bronze statues found in Harappan cities all show the artistic skills of the Harappan people.

Art of Writing
Harappan people had their own writing system. They used symbols instead of letters to write. Their art of writing is mostly found on seals.

Decline of Harappan Civilization
Harappan cities faced decline around 1900 BCE. There are different opinions about the decline of Harappan civilization.