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Class 6
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Ch 2: From Hunting-Gathering to Growing Food (History)

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CBSE • Class 6 • Social Science • Ch 2

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From Hunting-Gathering to Growing Food (History)

In CBSE Class 6 History, "From Hunting-Gathering to Growing Food" details the transition from the Paleolithic (Old Stone Age) hunter-gatherer lifestyle to Neolithic settled farming and pastoralism. Key sites include Bhimbetka (rock art), Hunsgi (limestone tools), Mehrgarh (earliest farming, square houses, burials with goats), Burzahom (pit houses, hearths), and Daojali Hading (jadeite, mortars).

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Overview Core Concepts Key Terms & Timeline Solved Examples Common Traps Summary Self Check Take MCQ Test

🏹 Have You Ever Wondered?

Why did early humans live in caves for 2 million years and suddenly begin building mud houses and growing crops around 10,000 years ago?

A massive global climate warming around 12,000 years ago sparked lush grasslands, herd migrations, and the Agricultural Revolution that created human civilisation!

Why This Chapter Matters

Before You Begin (Prerequisites)

Concept of hunter-gatherers
Stone tools vs metal tools

What You Will Learn (Core Objectives)

Trace the 3 Stone Ages: Paleolithic (Old), Mesolithic (Middle - microliths), Neolithic (New).
Explain why hunter-gatherers were constantly on the move.
Describe early farming and animal domestication (dogs, sheep, goats, cattle).
Examine Neolithic archaeological sites: Mehrgarh (burials), Burzahom (pit houses), Daojali Hading (jadeite).

Chapter Roadmap & Progression

1 1. Why Were Hunter-Gatherers on the...

2 2. Three Stone Ages & Climate Shift

3 3. Key Neolithic Archaeological Sit...

Complete Concept Guide (100% Curriculum Coverage)

1. Why Were Hunter-Gatherers on the Move?

Hunter-gatherers lived by hunting wild animals, catching fish, and gathering plant produce. They moved constantly due to four reasons:

Resource Exhaustion: Staying in one spot depleted available plant and animal resources.
Following Animal Movements: Animals moved in search of prey, grass, or water, requiring hunters to follow their tracks.
Seasonal Plant Cycles: Plants and fruit trees bore harvest in specific seasons.
Water Availability: Perennial rivers had water year-round, but seasonal rivers dried in summer, forcing migrations.

2. Three Stone Ages & Climate Shift

Paleolithic (Old Stone Age: 2 million to 12,000 years ago): Coarse, heavy flint stone tools. Humans were nomadic hunters taking shelter in natural rock caves (e.g. Bhimbetka in Madhya Pradesh, renowned for prehistoric cave paintings of running bisons and deer).
Mesolithic (Middle Stone Age: 12,000 to 10,000 years ago): Climate warmed, creating extensive grasslands. Developed tiny, sharp stone tools called Microliths, fixed into bone or wooden handles to make saws and sickles.
Neolithic (New Stone Age: from 10,000 years ago): Polished stone tools with fine cutting edges, mortars and pestles for grinding grain, invention of pottery, settled agriculture, and animal domestication (dog was the first domesticated animal, followed by sheep and goats).

3. Key Neolithic Archaeological Sites

Mehrgarh (Bolan Pass, Pakistan): Located on a fertile plain on the historic route to Iran. Earliest site where humans learned to grow barley and wheat, and rear sheep and goats. Excavations revealed square/rectangular mud-brick houses (with 4 compartments) and burial sites where the dead were buried with goats to serve as food in the afterlife!
Burzahom (Kashmir): People built pit-houses dug into the ground with steps leading down, providing warmth during freezing winters. Both indoor and outdoor cooking hearths were found.
Daojali Hading (Assam / Brahmaputra Valley): Stone mortars and pestles found; famous for tools made of Jadeite (a precious green stone likely imported from China).

Key Historical Terms, Chronology & Administrative Principles

Domestication Timeline

$$\text{Wild Animals} \xrightarrow{\text{Selection for Docility}} \text{Domesticated Species (Smaller teeth/horns)}$$

First dog, then sheep, goats, cattle.

Conceptual Solved Examples & Case Studies

Example 1

Why were pit-houses constructed at Burzahom in Kashmir?

Step-by-Step Solution:

Kashmir experiences harsh, freezing winters. Pit-houses were subterranean rooms dug deep into the earth with steps leading down. The surrounding thick earth acted as thermal insulation against freezing winds, keeping the dwellings warm.

Example 2

What evidence from Mehrgarh shows that early humans believed in life after death?

Step-by-Step Solution:

In several burial graves excavated at Mehrgarh, skeletons were buried alongside grave goods like ornaments and even goats. The animals were placed to serve as food for the deceased in the next world, proving their belief in an afterlife.

Common Misconceptions & Examiner Traps

Common Misconception

Thinking that farming began all over the world at the same time.

Scientific Reality & Correction

Agriculture developed gradually and independently in different river valleys and highland pockets over thousands of years.

Visual Learning & Conceptual Map

The Three Prehistoric Stone Ages

Tool Evolution & Lifestyle Milestones

Paleolithic

2m - 12,000 BP
Nomadic hunters, rough stone tools, Bhimbetka caves.

Mesolithic

12,000 - 10,000 BP
Microliths, warming climate, grassland expansion.

Neolithic

10,000 BP onward
Farming, polished tools, pottery, Mehrgarh, Burzahom.

Chapter Summary & 10 Key Takeaways

Takeaway 1

Hunter-gatherers moved in search of food, water, and seasonal prey.

Takeaway 2

Climate warming around 12,000 BP gave rise to grasslands and herding.

Takeaway 3

Paleolithic (rough tools) -> Mesolithic (microliths) -> Neolithic (farming, polished tools, pottery).

Takeaway 4

Mehrgarh represents early wheat/barley farming and burial customs; Burzahom features pit-houses.

Check Your Understanding (Diagnostic Practice Questions)

Diagnostic questions testing core conceptual clarity. Answers are hidden initially — solve each problem first, then click to reveal the step-by-step verified solution.

Why did farmers need to live in one place for a long time, unlike nomadic hunter-gatherers?

Reveal Answer & Explanation

Answer: Growing crops takes months: seeds must be sown, watered, weeded, and protected from birds and animals until harvest. After harvest, grain had to be stored for food and seed for the next season, necessitating settled village life.
Crops require continuous care over seasons.

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