From Gathering to Growing Food 

Q22. Why people began using pots?

Ans. People began using pots for cooking food, especially grains like rice, wheat and lentils that now became an important part of the diet.

Q23. Write about the houses in Mehrgarh.

Ans. Finds at Mehrgarh includes remains of square or rectangular houses. Each house had four or more compartments, some of which may have been used for storage.

Q24. Write about the cultural traditions of the tribal community.

Ans. Tribes have rich and unique cultural traditions, including their own language, music, stories and paintings. They also have their own gods and goddesses.

Q25. Why farmers grow some crops in some areas and not in other areas?

Ans. Farmers grow some crops in some areas and not in other areas because different plants grow in different conditions — rice, for example, requires more water than wheat and barley.

Q26. Describe the pit houses found at Burzahom.

Ans. In Burzahom (in present-day Kashmir) people built pit-houses, which were dug into the ground, with steps leading into them. These may have provided shelter in cold weather.

Q27. Name some important sites where archaeologists have found evidence of farmers and herders.

Ans. These are found all over the subcontinent. Some of the most important ones are in the north-west, in present-day Kashmir, and in east and south India.

Q28. Why do people who grow crops have to stay in the same place for a long time?

Ans. When people began growing plants, it meant that they had to stay in the same place for a long time looking after the plants, watering, weeding, driving away animals and birds — till the grain ripened.

Q29. What do you know about the ‘burials’ found at Mehrgarh?

Ans. When people die, their relatives and friends generally pay respect to them. People look after them, perhaps in the belief that there is some form of life after death. Burial is one such arrangement. Several burial sites have been found at Mehrgarh. In one instance, the dead person was buried with goats, which were probably meant to serve as food in the next world.

Q30. Why do archaeologists think that many people who lived in Mehrgarh were hunters to start with and that herding became more important later?

Ans. Archaeologists who excavated the site found evidence of many kinds of animal bones from the earliest levels. These included bones of wild animals such as the deer and pig. In later levels, they found more bones of sheep and goat, and in still later levels, cattle bones are most common, suggesting that this was the animal that was generally kept by the people.

Q31. How do scientists find out whether the discovered sites were settlements of farmers and herders?

Ans. Scientists study evidence of plants and animal bones. One of the most exciting finds includes remains of burnt grain. (These may have been burnt accidentally or on purpose). Scientists can identify these grains, and so we know that a number of crops were grown in different parts of the subcontinent. They can also identify the bones of different animals.

Q32. Enumerate upon the archaeological findings at Mehrgarh.

Ans. The archaeological findings at Mehrgarh are:

                          i.        Archaeologists who excavated the site found evidence of many kinds of animal bones from the earliest levels. These included bones of wild animals such as the deer and pig.

                         ii.        In later levels, they found more bones of sheep and goat.

                        iii.        In still later levels, cattle bones are most common.

Q33. Describe tools used by farmers and herders.

Ans. Stone tools have been found from many sites as well. Many of these are different from the earlier Palaeolithic tools and that is why they are called Neolithic. These include tools that were polished to give a fine cutting edge, and mortars and pestles used for grinding grain and other plant produce. Mortars and pestles are used for grinding grain even today, several thousand years later.