NCERT HISTORY CLASS-VI
CHAPTER-II PART-II
A Change in Environment
A major change in the World's climate took place around 12,000 years ago, which led to an increasing number of deer, antelope, goats, sheep, cattle by the development of Grassland. This enabled many to start rearing and herding animals instead of hunting them. With the development of this, Fishing has also become important. Farmers and Herders were evolved.
Farmers
Hunters were developed into Farmers and Herders. They started settling in one place and produced their own foods. At that time many grain-bearing kinds of grass-like wheat, barley, rice were grown naturally. They started collecting it, learned where to grew when they ripe, and started growing their own crops. They wait at the same place for them to grow, they are sheltered there.
Herders
People got attracted to animals and tamed them. They build shelters, provide food, protected it from wild animals, encouraged them to come near the camps where they live. The first animal to be tamed was the wild ancestors of the Dog. This is how they become Herders.
A new way of life
Domestication is the process of growing plants and looking after animals by people. Domesticated animals seem much different from wild animals because they are harmless, their whole biological systems were changed gradually.
After several days of hard work, they produced their own food. As grains had to be stored for both food and seed, the remaining were stored. Also, they stored animals and watched them carefully because they multiply naturally, and they are the source of milk and flesh. In other words, Animals that are reared can be used as a store of food.
A Settled life
In Burzahom (Kashmir), Archaeologists found huts, pit-houses, and cooking hearths both inside and outside of the house so, that they can use them according to the weather. They also found stone tools in the site, which is different from earlier paleolithic tools so, it is called Neolithic which includes Mortars, Pestles for grinding grains. Most people started cooking their own foods, weaving their clothes to adapt themselves for different seasons.
Mehrgarh- a closer look
This site is near the fertile land of Bolan pass, an important route to Iran. This is one of the Earliest villages found on this site. They also found Bones, square or rectangular houses that have four or more compartments some may use as storage. Their burial rituals were so different, They pay respect and bury them with the goats which were probably meant to serve as food in the next world. They also believed in another form of life after death.