Page 24 - SST Class 06

First Cities 4
q Chalcolithic Age
q Art and craft
Introduction
As man learnt how to grow his food, make fire, live
a settled life and domesticate animals, his needs
were gradually increasing, but he could not meet
them due to the limited types of tools. The
discovery of metals was a great step forward in the
progress of civilisation. The first metal found in
India was copper, followed by zinc and tin. This
discovery paved the way for progress of
civilisation.
CHALCOLITHIC AGE (CIRCA 4000 BC TO 2000 BC)
With the discovery of copper, all people did not
switch over to metal; rather the transition was
gradual. The stone and metal tools were used side
by side; this fact is proved by the resemblance of
early stone and metal tools. However, the use of
metal came into use in different stages in India. In
North India, copper replaced stone as material for
tools and weapons, and iron came into use much
later. Therefore, we can say that there was a time
gap between the Copper Age and the Iron Age.
However, in South India, the Stone Age was
immediately followed by the Iron Age and copper
did not come into use there.
Bronze was made by mixing copper with tin; this
alloy was harder and better to use in tools and
weapons. Both bronze and copper were used in
North India. This age is called the Copper-Stone
Age as both materials were used together.
As metals are harder and stronger than stone, and
metallic tools and weapons lasted longer, man
had more time at his disposal, and he could use
this in other fields. With the discovery of metals,
Contemporary Social Science-6
24
q The settlement pattern of the Harappan civilisation
q Unique architectural features
man was now on the threshold of transition from
prehistory to history, that is, from the era of no-
records to written-records.
The discovery of metals greatly helped man in
different fields, as in carpentry and agriculture;
because it became possible to make more efficient
tools, like plough-heads, hoes and axes. Metallic
tools provided him better protection against wild
animals. At the same time, he could make better
houses and pottery for his use. Thus, this transition
resulted into the progress of civilisation.
We find traces of the Chalcolithic Age in the
Gangetic valley, Chotanagpur plateau, Brahmagiri
in Karnataka and Navdatoli in Maharashtra.
F ind Outind Out
Find out the important buildings in your city which
are centrally located.
First Cities
Since earliest times, man lived in groups for the
purposes of company and security. The small
villages came up near fields and started to
gradually grow in size and population. Also, as
man had more time at his disposal, he started to
adopt other professions in addition to farming.
Thus, a network of carpenters, workers, smiths,
weavers etc. started to come into being. Thus, the
town culture started to develop. The development
of towns is accepted as the onset of a civilisation.
Let us understand what a civilisation is. Its chief
characteristics are towns and cities. This means,
there is surplus food production due to which