Velammal Bodhi Campus - Theni

(A CBSE - IIT/NEET Integrated Sr. Sec. School)

Class: VI His: 1. When, Where and How Sub: SST

Mind Map

New words
Dating the events of history:
Between 1 to 100year is referred to – 1st CE
• BCE - Before Common Era
• CE - Common Era
• AD - Anno Domini (Latin word)
• BC - Before Christ
Running notes
• Herodotus is regarded as the “Father of History”
• History - The study of past events set in a chronological
 order
• Chronological order - Arranged in order in which events happened
• Tessellating - Connecting together in a pattern
Time and date:
• Pre history - There are no written records
• Proto history - Written records yet to be interpreted
• History - Written record are available
• Historia (Greek Word) - Narration or inquiry of the past events
Geography to interpret the past:
• Geography is essential for a good understanding of history
• The monsoon also shaped history of India
• Himalayan ranges made it possible for people from Iron, Afghanistan and
Central Asia to enter India.
Sources of History:
Historians use various sources to reconstruct the past
• Archaeological sources
• Literary sources
Archaeological sources:
• Archaeology – The study of the past by examining the materials remain.
• Archaeologist –A Person who studies archaeology.
The Archaeological survey of India ASI was established in 1861.
Monuments:
• Old Buildings or Old Structured
Ex : Temple, Mosques, tombs, churches, palaces, fort etc.,
Inscriptions:
• Writings on seals, temple walls, stones or pillars.
• Epigraphy: The study of inscription is known as epigraphy.
 • Eluogies - Highlighting the achievements of the kings.
Ex: Allahabad Inscription of Samudragupta.
• The study of old writing system on the inscription and other old records are
called paleography
• The Egyptian developed one of the earliest scripts in history, called
hieroglyphs..
Coins:
• The Coins were made up of various metals like copper, bronze, gold.
• It depicts the image of kings, gods and goddesses as well.
• It mentions the name of the kings and the dates of their region.
• It helps to reconstruct the unknown history.
• It mainly reflects the economic conditions of the times.
• It tells us about trade, technology and commerce.
• Numismatics – It is the study of coins to know the history.
Artefacts:
• Old pieces of things or belongings of people.
Ex: Pottery, Jewellery, toys, seals, piece of cloths.
• It tells us a lot about the social, cultural and economic life of the people
II. Literary sources:(It comprises all types of text)
• They inform us about the political, social, economic, religion & cultural life
of our ancestors.
Religious literature:
• Ancient manuscripts are religion in nature.
• Notable religious literatures are the Vedas, the Ramayana, the
Mahabharata, the Puranasand the Aranyakas.
Secular Literature:
• The duties to be performed by people of different segments of the society.
 • They set out rules and regulations.
Ex: Kautilya’s – Arthashatra, Dharma Sutra.
Foreign Accounts:
• Records of foreign travellers (Greek, Roman, Chinese).
• Indika Written by Megasthenes.
(An ambassador to the court of Chandragupta Mauryan)
Book Back Answer
A. Choose the correct answers:
1. A historian is an expert who __________
a) reconstructs our past b) Studies natural and physical science
c) Studies the human body d) predicts the future
Ans: a) reconstructs our past
2. Numismatics is the study of _________
a) coins b) inscriptions c) skeletons d) maps
Ans: a) coins
3. The Allahabad Inscription is a eulogy to ______
a) Samudragupta b) Ramagupta c) Sri Gupta d) Chandragupta
Ans: a) Samudragupta
4. The two great epics of India are ______
a) the Ramayana and the Mahabharata
b) the Mahabharata & the Odyssey
c) the Gita and the Puranas
d) the Arthashastra and the Manimekalai
Ans: a) the Ramayana and the Mahabharata
5. Magesthenes wrote ________ .
a) the Arthashastra b) the Indika
c) the Jatakas d) the Abhijanshakuntalam
Ans: b) the Indika
B. Fill in the blanks:
1. The year of the birth of Christ on the timeline is taken as ‘year one’.
2. The earliest coins mention the names of kings and queens during whose
reign they were issued.
3. Religious literature, Secular literature and Foreign accounts are the three
types of literary sources.
4. Kautilya wrote the Arthashastra.
5. Fa-Hsien and Hiuen Tsang were the two Chinese travellers who visited
India and left their accounts.
C. Answer the following questions very briefly:-
1. Which year is regarded as year one?
The year of Jesus birth was assigned as called ‘year one’.
2. What is the full-form of CE?
The full-form of CE is called ‘Common Era’.
3. Name any two archaeological sources of information.
The Archaeological sources are Coins, Artefacts.
4. What kind of a source are rock-cut caves?
Monuments include temples, mosques, tombs, churches, cemeteries, forts,
palaces, step-wells are rock-cut caves.
5. Name two Buddhist pilgrims who left behind travel accounts.
Two Buddhist pilgrims from China.
a) Fa - Hsien b) Hiuen - Tsang
D. Answer the following questions briefly:
1. How do you think our past can affect our present?
In History, we study about how societies and cultures have evolved over
time. History helps us to understand change and how the society we live in
came into being. The reason behind several customs and practices that is
followed in present times.
2. On what basis do we date historical events?
Historical events are dated in terms of whether they occurred before or after
beginning of the year of the birth of Jesus Christ. So the year of Jesus’ birth
was assigned as ‘year one’. The years before year one are known as before
Christ on BC and the years after that are known as Anno Domini or AD. In
recent years, the terms BC and AD are often replaced with Before Common
Era (BCE) and Common Era.
3. Define the term epigraphy:
Epigraphy is the study of inscriptions. Inscriptions are writings on seals,
temple walls, stones or pillars, wooden tablets, bricks and images.
4. What is the difference between Prehistory and History?
Historians have divided the past into three broad time periods.
Pre-History is the period for which there are no written records. History is
the period for which written records are available.
5. What is archaeology?
The study of the past by examining these material remains is called
Archaeology.
E. Answer the following questions in details:
1. Why should we study History?
 History explains how the past events have affected our lives.
 The study of our past will help us to understand people and societies
better.
 It will enable us to understand why certain cultures and societies have
survived till today and why others have vanished.
 History also gives information about our own roots.
 Knowledge of History helps in interpreting data and information
objectively.
2. What are inscriptions? Why are they a reliable source of information?
 Inscriptions are writings on seals, temple walls, stone or pillars,
wooden tablets, bricks and images.
 Some of the inscriptions convey royal orders and decisions.
 The Ashokan inscriptions throw light on the social, religions and
administrative conditions of the time.
 The writings can also be found on metal plates like copper plates.
 Inscriptions inform us about the life and reign of the kings.
3. Why is archaeology an important source of information of Prehistory?
 Archaeological sources are particularly useful in the study of
prehistoric cultures since prehistory is concerned with periods for
which there are no written records.
 The plant and animal remains indicate the climatic conditions and
vegetation that existed at that time.
 The study of the bones of animals excavated help historians to
understand the pattern of animal domestication of a particular period.
4. How has the geography of India shaped its history?
 The Geography of India has greatly shaped its history.
 Geography is helpful in understanding the location of settlements, the
movements of people and the creation of states.
 In ancient times, when irrigation techniques were not known,
agriculture was primarily rain fed.
  In the first century CE, when the direction of monsoon was discovered,
traders sailed along with south-west monsoon from West Asia and the
Mediterranean Sea region and reached India and South East Asia.
 Geography also tells us that India has a long coastline with many
harbours and natural ports.

5. Do paintings help us in reconstructing the past? How do paintings help us

to understand the past?
 Paintings serve as archaeological sources of studying history.
 Paintings of the people help us understand how people viewed them-
selves in that context.
 There are paintings showing various customs, traditions, paintings of
the kings, their lives.
 Early men draw rough cave paintings which show hunting scenes.
 From paintings, we get lot of information about the kind of life led by
the people at different points in history.