Points to Remember

• In the Old Stone Age, people used rough stones as weaspons and tools.
• In the New Stone Age, sharp and polished stone weapons and tools were used.
• River valley civilization flourished in the Bronze Age.
• The major civilization during the Bronze Age were Mesopotamian, Egyptian, Chinese and Harappan.
• Agriculture, domestication of animals and permanent settlement began in the Neolithic Age. 

Fill in the blanks 

1. _________ is called the 'Gift  of Nile'. 

2. Rough weapons were used in _____________ age.

3. The King of Egypt known as __________

4. The main occupation of the primitive man was ___________

5. Wheel was discovered by __________

6. The period when man used both stone and copper tool is known as ___________

Answers

1. Egypt

2. Palaeolithic age

3. Pharoah

4. Hunting 

5. Neolithic man

6. Chalcolithic Age

1. What are the importance of the Pyramids of Egypt?

                                  

Pyramids were the tombs of the Egyptian kings (Pharaohs), queens and aristocrats. The dead body which was embalmed  to prevent decay and kept in the pyramids was called Mummy. The biggest pyramid was built by king Khufu at Ghiza.  The belief that for the  prosperity of the country dead bodies of Pharaohs must be kept imperishable might have been the reason behind the construction of such huge structures.

2. What are the contributions of Egyptian civilization to the world?

• The script – Hieroglyphics.
• The Pyramid which is regarded as one of the wonders of the world.
• Invention of solar calender.
• They developed decimal system.

3. What is the role of river valleys in the development of civilizations?

Early civilizations developed in river valleys. There are so many reasons.

  a) Fertile soil, vegetation, climate etc, were conductive for agriculture and settled life.
  b) Extensive grass lands led to domestication of animals and big  trees facilitated the construction of houses.
  c) Rivers facilitated water transport which led to the growth of trade.

4. What were the circumstances which led man to settled life? What were the changes caused by settled life?

The main occupation of the primitive man was hunting. In neolithic age he started agriculture.To protect the crops he had to start a settled life.This necessitated the construction of houses. He began to domesticate animals. Settled life helped him to make many inventions. In short, settled life made many changes in the life of man. This led to the emergence of family.

5. Where did the architects of first, script in the world live? Which was their script ?

The architects of the first script in the world lived on the banks of Euphrates and Tigris. The system they evolved is called Cuneiform.

6. What are the peculiarities of primitive man?

The primitive man who lived about thousands of years ago was different from modern human beings. In appearance he was like a chimpanzee with broad, sloping forehead, stooping trunk and hands reached down to the knees. They could perform only simple operations like digging the earth, beating something or pulling things close. They could articulate only  a few sounds. But they could express anger and fear, warn others and make distress calls.

7. Pyramids are considered as one of the wonders of world. Why?

Egyptians knew the method of preserving dead bodies for a long period. The dead bodies of Pharaohs were kept inside large pyramids.The preserved bodies were called mummies. Even today we can see centuries old pyramids. That is why pyramids are regarded as one of the wonders of the world.

8. What are the common feature of Bronze Age Civilization ?

• The use of the plough and irrigation facilities led to the increase of agricultural product.
• When the use of canals increased different groups of people came together to the construction of the same.
• Trade activities began.
• This led to the emergence of cities.
• Though barter system (interchange of goods) was practiced in the initial stage different types if money came into use later.
• People took up the profession of their choice. Division of labour such as farmers, traders, artisans, soldiers etc came into being.
• The invention of alphabet and the art of writing marked the dawn on the historic period.