Timeline and | Class 6 Social Science Notes
By ConceptScroll Team · Published on 17 July 2026 · 4 min read
Timeline and – this guide gives you a concise, exam-ready overview of Timeline and from Class 6 Social Science, written by ConceptScroll editors and reviewed against the latest NCERT textbook.
How Is Time Measured in History?
Different societies have developed various methods to measure time, often marking major events such as the birth of important figures or the start of a ruler's reign to begin new eras. The Gregorian calendar, currently used worldwide, consists of 12 months totaling 365 days, with a leap year every four years, except century years which are leap years only if divisible by 400. Alongside this, other calendars like Hindu, Muslim, Jewish, and Chinese calendars are used for festivals and auspicious events. The Gregorian calendar counts years forward from the conventional birth year of Jesus Christ, known as the Common Era (CE), and backward as Before Common Era (BCE). There is no year zero; 1 BCE is immediately followed by 1 CE. To calculate the number of years between BCE and CE dates, add the two numbers and subtract one. Timelines are useful tools to represent historical events in sequence, showing the order and approximate dates of important occurrences. Terms like century (100 years) and millennium (1000 years) help understand longer periods of time, counted forward and backward from 1 CE and 1 BCE respectively.
📊 Diagram: Figure 4.3 shows a timeline of main events since 300,000 BCE, illustrating the sequence of important historical milestones and the use of timelines to represent time visually. Another diagram explains the absence of year zero and how to calculate years between BCE and CE (See figure_4.3).
🧪 Activity: Draw a timeline marking every year from 2 BCE to 2 CE to observe the absence of year zero and practice calculating years between BCE and CE dates.
🔗 Connection: Understanding how time is measured prepares students to use timelines effectively and introduces the concept of sources of history.
Frequently asked questions
1. How do we measure historical time? 2. How can various sources help us understand history? 3. How did early humans live?
1. Historical time is measured using various calendars and timelines. Societies have used events such as the birth of important persons or the reign of rulers to mark eras. The Gregorian calendar is commonly used worldwide, counting years as CE (Common Era) and BCE (Before Common Era). Timelines help us understand the sequence of events.
2. Various sources such as fossils, tools, pots, bones, and remains help us understand history. Different experts like geologists, palaeontologists, anthropolo
As a project, write the history of your family (or village if you live in one), using sources of history at your disposal. Ask your teacher to guide you.
This is a project-based question requiring the student to research and write the history of their family or village using available historical sources such as oral histories, documents, photographs, and artifacts. The student should consult their teacher for guidance on how to collect and organize information. The answer will vary depending on the student's background and research.
Can we compare historians to detectives? Give reasons for your answers.
Yes, historians can be compared to detectives because both investigate and gather evidence to reconstruct past events. Historians analyze sources such as documents, artifacts, and oral histories to understand what happened in the past, just as detectives collect clues and evidence to solve a case. Both require critical thinking, careful examination of evidence, and drawing conclusions based on facts.
A few exercises with dates: - Place these dates chronologically on the timeline: 323 CE, 323 BCE, 100 CE, 100 BCE, 1900 BCE, 1090 CE, 2024 CE. - If King Chandragupta was born in 320 CE, which century did he belong to? And how many years was that after the Buddha’s birth? - Rani of Jhansi was born in 1828. Which century did she belong to? How many years was that before India’s Independence? - Turn ‘12,000 years ago’ into a date.
1. Chronological order of dates:
- 1900 BCE
- 323 BCE
- 100 BCE
- 100 CE
- 320 CE (King Chandragupta's birth year)
- 323 CE
- 1090 CE
- 1828 CE (Rani of Jhansi's birth year)
- 2024 CE
2. King Chandragupta was born in 320 CE, which is in the 4th century CE (since 1st century CE is 1-100 CE, 4th century CE is 301-400 CE).
The Buddha is believed to have been born around 563 BCE. To find how many years after Buddha’s birth Chandragupta was born:
- From 563 BCE to 1 BCE = 562 years
- From 1 CE to 3
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