CHAPTER- 1 WHAT, WHERE, HOW and WHEN?
NOTES
1. People have been living along the banks of the Narmada River for many lakhs of years. Some of the early people were skilled gatherers who were familiar with the abundant wealth of the nearby forests.
2. Around eight thousand years ago, men and women began cultivating crops like wheat and barley. They also started domesticating animals such as sheep, goats, and cattle. These people lived in villages.
- Agriculture developed in some regions where rice was first cultivated. These places were located to the north of the Vindhya mountains.
3. Tributaries- Tributaries are those rivers that merge into a larger river.
4. Around 4700 years ago, some early cities flourished along these rivers. The development of cities along the Ganges and its tributaries, as well as in coastal areas, occurred around 2500 years ago.
5. The region south of the Ganges was known as Magadha in ancient times. Its rulers were very powerful and established a vast empire.
6. People have always traveled from one place to another. Sometimes they moved in search of work, and at other times, they relocated due to natural disasters.
- Sometimes, the army would travel to conquer other regions.
- Religious gurus would travel from one village to another, and from one town to another, while providing education and advice to people.
- These travels provided people with the opportunity to learn about each other's ideas.
7. For many centuries, people have been adopting each other's ideas about shaping stones, composing music, and even new ways of cooking food.
8. For our country, we use names like India and Bharat. The word "India" is derived from "Indus," which is referred to as "Sindhu" in Sanskrit.
- Around 2500 years ago, the Iranians and Greeks coming from the northwest referred to the Sindhu river as Hindos or Indos, and the land region to the east of this river was called India.
- The name Bharat was used for a group of people living in the northwest. This group is also mentioned in the ancient Sanskrit text, the Rigveda.
9. How to learn about the past- Information about the past can be obtained in various ways. One way is to find and read books. Since these books were handwritten, they are called manuscripts. Manuscripts are often found written on palm leaves or on the bark of trees called birch.
- These books discuss religious beliefs and practices, the lives of kings, medicines, science, and more.
- One can also study inscriptions. These writings are found engraved on hard surfaces like stone or metal. They often contain records of victories earned by rulers in battles.
- A person who studies such objects is called an archaeologist. Archaeologists also search for bones of animals, birds, and fish.
- Historian- One who studies the past.
10. The past has different meanings for different groups of people.
11. The calculation of the year is based on the birth date of the Christian founder, Jesus Christ. Dates before the birth of Jesus Christ are known as BC (Before Christ).
- In English, BC (Before Christ) is equivalent to BCE (Before Common Era).
- In English, BP (Before Present) refers to before the present.
12. Over time, there have been significant changes in the languages and scripts used in inscriptions. This can be traced through a process of deciphering unknown scripts.
