Indira Gandhi Memorial High School
Beginning of a new way of life
BEGINNING OF A NEW WAY OF LIFE
- The beginning of farming and herding led to a new way of life.
- From sowing seeds till the grain ripened, it needed a long span with the utmost care and attention.
- Now people had to stay in one place rather than move around as they did previously.
- They used grain as
- Seeds
- Food
- Gifts
- Stored for food
- People had to think of ways of storing grain.
- In large clay pots
- In woven baskets
- dug pits into the ground
- Animals multiplied naturally. Now people started storing them also as
- They provide milk- an important source of food
- Provide meat,when required
- Storing grains and animals led to becoming farmers and herders.
- Evidence of plants and animal bones clearly stated the sites of settlements of herders and farmers.
- One of the most striking finds includes remains of burnt grain.
- Scientists' study reveals that different crops were grown in different parts of the subcontinent.
Towards a settled life:
- Traces of huts or houses are found at some sites in Burzahom, present day Kashmir.
- People built pit - houses and dug into the ground with steps leading into them.
- These pit houses provided shelter in cold weather.
- Archaeologists found cooking hearths both inside and outside the huts.
- Stone tools found from many sites are different from the early Palaeolithic tools that’s why they are called Neolithic tools.
- These tools were polished with fine cutting edges.
- Mortars and pestles are in use today even for grinding the grains.
- At the same time, Palaeolithic tools continued to be made and used.
- Some tools were also made of bone.
- Many kinds of earthen pots have also been found-
- Sometimes decorated
- Used for storing things
- People began using pots for cooking food
- Rice
- Wheat
- Lentils
- They began weaving clothes with different kinds of materials, especially cotton
- But these changes in life could not be seen everywhere.
- In many areas, men and women still depended on hunting the animals and gathering food.
- So the pace of progress is seen differently in different places of the world.
Site study- Mehrgarh
Site study Mehrgarh
- Mehrgarh is one of the earliest known villages.
- At present in Balochistan
- It is one of the most important routes into Iran
- It is located in a fertile plain near the bolan pass.
- it was the first place where people learned to grow Barley and wheat.
- Sheep and Goats rearing was started for the first time in this area.
Remains Found At this site :
- bones of sheep and goat
- Bones of wild animals such as the deer and pig
- remains of square or rectangular houses
- Each house has four or more compartments some of which may have been used for storage
Burial arrangements:
- People believed life after death
- People pay respect to their relatives and friends when they die
- several burial sites have been found at Mehrgarh
- In one site goats were kept to serve as food in the next world for the dead person
