Hello, young historians!
Today, we’re diving into Chapter 4, Timeline and Sources of History, where we’ll journey through time to uncover how history is recorded and remembered.
In this chapter, you’ll learn about timelines, which help us understand when important events happened, and the fascinating sources of history—like ancient coins, pottery, buildings, and stories—that bring the past to life. Every concept is explained simply to make sure you feel confident and excited as you explore.
Understanding history is like solving a mystery, and with these solutions, you’ll find each step easy to follow. We’re here to guide and encourage you, and we hope you’ll feel inspired to ask questions and think about how the past connects to the world around you.
So, let’s embark on this incredible journey into history together—there’s so much to discover!
Find Solutions for NCERT Class 6 Social Science Exploring Society: India and Beyond Chapter 4 “Timeline and Sources of History,” here.
The Big Questions
1. How do we measure historical time?
Answer:
We measure historical time using calendars and timelines. Different societies follow different calendars, often starting new eras based on momentous events, like the birth of a significant person or the beginning of a ruler’s reign. At present, the Gregorian calendar is commonly used worldwide, where years are counted as “CE” (Common Era) for dates after the birth of Jesus Christ and “BCE” (Before Common Era) for dates before that.
Timelines help us understand the order of historical events by showing when they happened and how much time has passed since then. We use timelines to organize events in chronological order, helping us understand when things happened in relation to each other.
2. How can various sources help us understand history?
Answer:
Information from various sources help us understand history by giving us pieces of information about the past. Here’s how different types of sources contribute:
Archaeological Sources:
Excavations at different ancient sites by archaeologists have revealed many artefacts like pottery, coins, toys, Jewellery, tools, weapons, pots, pans, bones, and grains. These objects tell us about the daily life, trade, and culture of people who lived long ago.
Remains of Buildings and Monuments made of stone and brick show us the different architectural styles, religious practices, and the importance of different places in history.
Literary Sources:
Written records like ancient manuscripts, religious texts, books, poems, chronicles, old diaries, inscriptions on coins or rocks provide detailed accounts of past events, the beliefs and ideas of the people who lived in ancient times.
Accounts of Travellers:
Travelers’ writings give us descriptions of places, people, and customs from different periods. For example, the accounts of Xuanzang, a Buddhist monk, who visited India in the 7th century tells us a lot about India during the reign of Harshavardhan.
Artistic Sources:
A study of artwork including paintings, sculptures, murals, rock paintings help us understand the aesthetics, religious beliefs, daily life as well as significant events of the time.
Oral Sources:
The oral tradition of passing legends, tales, poems down from one generation to the next is very strong and offers insights into the values, traditions and history of a community.
By piecing together information from these various sources, and many more of which you will learn later, historians can recreate and understand the history of different societies and cultures.
3. How did early humans live?
Early humans lived very different lives compared to the way we live today. Here’s how they managed:
Hunting and Gathering: Early humans were hunters and gatherers. They hunted animals for meat and gathered fruits, nuts, and other plants for food.
Shelter: They lived in natural shelters like caves or built simple huts from wood, leaves, and reeds or straw to protect themselves from the weather.
Tools and Weapons: Early humans fashioned tools and weapons from stones, bones, and wood. These tools were used skilfully for hunting, cutting, and other daily tasks.
Fire: They discovered fire, which had multiple uses like cooking food, for staying warm food, and protecting themselves from wild animals.
Clothing: They wore clothes made from animal skins to protect themselves from cold and harsh weather. They also wore jewellery made from bones, coloured beads and burnt clay.
Community living: Early humans lived in small groups or tribes, working together to survive. They shared food, each had to do his/her share of work, and passed down knowledge and skills.
Art and Communication: Early humans communicated through simple language and gestures. They also created art, such as cave paintings, to express themselves and record their experiences.
These practices helped early humans survive and adapt to their environments over thousands of years. Gradually humans learned to grow their own food grains, domesticate wild animals and some settled down in villages which grew into agricultural communities, while others became nomadic herders and moved about in search of fodder and water for their animals.
Gradually the settled agricultural communities started trading with other such communities and grew more complex and sophisticated as we know them now.
THINK ABOUT IT (Page 60)
What is the earliest memory you can recollect? Do you remember how old you were at that time? Those memories together are a part of your past, maybe going five or six years back.
Answer:
My earliest memory is of hugging a teddy bear. I do not recall how old I was then, but my mother told me that she had given me that teddy bear for my third birthday.
How do you think understanding the past will help us understand the present world?
Answer:
If we study and understand the past, we can compare and see how things have developed and changed over time. We can understand from where we got the traditions that we follow and why we do things in a particular way. Learning about the past and the different events that took place then enables us to foresee what changes may take place in future and what would drive those changes. It teaches us to make better choices and create a better future.
LET’S EXPLORE (Page 63)
Such calculations are simple, but there is a catch. In the Gregorian calendar, there is no ‘year zero’. The year 1 CE follows immediately the year 1 BCE. Draw a simple timeline marking every year from 2 BCE to 2 CE; you will see that because of the absence of a year zero, only 3 years have passed between those two dates.
Answer:
So, to calculate the number of years between a BCE date and a CE date, you should add them but subtract 1 — in the above case, 2 + 2 – 1 = 3.
Practice a few examples with your classmates. For example, to return to the question about the Buddha, suppose we are now in the year 2024 CE, then the Buddha was born.
560 + 2024 – 1 = 2,583 years ago.
Let’s practise a few examples:
Mahavira was born in 540 BCE, then Mahavira was born 540 + 2024 – 1 = 2563 years ago.
Alexander invaded India in 326 BCE, then Alexander invaded India 326 + 2024 – 1 = 2349 years ago
Ashoke was born in 301 BCE, then Ashoka was born in 310 + 2024 – 1 = 2333 years ago
The bronze age began in the Indian subcontinent in 3000 BCE, so the bronze age began in the Indian subcontinent 3000 + 2024 – 1 = 5023 years ago.
LET’S EXPLORE (Page 65)
Create a timeline stretching from 1900 CE to the current year and place the dates of birth of your grandparents, parents, siblings and yourself. Also, mark the years that the 20th century CE begins with and ends with.
Answer:
LET’S EXPLORE (Page 66)
Can you collect information about at least three generations of your family on your mother’s and father’s sides? Create a family tree with your parents, grandparents and great-grandparents.
Find out their names, what they did for a living and where they were born. Also, write the sources from where you got this information.
Answer:
Here’s a sample chart with occupations, places of birth, and sources of information for a family tree which you may use as a template for drawing your own family tree.
| Relation | Name | Occupation | Place of Birth | Source of information |
| Grandfather (paternal) | Satya Singh | Fruit farmer | Kulu | Conversation with grandmother |
| Grandmother (paternal) | Durga Devi | Home maker | Solan | Conversation with grandmother |
| Grandfather (maternal) | Ravi Kapoor | Doctor | Shimla | Grandfather’s stories |
| Grandmother (maternal) | Smita Devi | Nurse | Chandigarh | Grandfather’s stories |
| Great-grandfather (paternal) | Satnam Singh | Farmer | Kulu | Old family photographs |
| Great-grandmother (paternal) | Rukmini Devi | Homemaker | Katrain | Old family album |
| Great-grandfather (maternal) | Bir Singh | Colonel | Shimla | Army Pension payment Order |
| Great-grandmother (maternal) | Savitri Devi | Homemaker | Manali | Old letters from great grandmother and name entered in army PPO as family pensioner |
How did you find details about your family’s past? Did you rely on things like photographs, diaries, ID cards or memories from your parents and relatives?
Answer:
I found out details about my family’s past by interviewing my parents and grandparents and by referring to old family albums and documents like pension payment order of my great grandfather.
THINK ABOUT IT (Page 67)
Have you ever seen old coins, books, clothes, jewellery or utensils in and around your house? What type of information can we gain from such objects? Or from old houses or buildings?
Answer:
Yes, I have seen old coins, books, clothes, jewellery and utensils in my grandparents’ house.
They are very interesting because old objects found in our homes or neighbourhood can shed light on the past:
The Coins show us what money looked like in the past, who ruled during that time and what they valued from the words inscribed on them.
Books contain important information, stories and ideas that were in vogue long ago.
Clothes tell us what people wore and what materials they used.
Jewellery shows the designs and materials people liked.
Utensils tell us about the food people cooked and how they ate.
Old houses or buildings can also reveal how people lived, the styles of buildings, and even historical events that happened there.
By studying these items, we learn more about how people lived in the past, and understand our history better.
LET’S EXPLORE (Page 68)
There are a few images of different sources of history on the next page. Who and what do you think the objects show? Write down in the boxes next to the images any information that you get from these objects.
The coin is made of gold which indicates that the figure depicted on the coin is an influential person, perhaps an Emperor judging from the fact that he is seated on a throne. He is playing a musical instrument. This tells us that he was not only powerful but also a lover of music and the arts. It also reveals that he appreciated culture and had an aesthetic side. We can tell that gold was valued as a precious metal which was used for minting coins.
It seems to be a stone tablet depicting a hero. The top half of the tablet shows a heroic figure seated on a throne with attendants holding ‘chhatras’ above his head. This indicates that he was a royal personage or a person of authority.
The lower half of the stone tablet shows the figure beside a boat which could indicate that he was engaged in a maritime battle. The tablet probably commemorated his victory in a maritime war.
We are all familiar with this emblem which figures on all Government documents and Indian currency notes and coins. The Ashoka Lion Capital is an important symbol for India.
The Lion Capital shows four lions. They are standing back-to-back on top of a base that depicts four animals—a horse, an ox, an elephant, and a lion—each facing one of the four cardinal directions. The lions represent strength, courage, and the propagation of Buddha’s teachings far and wide. The lotus at the bottom is symbolic of purity. The pillar as a whole designates a journey towards knowledge and enlightenment.
LET’S EXPLORE (Page 70)
In the above picture, look at some activities of early humans in a rock shelter. Which ones can you recognise? Give a brief description for each.
The picture depicts a rock shelter which has many inmates. It seems to be a community of hunter-gatherers. The men and women are wearing animal hides. The men have long hair and are wearing necklaces around their necks.
The following activities are observed:
Preparing hides – We can see the carcass of an animal lying on the cave floor. A man and a woman are engaged in skinning the animal to prepare hides. The hides are worn by the men and women.
Hunting -The animal which is being skinned was hunted by the men for food.
Lighting a fire: A man had lit a fire and is tending it. This community knew the use of fire.
Cooking- The women are sitting around the fire preparing food. One seems to be grinding something with a stone. They are perhaps preparing to roast the fresh kill that is being skinned. While waiting for the others to finish skinning the carcass, they could be roasting vegetables, nuts and roots that they have gathered.
Making tools of stone – Some people seem to be engaged in making tools out of stone which shows that they were able to make their own tools for hunting, cutting, grinding food etc. They could also be making jewellery out of bones, animal teeth, different coloured stones.
Painting – A man is painting a hunting scene on the wall of the cave. A little boy is watching the painting unfold with great interest. It depicts animals which are being hunted by men carrying bows and arrows. The painting reveals that the group were skilled hunters. Painting or sculpture was an activity which arose from a desire to communicate and express themselves artistically. It could also have a spiritual intent to give thanks to the powers they believed in for being bountiful and providing adequate food.
Caring for children– Women took care of children. We can see a woman holding a child and two other children are seated near their mother who is skinning the animal. They have been given some tit bits to nibble on.
It seems to be a close-knit community in which each member is assigned a task and they are working and living together for mutual security, comfort and survival.
LET’S EXPLORE (Page 71)
Observe the scene on the next page. It depicts an agricultural community from a few millenniums ago. List the main activities you can identify.
This picture depicts a rural settled community. There are huts built near a river which provides fresh water essential for living. The huts are placed very close to each other presumably for security reasons.
The following activities are visible:
Farming: They have cultivated some crops of wheat or some other grain. Therefore, we know that this community was used to cultivating their land.
Herding:
We can see some cattle grazing on the bank of the river which indicates that they were herders.
Shepherding:
A man is seen watching over a flock of sheep. he is helped by a dog which indicates that they had learnt to domesticate animals including dogs. The man is carrying a sort blunt weapon which seems to be a stone tied to a wooden handle.
Building: A man is seen cutting a tree trunk to be used presumably for building or repairing a hut. They had learnt to build their own dwelling places so they did not need to depend on rock caves for shelter.
Cooking: A woman is engaged in preparing food. We can see a pot on the fire in which presumably some cereal is being cooked. There are vegetables near the woman which indicates that this community grew their own vegetables too. Their diet was varied including cereals, vegetables and fruits, milk products as well as meat.
Community living and rearing children: This seems to be a close-knit community. Each member has a given task. Children grow up playing under the watchful eyes of the women who also have their community chores like working in the fields, carrying crops, threshing, winnowing grain and cooking.
THINK ABOUT IT (Page 72)
Both in this earlier picture of a rock shelter and in this one, men and women are given certain roles. While they may appear to be ‘natural’, they are not necessarily correct and do not cover all situations. For instance, in a rock shelter, women may have helped prepare colours for painting the rock or may have done some of the painting. In both scenes, men may have done some of the cooking or may have helped take care of children.
Keeping in mind that we have only limited information, think about such roles and situations, and discuss in class.
Answer:
In the passage, we are asked to reflect upon the roles men and women played in the historical scenes, like those in rock shelter and early agricultural community. While these roles might seem “natural,” they don’t necessarily reveal the full reality. For example, women might have helped with painting or preparing colours, and men could have been involved in cooking or taking care of children in the cave shelter, but we have only limited data so we cannot see that in practice.
Similarly, women may have tended sheep or cut grain and men taken care of children and cooked in the agricultural community. However, because we only have limited archaeological and other historical evidence, it’s hard to know the complete picture.
In modern times, we understand that gender roles are fluid and that both men and women can perform a wide range of tasks irrespective of their genders. The roles people choose to take depends on their intrinsic abilities and choices rather than being cast in a role pre -determined by their gender. Looking from this perspective, we can see that the reality in the past might have been much more diverse and fluid than what we can see from the evidence on hand.
Textbook Page no 74
Questions, activities and projects
1. As a project, write the history of your family (or village if you live in one), using sources of history at your disposal. Ask your teacher to guide you.
Answer:
A Brief History of My Family in Hauz Khas, Delhi
Great Grandparents:
My great grandparents were born in the early 1940s in different parts of India. My paternal great grandparents, originally from Punjab, moved to Delhi after the Partition of India in 1947. My great grandfather worked as a government officer, and my grandmother was a homemaker who took care of the family. They settled in Hauz Khas in the late 1960s, drawn by the peaceful environment and proximity to important areas in Delhi.
On my mother’s side, my great grandparents were born in Uttar Pradesh. They moved to Delhi in the 1970s when my great grandfather got a job as a schoolteacher. My maternal great grandmother also dedicated herself to the household and raised their children with love and care.
Grandparents:
My Paternal grandparents were born and raised in Delhi. My grandfather was a lawyer and my grandmother was a miniature artist. I grew up watching her paint beautiful scenes from the Mahabharata, Ramayana and loved her paintings of Bala Krishna which adorn our family home.
My maternal grandparents were residents of Yusuf Sarai where my grandfather ran a small grocery store and my grandmother was a homemaker. Unfortunately, they were both killed in a car crash leaving my mother orphaned at the tender age of five.
Parents:
My parents were both born and raised in Delhi. My father pursued a career in government service. He has worked diligently to support our family and maintain the values passed down from his parents. My mother, who was brought up by her aunt was influenced by her passion for education. She became a teacher. She has always been an inspiration in our lives, encouraging us to strive and enjoy everything we do.
Siblings:
I have a younger sister, and we both grew up in our family home in Hauz Khas. Our childhood was filled with stories from our grandparents about their early lives and the changes they witnessed in Delhi over the years. We attended local schools and spent our leisure time exploring the historical sites in and around Hauz Khas, which deepened our connection to our neighborhood’s rich history.
Sources of History:
The history of my family has been pieced together through various sources:
Oral Histories: Stories shared by my grandparents and parents.
Photographs: Family albums that capture important moments and changes over the years.
Documents: Government records, school certificates, degree certificates, municipal records and land deeds, that trace the professional journeys of my parents and grandparents.
Artifacts: Household items, such as jewellery and utensils, passed down through generations, each with its own story.
These sources help us understand our family’s journey, the challenges they faced, and how they contributed to the community in Hauz Khas, Delhi.
2. Can we compare historians to detectives? Give reasons for your answers.
Yes, we can compare historians to detectives. Both historians and detectives strive hard to uncover the truth by gathering evidence, analysing information, and piecing together clues like a jigsaw puzzle to form a rational picture of past events. A few reasons for this comparison are:
Gathering Evidence: Just like detectives collect evidence from a crime scene, historians gather various sources of information, such as documents, artifacts, oral histories, and archaeological findings. They use this evidence to reconstruct events and understand how people lived in the past.
Analysing Clues: Detectives analyse various clues and statements of witnesses to solve a mystery. Similarly, historians analyse historical sources, looking for patterns, and connections that can help them understand historical events. They compare different sources to ensure whether they are reliable and accurate.
Solving Mysteries: Detectives solve crimes by figuring out what happened, who was involved, and why it occurred. Historians solve the “mysteries” of history by studying evidence to figure out how and why events unfolded, who the key figures were, and what impact these events had on the world.
Drawing Conclusions: Both historians and detectives draw conclusions based on the evidence they have gathered. Detectives may solve a case and historians may provide an explanation of historical events. In both cases, the conclusions are based on careful analysis of the available information.
Dealing with Incomplete Information: Often, detectives do not have all the information they need to solve a case and must make educated guesses. Similarly, historians frequently work with incomplete records from the past and must make informed interpretations to fill in the gaps.
Therefore, just like detectives, historians carefully gather and analyse evidence to uncover and explain what happened in the past, making their work similar in many ways.
3. A few exercises with dates:
Place these dates chronologically on the timeline: 323 CE, 323 BCE, 100 CE, 100 BCE, 1900 BCE, 1090 CE, 2024 CE.
If King Chandragupta was born in 320 CE, which century did he belong to? And how many years was that after the Buddha’s birth?
Answer:
King Chandragupta belonged to the 4th Century CE
Buddha was born in 560 BCE, so King Chandragupta was born (560 + 320 – 1) = 879 years after Buddha’s birth.
Rani of Jhansi was born in 1828. Which century did she belong to? How many years was that before India’s Independence?
Answer:
Rani of Jhansi belonged to the 19th Century CE.
India’s independence was in 1947. To calculate how many years before that Rani of Jhansi was born: (1947 – 1828) = 119 years. So,Rani of Jhansi was born 119 years before Independence.
Turn ‘12,000 years ago’ into a date.
Answer:
We are in the year 2024 CE (Common Era).
Subtract 12,000 Years: we subtract 12,000 from 2024.
2024 – 12,000 = – 9976.
Now, – 9976 is a negative figure which means we are 9,976 years before the year 1 CE. This puts us in the BCE (Before Common Era) period.
Remember, in the timeline, there is no year 0. The timeline jumps directly from 1 BCE to 1 CE. So when we subtract 12,000 years, we need to account for the missing “year zero.”
Adjustment for missing Year Zero: To adjust for this, we add 1 to the calculation.
So, 9976 BCE becomes 9977 BCE after adjusting for the missing year.
Final Answer:
12,000 years ago would convert into 9977 BCE. This accounts for the absence of year zero in the timeline.
4. Plan a visit to a nearby museum: the visit should be prepared with some prior research on the kind of exhibits the museum holds. Keep notes during the visit. Write a brief report afterwards, highlighting what was unexpected / interesting / fun about the visit and the exhibits.
Answer:
Much to our delight our history teacher announced that she would take us on a field trip to the National Museum, New Delhi. Since she had taught us about the Indus valley civilisation, she thought that we would be interested to see the Harappan gallery.
Report on Visit to the National Museum, New Delhi
Date: 06.08.2024
Introduction:
The visit to the National Museum in New Delhi was an informative and interesting experience. This report describes the key aspects of these exhibits, and highlights some enjoyable moments of the visit.
Harappan Civilization Gallery:
This Bronze age civilisation is supposed to be one of the oldest civilisations of the Indian sub-continent. Entering the Harappan gallery was like taking a step back into one of the world’s earliest urban civilizations. We were told that most of the exhibits came from the important centres of the Harappan civilisation like Harappa, Mohenjo Daro, Nal (Now in Pakistan) and Dholavira, Kalibangan, Lothal and Rakhigarhi (in India).
Seals and Pottery:
As we entered, the first thing that caught our attention was the beautifully crafted pottery. The intricate geometric designs and polished surfaces of these pots were stunning and highlighted the high level of craftsmanship. We also saw tools, and jewellery that shed light on the everyday life of the Harappan people.
Toys
I must mention a cute toy we saw – an animal with a moveable head which was attached to its body with a thread. The section also housed miniature clay models of animals and carts, which helped us understand Harappan transport system.
The collection of seals, carved with animal motifs and with inscriptions that are still undecipherable, are proof of the civilization’s trade practices and possible religious beliefs.
Bead making was a popular craft which this civilisation favoured. Beads made from agate, carnelian, lapis lazuli, shell, copper, silver and gold were on display. We were told that bead factories were found at Lothal.
Urban Planning Models: The gallery displayed detailed models of Harappan cities, exhibiting their advanced urban planning. The layout of streets, drainage systems, and granaries provided a holistic view of the sophisticated infrastructure of the Harappan Civilization.
The layout of a street from Dholavira gave us a picture of the urban civilisation that existed during this time.
Sophistication of Drainage Systems: The extent and complexity of the Harappan drainage systems were particularly surprising. The models and explanations illustrated how advanced these early urban centres were in waste and water management.
Delightful figurine:
The gallery displays the famous ‘dancing girl’ – a tiny bronze figurine standing at just 10.5cm tall which showcases how skilled the artisans of The Harappan civilisation were in metallurgy and art. She wore her hair in a bun which seemed to be the prevalent hairstyle of women in those days. She also wore ornaments like a necklace and bangles which were in style at the time.
The visit to the National Museum was both enlightening and enjoyable. The Harappan Civilization Gallery offered a wealth of information and fascinating insights into the ancient culture.
5. Invite to your school an archaeologist or a historian and ask them to speak on the history of your region and why it’s important to know it.
Answer:
Discuss with your teacher for suggestions on whom to invite and write down what they spoke to you about in brief.
Frequently Asked Questions on NCERT Solutions for Class 6 Social Science Exploring Society: India and Beyond Chapter 4 “Timeline and Sources of History
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Definitely! Our team of expert teachers has crafted detailed solutions to answer any questions you might have about timelines and sources of history. These solutions are designed to guide you through each key detail, highlighting both the important events and the types of sources that help us understand history, ensuring you gain a well-rounded understanding of this chapter.
We suggest starting by reading the lesson carefully and then reviewing these solutions to fully absorb the explanations provided. To deepen your understanding, try creating a timeline of major events in your life. Additionally, explore different types of historical sources, such as artifacts, inscriptions, written records, and oral traditions. Understanding how each source type contributes to our knowledge of the past will make the concepts more memorable and meaningful.
Before your exam, take time to go over the solutions and practice answering questions under timed conditions. This practice not only strengthens your understanding but also builds confidence, ensuring you’re well-prepared for any questions on timelines and historical sources.
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