Introduction:-

Imagine living in a time when there were no cars, no mobile phones, and no televisions! Have you ever wondered how people lived, what they ate, and what games they played thousands of years ago? Well, history is like a time machine that helps us find out all these amazing things about the past. In this chapter, we will start our exciting journey into the past and learn about how early humans lived, where they settled, and how civilizations began to grow. Ready to discover the wonders of history?

Finding Out What Happened:

• To learn about the past, we rely on clues from history like old writings, buildings, and objects.
• Stories, songs, and even old games give us information about how people lived long ago.

What Can We Know About the Past?

• We can find out what people ate, the clothes they wore, and the homes they lived in.
• We can also learn about hunters, farmers, rulers, merchants, musicians, and scientists.

Where Did People Live?

• Early people lived near rivers like the Narmada. These rivers provided water, food, and shelter.
• Around 8000 years ago, people started farming crops like wheat and barley near the Sulaiman and Kirthar hills.
• The Garo Hills and Vindhya mountains were other areas where people began growing rice.

Since people lived near rivers, can you name some of the rivers in your area? If yes, can you locate the river given below?

Trace the River Indus and its Tributaries:

• 4700 years ago, some of the earliest cities grew along the Indus River and its smaller rivers (Tributaries).
• About 2500 years ago, cities developed along the Ganga and its tributaries, and near sea coasts.

Do you know about the great empires that existed near rivers in history?

Magadha Kingdom:

• Magadha was a powerful kingdom south of the Ganga, in present-day Bihar. Its rulers built a large empire.

People had to move to different places. Do you know why?

Movement of People:

• People moved across the subcontinent for work, trade, and adventure.
• Some traveled to escape floods or droughts, while others spread ideas and religions.

Why Do People Travel Nowadays?

• People travel for work, trade, or just to explore new places.
• In ancient times, people crossed mountains and seas to settle in new areas.
• These travels helped share new ideas about art, music, and food across regions.

Names of the Land:

• Two common names for our country are India and Bharat.
• India comes from the river Indus (Sindhu in Sanskrit). The Greeks and Iranians called the land near this river Indos or Hindos.
• Bharata was the name of a tribe mentioned in the Rigveda and was later used for the whole country.

Finding Out About the Past:

• Manuscripts: Ancient books written by hand on palm leaves or tree bark.
  • Subjects include religion, kings’ lives, medicine, and science.
  • Many manuscripts were written in Sanskrit, Prakrit, and Tamil.
• Inscriptions: Writings on stone or metal.
  • Kings used inscriptions to share their orders or record victories in battles.
  • Inscriptions were also used by common people to record events.

Archaeologists:

• Archaeologists study old objects like tools, weapons, pots, coins, and ornaments.
• They also find remains of animals and plants to learn about ancient diets.
• Hard materials like stone or metal last longer than soft materials like cloth.

Historians:

• Historians gather information from manuscripts, inscriptions, and archaeological findings.
• These clues help them reconstruct the past, just like solving a mystery.

One Past or Many?

• The title Our Pasts uses the word “pasts” to show that the past was different for different people.
• The lives of herders and farmers were different from those of kings and queens.
• Merchants lived differently from craftspersons.
• Different regions had different customs.
  • For example, people in the Andaman Islands used to do fishing and hunting for food, while city dwellers rely on markets.

What Do Dates Mean?

• We usually count years from the birth of Jesus Christ.
• AD (Anno Domini) means years after Christ’s birth, while BC means before Christ’s birth.
• In this book, dates are counted backwards from 2000, which is used as the starting point.