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

reading were introduced and adopted slowly at
™ Proto-history
different places.
™ History
Facts and Information
Prehistory
The time before humans started recording The prehistory is further divided into
events is known as prehistory. This was the different ages like Stone Age, Bronze Age
time before humans were civilized. As people and Iron Age. These were named according
were not civilized, they did not know how to to the material used for making weapons
write and how to record any specific event or 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 History is like a mystery box, in which many
research about the events and people in secrets are hidden. To uncover the box we need
human history. These events and people to study the past. When we study the past we
are recorded for a special reason. can compare the present lifestyle of people
with the past. Like in earlier times when people
died, items like jewellery, pots, food etc. were
History buried with the body, as people thought that a
The time after the invention of reading and life existed after death. We study history as it
writing was adopted by most of the world till provides us with an opportunity to understand
now falls under the period of human history. the evolution of humans and their societies
They had no paper sheets and pens to write and cultures.
at that time so they usually carved on a stone,
These days, we all use rubber tyres. It was
pillar, wall or a big rock. That was before the
originated from the early stone wheel. Most
invention of paper. Papyrus was a plant that
of the modern world inventions are based on
was turned into paper for the first time by the
the discoveries made in the past. Not just the
Babylonians and Egyptians after them who
things, but ideas, beliefs and influences have
made it even better to use. The first paper was
been made by the early humans that can be
made around 3000 BC. Not all the sources or
seen even today. One of the famous example is
evidences of history are found yet and most of
Karl Marx. He was a German philosopher and

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historian and his thoughts are still valued all The name India is derived from the name of
over the world. 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
Karl Marx— a German
Magadha and it was ruled by many powerful
philosopher and historian rulers. The rulers had big kingdoms and armies.
Most of the men marched in the armies, some
Facts and Information of them were traders and transported goods
Bhagat Singh was highly influenced by the from one place to another. Other people were
thoughts and ideologies of Karl Marx. sculptors, potters, craftsmen, builders, healers,
Any place where human activity occurred fishermen, farmers, ironsmiths etc.
and where artefacts are found is called an Geography also determines the population and
archaeological site. There are two kinds developments seen in a particular area. The
of archaeological sites, prehistoric and areas which lack favourable conditions required
historic. for a good living are sparsely populated;
whereas, the areas with favourable conditions
Role of Geography in History are densely populated.
Geography has played a vital role in India’s
Intext Questions
history. India is protected by The Himalayas
in the North, Arabian Sea in the East, Indian a. The name India is derived from the
Ocean in the South and Bay of Bengal in the name of ________ River.
west. India has different landforms like very big b. Name two sources which help us to
mountains, rivers, plains, plateaus, vast forests. study the history.
Other fascinating landscapes are wonderful
deserts, refreshing shores, beautiful hills and
waterfalls, forests and a rich and rare wildlife.
History Timeline
There are several number of river system in A timeline is used to represent the dates in the
India as well. 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 inscriptions, monuments, and other such
we go back in time. Similarly, when we move remains, especially those that have been dug.
right on the timeline we go forward in time. Some of the archaeological sources are yet to
While talking about the events in history, we be excavated. A person who studies human
denote the dates and years with BC and AD. history and prehistory through the excavation
BC and AD indicate the time before and after of sites and the analysis of artefacts and other
the birth of Christ respectively. physical remains is called Archaeologist.
500 BC means 500 years before the birth of Monuments
Christ and 400 AD means 400 years after the
A building or structure like a palace, fort, tomb,
birth of Christ. BC is also known as BCE and
temple, monastery etc. that has a historical
AD is also known as CE. BCE means ‘before
importance is called a monument. These places
common era’ and CE means ‘common era’.
were built by early people and rulers. These are
Sources of History very useful sources of history to know about
the religious beliefs, cultural beliefs and their
How can we possibly know about an event that
sciences and architecture. Some examples are
happened thousands of years back? We can
Taj Mahal, India Gate, Ashoka pillar, etc.
know it by studying carefully the remains which
people of that time left behind. These materials Inscriptions
used by the historians and archaeologists are A piece of text carved on a solid surface like a wall
known as sources of history. There are two or a rock is called an inscription. Early people used
main sources of history: to carve on rocks, clay and copper tablets, pillars,
™ Archaeological sources of history walls of temples and tombs etc. They give us useful
™ Literary sources of history information like the dates, the events, the people,
the rulers and the expansion of their empires at
Archaeological Sources that time. Taj Mahal consists of inscribed verses
The direct sources of history that are the and passages on its wall. The verses are from the
evidence of past are called archaeological holy book of Quran. These verses and passages
sources of history. While studying about ancient were inscribed by Amanat Khan.
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, Inscription on a stone

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Coins Facts and Information
We all know what coins are. They are a part
A palaeontologist is a scientist who studies
of our currency. But very less people know
the animal and plant fossils from early
that coins are being used from thousands of
times.
years. Rulers of a certain kingdom at a certain
period of time started these coins. These coins
Intext Questions
were made by, copper, silver, gold etc. Many
coins display inscriptions and legends that a. Taj Mahal consists of inscribed verses
were carved on them long time back. These from the holy book of ________.
inscriptions give us information about the b. What are monuments?
early dates, events, rulers etc.
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
Harappa Civilization Coins
form of books or manuscripts by historians.
Artefacts Most of our knowledge of past comes from
Objects like tools, ornaments, weapons, metal these scripts but they are the indirect sources as
works, jewellery and other object from the past we have no clues of the information extracted
are called artefacts. They are excavated from the to be correct.
earth. They are then studied by the historians The indirect sources of history that contain
to the maximum information from them. The the written proofs and records of early
information is used to get an idea about what it humans are called literary sources of history.
was like in the past. The dead remains of plants The manuscripts were usually written on
and animals or fossils are also very useful slabs, rocks, pillars, walls, skin of animals,
source of information about the past. 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
Historical artefacts like The Vedas, The Upanishads, The Angas,

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The Tripitakas etc. The most popular ones are such as autobiographies, biographies, poems,
The Ramayana, The Mahabharata and The plays, court chronicles and texts on politics,
Gita. These kinds of texts help us in a better science and healing falls under the category
understanding of religious practices and the of secular literature. Some examples of secular
reasons behind them. 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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