From Gathering to Growing Food – Class 6 History Chapter 3 Notes & Summary
🌾 From Gathering to Growing Food – Class 6 History Chapter 3 Notes
Welcome to detailed notes for “From Gathering to Growing Food” – Chapter 3 of Class 6 NCERT History (*Our Pasts – I*). This chapter tells us about one of the biggest turning points in human history — how early humans changed from food gatherers to food producers. Let’s dive in to understand how they discovered farming, tamed animals, and built the first settlements that shaped our world today.
🍃 The Life of Hunter-Gatherers
Before farming, people survived by hunting animals and gathering plants, fruits, nuts, and roots. This life depended on nature. They had to move constantly in search of food and water. But over thousands of years, people slowly learned new ways to get food more easily.
Some people noticed that if they threw seeds on the ground, plants grew again. They learned how seeds sprout, grow, and give grains. This small observation led to a big discovery — agriculture.
🌱 How Did Farming Begin?
Around 10,000 years ago, in areas like the Sulaiman and Kirthar hills (present-day Pakistan), people began growing wheat and barley. This was the beginning of farming. They cleared patches of land, scattered seeds, waited for rains, and watched plants grow. They learned when to sow and when to harvest. Slowly, they began storing extra grains for the future.
Farming changed their lives forever. They did not have to wander all the time. They could stay in one place for longer periods, near water sources and fertile soil.
🐑 Domestication of Animals
Along with farming, people also began taming animals. This is called domestication. They realized that some animals could be kept for milk, meat, and labor. Dogs were probably the first animals tamed for protection and help in hunting.
Goats, sheep, cattle, and pigs were domesticated for milk and meat. Some animals like oxen helped in ploughing fields. This gave people more food and made farming easier.
🏡 Settled Life and Early Villages
With farming and animal rearing, people could settle in one place. This led to the birth of the first villages. They built huts with mud, wood, and leaves. Families stayed together and worked on their fields.
They stored grains in clay pots, baskets, or underground pits. People also began making better tools for farming, like sickles for cutting crops. Tools were made of stone and bone.
🛖 Important Sites of Early Farmers
Archaeologists have found remains of early farming villages in many places:
- Mehrgarh (Pakistan): One of the earliest known farming sites. Houses made of mud bricks and storage pits were found here.
- Daojali Hading (North-East India): Tools and pots show early agriculture.
- Burzahom (Kashmir): Houses were built underground to stay warm in cold weather.
🧑🌾 Daily Life of Early Farmers and Herders
Farming and herding were not easy. Farmers had to take care of crops for months. They protected them from animals, weeds, and harsh weather. People worked together to grow food. Some people made pots, tools, and wove baskets.
Over time, people learned to spin cotton and wool to make clothes. They also made ornaments from shells, stones, and bones. Life became more organized, but still challenging.
🔍 What Do Archaeologists Find?
Archaeologists study ancient sites to learn about early farmers. They find tools, pottery, grains, animal bones, and remains of houses. These discoveries tell us about food habits, lifestyle, and trade.
For example, grains like wheat and barley found at Mehrgarh show that people stored surplus food. Bones of goats and sheep show domestication.
✨ Key Takeaways – From Gathering to Growing Food
- Humans changed from hunters to farmers around 10,000 years ago.
- They started growing plants like wheat and barley.
- They domesticated animals for milk, meat, and work.
- People settled in one place and built villages.
- Tools, pottery, and storage methods improved daily life.
- Sites like Mehrgarh and Daojali Hading show how people lived then.
📚 Why This Chapter is Important
This chapter shows how the shift from gathering to farming changed human history. It made settled life, villages, and later cities possible. Farming gave humans more control over nature and led to new inventions. This is the root of our modern world.
By learning about early farmers, we understand the importance of nature, teamwork, and innovation. It reminds us to respect food, animals, and the land that supports us.
Keep asking questions. Keep exploring history. Knowledge lights the path to the future!
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