🏠 Class 9 Social Science – Early Humans and Beginning of Civilisation Original Visual Revision Notes
Aligned with the Class 9 Social Science syllabus. Independently created study material. Not affiliated with or endorsed by NCERT.
📖 What is Inside
Section 1 — Classroom Notes
Section 2 — Easy Illustrations
Section 3 — Worked Examples
Section 4 — Cheat Sheet
Section 5 — Take-Home Handout
Section 6 — Revision Flashcards
Section 7 — Mind Map
📝 Section 1 — Classroom Notes
📜 Topic 1: Before Writing Was Invented
Early humans did not know writing.
We learn about them from old tools.
Fossils are bones turned to stone.
Scientists study fossils and old objects.
Cave paintings also tell us stories.
🌍 Topic 2: Early Humans in Africa
The first humans lived in Africa.
They are called Homo sapiens.
They walked on two legs.
From Africa, they moved to other lands.
This happened thousands of years ago.
🪨 Topic 3: Palaeolithic Age
This is the Old Stone Age.
People made large, rough stone tools.
They used handaxes to cut things.
They were hunters and gatherers.
They moved from place to place.
🎨 Topic 4: Mesolithic Age
This is the Middle Stone Age.
People made tiny, sharp tools.
These tiny tools are called microliths.
They started fishing and trapping animals.
They drew beautiful paintings in caves.
🌱 Topic 5: Neolithic Revolution
This is the New Stone Age.
People learned to grow crops.
Farming changed human life forever.
They built small villages near farms.
They tamed animals like goats and dogs.
🏙 Topic 6: Sindhu-Sarasvati Civilisation
It grew near the Sindhu river.
Cities had straight streets in a grid.
People used seals with animal pictures.
They had great baths and drains.
They traded with far away lands.
📜 Topic 7: Mesopotamian Civilisation
It grew between two rivers.
The rivers are Tigris and Euphrates.
Sumer was the earliest city area.
They invented cuneiform writing.
They pressed wedge marks on clay.
🏛 Topic 8: Egyptian Civilisation
Egypt grew along the Nile river.
Kings were called pharaohs.
They built huge pyramids of stone.
They used hieroglyphic picture writing.
The Nile flood brought rich soil.
🎏 Topic 9: Chinese Civilisation
It started near the Huang He river.
The Shang dynasty ruled early China.
They made beautiful things from silk.
They wrote on animal bones.
Later, they built the Great Wall.
🚢 Topic 10: Bronze Age Connections
People learned to mix metals.
Bronze was made from copper and tin.
Trade routes linked many civilisations.
Goods like silk and spices were traded.
Ideas and skills spread through trade.
🎨 Section 2 — Easy Illustrations
Fig 1: Timeline from Old Stone Age to Iron Age.
Fig 2: Stone tools became smaller and smoother over time.
Fig 3: Four civilisations that grew along great rivers.
Fig 4: Sindhu-Sarasvati cities had grid streets, drains, and public buildings.
Fig 5: Pyramids had a burial chamber deep inside for the pharaoh.
✏️ Section 3 — Worked Examples
🔶 Example 1: Which Age?
People used tiny stone tools. They painted animals on cave walls. Which age is this?
1Think: What age had tiny tools? Microliths = tiny stone tools
2Think: What age had cave paintings? Cave art = Mesolithic feature
3Both clues point to the same age.
✔ Answer: This is the Mesolithic Age (Middle Stone Age). It had microliths and cave art.
🔶 Example 2: Which Civilisation?
People wrote on clay tablets. They used wedge-shaped marks. Which civilisation is this?
1Think: Who wrote on clay? Mesopotamians used clay tablets
2Think: What is wedge-shaped writing? Cuneiform = wedge writing
3Cuneiform was invented by Sumerians in Mesopotamia.
✔ Answer: This is the Mesopotamian civilisation (Sumerian people). They invented cuneiform.
🔶 Example 3: Timeline Order
Put these in the correct order: Bronze Age, Neolithic, Palaeolithic, Iron Age.
1Which came first? Palaeolithic = Old Stone Age = oldest
2Which came second? Neolithic = New Stone Age = next
3Which came third? Bronze Age = metals came after stone
4Which came last? Iron Age = strongest metal = newest
✔ Answer: Palaeolithic → Neolithic → Bronze Age → Iron Age
📋 Section 4 — Cheat Sheet
Word
Simple Meaning
Fossil
Old bone or leaf turned to stone
Palaeolithic
Old Stone Age, rough big tools
Mesolithic
Middle Stone Age, tiny sharp tools
Neolithic
New Stone Age, farming started
Chalcolithic
Copper and Stone Age together
Bronze Age
Time when people used bronze metal
Iron Age
Time when people used strong iron
Homo sapiens
Our species, modern humans
Archaeology
Study of old objects and ruins
Cuneiform
Wedge-shaped writing on clay
Hieroglyphic
Egyptian picture writing on walls
Pharaoh
King of ancient Egypt
Pyramid
Huge stone tomb for a pharaoh
Sindhu-Sarasvati
River civilisation in South Asia
Mesopotamia
Land between Tigris and Euphrates
Silk Route
Trade road linking East and West
📄 Section 5 — Take-Home Handout
✍ Part A: Fill in the Blanks
1. The first humans lived in ___________.
2. Tiny sharp stone tools are called ___________.
3. The Neolithic Age began when people learned ___________.
4. The pharaohs of Egypt were buried in ___________.
5. Wedge-shaped writing on clay is called ___________.
✅ Part B: True or False
1. Palaeolithic people lived in one place. ___________
2. Farming began in the Neolithic Age. ___________
3. The Nile river is in Mesopotamia. ___________
4. Sindhu-Sarasvati cities had grid streets. ___________
5. Iron is weaker than bronze. ___________
🔢 Part C: Solve These
C1. A scientist finds cave paintings and tiny stone blades. Which age do these belong to? Give one reason.
C2. Name two features of a Sindhu-Sarasvati city that show it was well planned.
C3. How is cuneiform writing different from hieroglyphic writing? Name the civilisation for each.
🔗 Part D: Match the Columns
Column A (Civilisation)
Column B (Feature)
1. Sindhu-Sarasvati
a. Pyramids and pharaohs
2. Mesopotamia
b. Silk and bone writing
3. Egypt
c. Grid streets and seals
4. China
d. Cuneiform on clay tablets
5. Palaeolithic people
e. Large rough handaxes
Write your answers: 1=___ 2=___ 3=___ 4=___ 5=___
🎨 Part E: Draw and Label
Draw a simple timeline in the box below. Show these ages in order: Palaeolithic, Mesolithic, Neolithic, Bronze Age, Iron Age. Draw a small picture for each.
🃏 Section 6 — Revision Flashcards
Light side = Question. Dark side = Answer.
Where did the first humans live?
The first humans lived in Africa. They are called Homo sapiens.
What is the Palaeolithic Age?
The Old Stone Age. People used large rough tools and hunted animals.
What changed in the Neolithic Age?
People learned farming. They settled in villages and tamed animals.
What was special about Sindhu-Sarasvati cities?
Grid streets, great baths, covered drains, and seals with animal pictures.
What is cuneiform writing?
Wedge-shaped marks pressed on clay. Invented by Sumerians in Mesopotamia.
Why was the Nile important to Egypt?
The Nile floods brought rich soil. Crops grew well near the river.
What did early Chinese people make?
They made silk cloth. They also wrote on animal bones in the Shang era.
Why was the Bronze Age important?
People mixed copper and tin to make bronze. Trade routes connected lands.
🧠 Section 7 — Mind Map
Mind Map: Early Humans and eight key topics, all connected.
✅ Detailed Answers — Take-Home Handout
Part A: Fill in the Blanks — Answers
1. Africa (early humans evolved in Africa and later spread to other continents)
2. microliths (tiny, sharp, geometric stone tools of the Mesolithic Age)
3. farming / cultivating crops and taming animals
4. pyramids (massive stone tombs built for pharaohs)
5. cuneiform (wedge-shaped writing pressed into wet clay tablets; used in Mesopotamia)
Part B: True or False — Answers
1. False — Palaeolithic people were nomads. They moved from place to place following animals and looking for wild food. They did not settle in one spot.
2. True — The Neolithic Age (New Stone Age) is marked by the beginning of farming, taming of animals, and settling in villages.
3. False — The Nile river is in Egypt. Mesopotamia (meaning "land between rivers") had the Tigris and Euphrates rivers.
4. True — Sindhu-Sarasvati cities like Mohenjo-daro and Harappa had streets laid in a grid pattern (roads crossing at right angles).
5. False — Iron is harder and stronger than bronze. The Iron Age came after the Bronze Age because iron tools and weapons were better.
Part C: Solve These — Answers
C1. Cave paintings and tiny stone blades (microliths) belong to the Mesolithic Age (Middle Stone Age). Reason: Cave paintings showing hunting scenes and microliths used as arrows/spears are the key markers of this period, roughly 10,000 – 6,000 BCE.
C2. Two features of a Sindhu-Sarasvati city showing it was well-planned: (a) Grid-plan streets — roads crossed each other at right angles like a chessboard. (b) Covered drainage system — underground brick drains ran below the streets to carry away waste water.
C3.Cuneiform is a wedge-shaped writing made by pressing a reed stylus into wet clay tablets. It was used in Mesopotamia. Hieroglyphics is a picture-based writing system where symbols represent words or sounds, written on papyrus or stone walls. It was used in Egypt.
Part D: Match the Columns — Answers
1 → c (Sindhu-Sarasvati — Grid streets and seals)
2 → d (Mesopotamia — Cuneiform on clay tablets)
3 → a (Egypt — Pyramids and pharaohs)
4 → b (China — Silk and bone writing)
5 → e (Palaeolithic people — Large rough handaxes)
Part E: Draw and Label — Guide
Draw a long horizontal line (the timeline). Mark five points from left to right: Palaeolithic (big rough stones), Mesolithic (tiny stone blades and cave art), Neolithic (farming and pottery), Bronze Age (bronze tools and early cities), Iron Age (iron tools and kingdoms). Draw a small picture above each point and write the approximate time period.