STORY OF HUNTER-GATHERS

STORY OF HUNTER-GATHERS

The earliest people: why were they on the move?

We know about people who lived in the subcontinent as early as two million years ago.

Today, we describe them as hunter-gatherers. The name comes from the way in which they got their food. Generally, they hunted wild animals, caught fish and birds, gathered fruits, roots, nuts, seeds, leaves, stalks, and eggs.

Hunter-gatherers moved from place to place.

There are many reasons for this.

First, if they had stayed in one place for a long time, they would have eaten up all the available plant and animal resources. Therefore, they would have had to go elsewhere in search of food.

Second, animals move from place to place — either in search of smaller prey, or, in the case of deer and wild cattle, in search of grass and leaves. That is why those who hunted them had to follow their movements.

Third, plants and trees bear fruit in different seasons. So, people may have moved from season to season in search of different kinds of plants.

Fourth, people, plants, and animals need water to survive. Water is found in lakes, streams, and rivers. While many rivers and lakes are perennial (with water throughout the year) others are seasonal. People living on their banks would have had to go in search of water during the dry seasons (winter and summer).

Source: This topic is taken from NCERT TEXTBOOK

FINDING HUNTER-GATHERS

FINDING HUNTER-GATHERS

Archaeologists have found some of the things hunter-gatherers made and used. It is likely that people made and used tools of stone, wood, and bone, of which stone tools have survived best.

Some of these stone tools were used to cut meat and bone, scrape bark (from trees) and hides (animal skins), chop fruit, and roots. Some may have been attached to handles of bone or wood, to make spears and arrows for hunting. Other tools were used to chop wood, which was used as firewood. Wood was also used to make huts and tools.

Source: This topic is taken from NCERT TEXTBOOK

EVIDENCE OF HUNTER-GATHERS

EVIDENCE OF HUNTER-GATHERS

Look at Map below. All the places marked with red triangles are sites from which archaeologists have found evidence of hunter-gatherers. (Hunter-gatherers lived in many more places. Only some are shown on the map). Many sites were located near sources of water, such as rivers and lakes.

As stone tools were important, people tried to find places where the good quality stone was easily available.

Sites are places where the remains of things (tools, pots, buildings, etc.) were found. These were made, used, and left behind by people. These may be found on the surface of the earth, buried under the earth, or sometimes even underwater.

Source: This topic is taken from NCERT TEXTBOOK

ROCK PAINTINGS

ROCK PAINTINGS

Many of the caves in which these early people lived have paintings on the walls. Some of the best examples are from Madhya Pradesh and southern Uttar Pradesh. These paintings show wild animals, drawn with great accuracy and skill.

Cave paintings in France

The painting below is from a cave in France. This site was discovered by four school children more than a hundred years ago. Paintings like this were made between 20,000 and 10,000 years ago. Many of these were of animals, such as wild horses, aurochs (an older, wild form of cattle), bison, woolly rhinoceros, reindeer, and bear, painted in bright colours.

These colours were made from minerals like ochre or iron ore, and charcoal. It is possible that these paintings were done on ceremonial occasions. Or perhaps they were made for special rituals, performed by hunters before they went in search of prey?

Can you think of any other reasons?

Activity:

* Find France in your atlas.

Source: This topic is taken from NCERT TEXTBOOK

FINDING OUT ABOUT FIRE

FINDING OUT ABOUT FIRE

Traces of ash have been found in Kurnool caves. This suggests that people were familiar with the use of fire. Fire could have been used for many things: as a source of light, to roast meat, and to scare away animals. What do we use fire for today?

Activity:

* Find the Kurnool caves on Map.
 

Source: This topic is taken from NCERT TEXTBOOK