Timeline and Sources of History Class 6 Soial science Chapter 4 CBSE Notes 2025-26

Measuring Time in History To study history, it is important to know how time is measured. Different societies use different calendars and events to mark the beginning of a new era. The Gregorian calendar, now commonly used worldwide, begins from the birth of Jesus Christ, marking years as CE (Common Era, earlier called AD) and BCE (Before Common Era). For example, India’s Independence was in 1947 CE, while Buddha’s birth was around 560 BCE.

Some societies use their own calendars, like the Hindu pañchānga or Muslim calendar, for festivals and special days. Years, centuries, and millennia are used to define longer periods. For instance, a century is 100 years (such as the 21st century, from 2001 to 2100 CE), and a millennium is 1,000 years (such as the 3rd millennium, from 2001 to 3000 CE).

Understanding Eras and Timelines A timeline is a visual way to show the sequence of important historical events. It helps us see which events happened before or after others. For example, the birth of Buddha happened before Jesus Christ. In the Gregorian calendar, there is no year zero—1 CE follows directly after 1 BCE. To find the years between a BCE and a CE date, add the numbers and subtract one.

Calculating elapsed years is common in history exercises. For example, if Buddha was born in 560 BCE and the current year is 2024 CE, then the difference is (2024 + 560) − 1 = 2,583 years. Understanding centuries and millennia also helps in placing events correctly on the timeline. BCE centuries and millennia move backward, while CE counts forward from year 1.

Professionals Who Study the Past History is studied by many different experts:

• Geologists study the Earth’s features like mountains and rivers.
• Palaeontologists study fossils of plants, animals, and humans from millions of years ago.
• Anthropologists study how human societies and cultures developed.
• Archaeologists examine tools, pottery, bones, and other human-made objects from the past.

Sources of History History is reconstructed using different sources:

• Archaeological sources such as monuments, coins, pottery, and structures.
• Literary sources like old books, chronicles, stories, and Vedas.
• Oral sources including folk tales and songs passed through generations.
• Artistic sources, which are paintings, sculptures, and rock art.
• Foreign accounts from travelers and explorers.

Other sources include photographs, diaries, ID cards, and family memories which help us build information about families or local history. Sometimes, these sources might agree and support each other, but sometimes they may differ. Historians need to compare all sources carefully, like solving a puzzle.

Modern historians are supported by archaeologists, epigraphists (experts in inscriptions), anthropologists, language experts, and even scientists who use genetics and climate data to reveal more about the past. For recent history, newspapers and digital media are valuable sources as well.

Early Humans and Their Life Modern humans (Homo sapiens) have lived for around 300,000 years—a small part of the Earth’s long history. Early humans lived in groups for safety. They were hunters and gatherers who relied on wild animals and edible plants for food. They used simple language, made simple tools, and created ornaments and rock paintings. Their shelters were mostly caves or temporary camps.

Early humans believed in the afterlife and natural forces. They exchanged valuable items and developed early forms of technology. Some roles of men and women changed with the place and time—these were not always the same across different societies.

Development of Agriculture and Settled Life As the climate improved after the last Ice Age (about 12,000 years ago), humans started to grow crops and domesticate animals, especially near fertile river valleys. This led to the growth of larger communities, villages, and settlements. People worked together and shared resources, which was important for their welfare.

Villages exchanged goods and developed new technologies such as better tools, pottery, and metallurgy. Over time, villages grew into towns and then into the earliest civilizations. This process involved many challenges but also great inventions.

Key Terms to Remember

• Era: A period of time marked by a significant event.
• Century: 100 years (e.g., 20th century = 1901–2000).
• Millennium: 1,000 years.
• Historian: A person who studies and writes about past events.
• Hamlet: A very small settlement or village.
• Afterlife: The belief in life after death.

Sample Family Tree Exercise Creating a family tree is a good way to understand sources of history. Information can be collected on family members using sources like photos, ID cards, and interviews.

Quick Summary

• Timelines help arrange events in order and show cause-effect links in history.
• Time in history is measured in years, centuries, and millennia, using systems like BCE/CE.
• Multiple sources—including archaeological, written, artistic and oral—are used to make sense of the past.
• Advances like farming and metalwork led to the rise of early civilizations.

CBSE Class 6 Social Science Notes Chapter 4 – Timeline and Sources of History: Key Points for Quick Revision

CBSE Class 6 Social Science Chapter 4 notes help students quickly revise the essentials of history timelines and sources. These well-structured notes highlight important facts, definitions, and key events for easy reference. With clear explanations and examples, understanding historical time becomes much simpler.

By covering archaeological, literary, and oral sources, these chapter notes improve exam preparation and retention. Students will clearly see how different sources of history work together to form our knowledge of human past. Use these concise notes for quick last-minute revision and confidence in exams.