History – An Introduction
ICSE Class 6 · History & Civics · Chapter 1
What this chapter covers
- Meaning of history
- Why we study history
- Sources of history
- Dating events
- Historians and archaeologists
Key points
- History is the study of the human past, based on evidence.
- Prehistory is the period before writing; it is known only from things people left behind.
- Studying history explains the present, teaches lessons, builds respect for heritage and other people, and trains the mind.
- Sources of history are of two kinds: archaeological (material remains) and literary (written records).
- Archaeological sources include tools, pottery, buildings, monuments, coins, inscriptions and seals.
- Literary sources include religious books, other literature and the accounts of foreign travellers.
- Every source must be checked and compared with others.
- BC/BCE years count backwards from the starting point; AD/CE years count forwards.
- A decade is 10 years, a century 100 years and a millennium 1,000 years.
- A timeline shows events in the order in which they happened.
- Historians study all sources and write about the past; archaeologists excavate and study material remains.
- At an old site, deeper layers are usually older.
Questions answered
What is history?
History is the study of the past of human beings, based on evidence that has survived to the present day.
Give two reasons why we study history.
Any two: it explains how the present came to be; it shows how people solved problems; it helps us value our heritage; it teaches respect for other people; it trains us to ask questions and check evidence.
Name the two main kinds of sources of history, with one example of each.
Archaeological sources, such as coins or pottery; literary sources, such as the Vedas or a traveller's account.
What is an inscription? Where might you find one?
An inscription is writing carved on a hard surface. You might find one on a rock, a stone pillar, a metal plate or the wall of a temple.
Which is older, 450 BCE or 250 BCE? By how many years?
450 BCE is older, because in BCE the bigger number is further back. It is older by 450 − 250 = 200 years.
What do the letters CE stand for? Which other letters mean the same?
CE stands for "Common Era". AD means the same.
How is the work of an archaeologist different from the work of a historian?
An archaeologist digs up and studies material remains such as tools, pots and buildings. A historian studies all kinds of sources, including written ones, and writes an account of the past.
Why are the deeper layers at an old site usually older than the upper layers?
Layers build up one on top of another over time, so the lower layers were laid down first.