Page 12 - SST Class 06
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The Earliest
Societies 2
q Stone Age (Paleolithic Age) q Hunting and gathering as a way of life
q Introduction to stone tools and their uses q Mesolithic Age
Introduction
Info Bits
Info Bits
The ability to learn and use hands has put man on
the path of civilisation. In the ancient times, he had The total period of history is divided into four
to live in groups out of necessity, because he was ages, which are (1) the Stone Age in which stone
physically weaker than most of the wild animals and was the chief material used; (2) the Chalcolithic
living in groups gave him security. At that time he Age in which copper was the chief metal; (3) the
was a hunter-gatherer. That is, he hunted animals Bronze Age in which bronze became the chief
and gathered food, so he had to move from one metal; and (4) the Iron Age that is the present age
place to another in search of food. in which iron is chiefly used in various machines.
In his endeavour to hunt animals, clean hides and
pluck fruits, Early Man found stones quite handy. He STONE AGE
could strike animals and plucked fruits with them. We shall first study the Stone Age. This period has
Moreover, he could break stones into different been the longest, so we shall divide it into three
shapes and he could use these broken stones as divisions for the convenience of study. These
tools. The period of the use of stone stretches over three divisions are—(1) the Paleolithic Age (Early
a long time, almost 5,00,000 years. This period is Stone Age), (2) the Mesolithic Age (Middle Stone
called the Stone Age because the stone was the Age) and (3) Neolithic Age (New Stone Age).
chief tool used. These three divisions have been made on the
basis of progress achieved during these periods.
These divisions are marked by the use of different
types of tools. In the beginning, the stone tools
were crude in form, but with time, they became
sharper, lighter, smaller and more efficient.
Activity
Mark at least five places on the map of India where
remains of the Stone Age have been found.
PALEOLITHIC AGE
(CIRCA 5,00,000 BC TO 10,000 BC)
During the Paleolithic Age or Early Stone Age,
Early Man led a life similar to animals, with the
only difference that he walked on two legs and
Contemporary Social Science-6
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