📚 Chapter 4
TIMELINE AND SOURCES OF HISTORY
Tapestry of the Past — Exploring Society: India and Beyond
📅 Measuring Time | 🏛️ Sources of History | 🦴 Early Humans |
Name: ___________________________ Class: ________ Date: ___________
📝 CHAPTER NOTES
- What is History?
- History = the study of the human past.
- Homo sapiens (modern humans) have existed for about 300,000 years.
- Earth’s total history = 4.54 billion years — humans are only a tiny part!
👨🔬 Who Studies the Past? (4 Scientists) Geologists — study physical features of Earth: soil, stones, hills, mountains, rivers, seas. Palaeontologists — study fossils (remains of plants, animals, humans from millions of years ago). Anthropologists — study human societies and cultures from oldest times to present. Archaeologists — dig up remains: tools, pots, beads, figurines, bones, bricks, burnt grains, etc. |
- Key Terms — Must Know!
History | The study of the human past. |
Fossils | Impressions of footprints, or parts of plants/animals preserved in layers of soil or rock. |
Era | A distinct period of time. |
Source of History | A place, person, text or object from which we gather information about the past. |
Historian | A person who studies and writes about the past. |
Genetics | Branch of biology studying how features pass from one generation to the next. |
Afterlife | A life that begins after death. |
Welfare | Health, prosperity and well-being. |
Hamlet | A small settlement or small village. |
- ⏰ Measuring Time in History
Each society has its own ways of measuring time. Today, the Gregorian Calendar is commonly used worldwide. Hindu, Muslim, Jewish, and Chinese calendars are also used.
Term | Old Name | New Name |
Before Jesus’ birth | BC (Before Christ) | BCE (Before Common Era) |
After Jesus’ birth | AD (Anno Domini) | CE (Common Era) |
📏 Units of Time in History Year = 1 year Decade = 10 years Century = 100 years | Example: 21st century CE = 2001 to 2100 Century BCE: 3rd century BCE = 300 BCE to 201 BCE (counts backward!) Millennium = 1,000 years | Example: 3rd millennium CE = 2001 to 3000 CE Millennium BCE: 1st millennium BCE = 1 BCE to 1000 BCE (counts backward!) |
🧮 How to Calculate Years Between BCE and CE Dates Formula: BCE year + CE year − 1 = Total years Example: Buddha born 560 BCE, current year 2024 CE Calculation: 560 + 2024 − 1 = 2,583 years ago Remember: There is NO ‘Year Zero’ in the Gregorian Calendar! (1 BCE is followed directly by 1 CE) |
📅 Key Events Timeline
Date | Event |
300,000 BCE | Homo sapiens (modern humans) first appeared |
40,000 BCE | First examples of rock art in the world |
14,000 BCE | Beginning of Ice Age |
12,000 BCE | End of last Ice Age |
10,000 BCE | First settlements and beginning of agriculture |
8000 BCE | Pottery technology in Indian Subcontinent |
4000 BCE | World’s first cities in Mesopotamia |
2000 BCE | Indus-Sarasvati civilisation; beginning of copper metallurgy |
560 BCE | Birth of Gautama Buddha (approx.) |
~1 CE | Birth of Jesus (conventional starting point of Gregorian calendar) |
1947 CE | India’s Independence |
- 🏛️ Sources of History
A source of history is a place, person, text or object from which we gather information about past events. Historians use multiple sources and cross-check them — like pieces of a jigsaw puzzle!
Category | Sub-types | Examples |
📜 Archaeological Sources | Excavations, Structures | Tools, weapons, pots, figurines, beads, bones, mounds, monuments, habitations, burials |
📖 Literary Sources | Indian Literature, Inscriptions | Vedas, Itihasas, poems, plays, historical texts, Manuscripts, copper plates, coins |
👄 Oral Sources | Folklore, Genealogical | Folk tales, songs, family history passed down generations |
🎨 Artistic Sources | Paintings, Sculptures, Panels | Cave paintings, stone carvings, temple sculptures |
🌍 Foreign Accounts | Travelogues, Chronicles | Accounts by foreign travellers, historical chronicles |
🔬 Modern/Scientific Sources Studies of ancient climates Chemical studies of excavated materials Genetics — studying DNA of ancient people Newspapers (for recent history — last 2–3 centuries) Electronic media — TV, internet (for last few decades) |
- 🦴 The Beginnings of Human History
Modern humans (Homo sapiens) appeared about 300,000 years ago. They lived in bands or groups to help each other.
🏕️ Early Human Life (Hunter-Gatherers) | 🌾 After the Ice Age (Settled Life) |
Lived in caves, rock shelters, temporary camps | Started settling near rivers (fertile soil, water) |
Hunted animals and gathered edible plants/fruits | Began cultivating cereals and grains (agriculture) |
Lived in bands/groups for safety and survival | Domesticated animals: cattle, goats, etc. |
Made stone tools: axes, blades, arrowheads | Communities grew in size → hamlets → villages → towns |
Created rock paintings in caves | Developed pottery (clay pots) and metal tools (copper, iron) |
Made ornaments: stone/shell beads, animal tooth pendants | Started trading — food, clothing, tools |
Had beliefs about nature and possibly afterlife | Leaders/chieftains managed community welfare |
❄️ The Ice Age Ice Age = A very cold period when much of Earth was covered with ice. Last Ice Age: From over 100,000 years ago to around 12,000 years ago. After Ice Age ended: Climate warmed → ice melted → rivers swelled → humans settled down. Result: Agriculture began; communities grew; civilisations emerged. |
📋 Quick Summary — Before We Move On History = Study of human past; Homo sapiens appeared 300,000 years ago. 4 scientists of the past: Geologist, Palaeontologist, Anthropologist, Archaeologist. Time units: Year → Decade (10) → Century (100) → Millennium (1,000). BCE = Before Common Era (old: BC); CE = Common Era (old: AD). Formula: BCE year + CE year − 1 = years between dates. Sources of History: Archaeological, Literary, Oral, Artistic, Foreign Accounts, Scientific. Early humans: hunters & gatherers → settled farmers → towns → civilisations. |
📝 WORKSHEET
Chapter 4 — Timeline and Sources of History
Name: _______________________ Class: ______ Score: _____ / 30
PART A — Define the Terms (4 × 2 = 8 marks)
Q1. What is History? Who studies it?
Q2. What is the difference between BCE and CE?
Q3. What is a fossil? Which scientist studies fossils?
Q4. What is a Source of History? Give TWO examples.
PART B — Date Exercises (Textbook Q3 — 8 marks)
Q5. Place these dates in chronological order (oldest first): 323 CE, 323 BCE, 100 CE, 100 BCE, 1900 BCE, 1090 CE, 2024 CE
Q6. King Chandragupta was born in 320 CE. Which century does he belong to? And how many years was that after Buddha’s birth (560 BCE)?
Q7. Rani of Jhansi was born in 1828. Which century? How many years before India’s Independence in 1947?
Q8. Turn ‘12,000 years ago’ into a BCE date. (Assume current year is 2024 CE)
PART C — Fill in the Blanks (6 marks)
- Modern humans are scientifically called _____________________. They appeared about _______ years ago.
- A __________________ is a period of 100 years. A __________________ is a period of 1,000 years.
- The last Ice Age ended around __________________ years ago.
- Early humans who hunted animals and collected plants for food are called __________________.
- The scientist who studies ancient inscriptions is called a/an __________________.
- Rock paintings created by early humans are found in __________________ all over the world.
PART D — Match the Columns (8 marks)
Column A | Match | Column B |
1. Archaeologist | _____ | A. Studies fossils |
2. Palaeontologist | _____ | B. Studies Earth’s physical features |
3. Anthropologist | _____ | C. Studies past by digging up remains |
4. Geologist | _____ | D. Studies human societies and cultures |
5. CE | _____ | E. 1,000 years |
6. BCE | _____ | F. Common Era |
7. Century | _____ | G. Before Common Era |
8. Millennium | _____ | H. 100 years |
✅ ANSWER KEY
(For Teacher’s Reference)
Part A — Definitions
Q1. History is the study of the human past. It is studied by historians, archaeologists, anthropologists, palaeontologists and geologists.
Q2. BCE (Before Common Era) = years before the birth of Jesus, counted backward. CE (Common Era) = years after the birth of Jesus, counted forward. India’s independence was in 1947 CE; Buddha was born around 560 BCE.
Q3. A fossil is an impression of footprints or preserved parts of plants/animals found in layers of soil or rock. Palaeontologists study fossils.
Q4. A source of history is any place, person, text or object giving information about the past. Examples: coins (archaeological), Vedas (literary), folk songs (oral), cave paintings (artistic).
Part B — Date Exercises
Q5. Chronological order (oldest first): 1900 BCE → 323 BCE → 100 BCE → 100 CE → 323 CE → 1090 CE → 2024 CE
Q6. 320 CE = 4th century CE (300–400 CE). Years after Buddha: 560 + 320 − 1 = 879 years after Buddha’s birth.
Q7. 1828 CE = 19th century CE. Years before Independence: 1947 − 1828 = 119 years.
Q8. 12,000 years ago from 2024 CE = 2024 − 12,000 = −9,976 = approximately 9,976 BCE (or write as ~10,000 BCE).
Part C — Fill in the Blanks
- Homo sapiens; 300,000
- Century; Millennium
- 12,000
- Hunters and gatherers
- Epigraphist
- Caves
Part D — Match the Columns
1-C (Archaeologist → studies past by digging), 2-A (Palaeontologist → fossils), 3-D (Anthropologist → human societies), 4-B (Geologist → Earth’s features), 5-F (CE → Common Era), 6-G (BCE → Before Common Era), 7-H (Century → 100 years), 8-E (Millennium → 1,000 years)
Textbook Q2 — Historians as Detectives (Discussion Answer)
Yes! Historians are like detectives because: They gather clues (sources) from the past. They look for evidence (coins, manuscripts, monuments). They cross-check different sources like detectives check alibis. When sources conflict, they decide which is more reliable. They reconstruct events from incomplete information — just like solving a mystery!