Stone Age (Paleolithic, Mesolithic & Neolithic period)

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  Introduction

  • Period of human history between 200000 BC and 3500-2500 BC
  • Paleolithic (5,00,000 BC – 10,000 BC) → Mesolithic (10,000 BC – 8,000 BC) → Neolithic period (8000 BC - 4000 BC) → Chalcolithic Age (4000 BC – 1500 BC) → Iron Age. 

Palaeolithic (Stone Age)

The Long stretch of time divided into

  • Lower Palaeolithic age [two million years - 60,000 BC] (Homoeractus)
  • Middle Palaeolithic age [50,000 BC – 40,000 BC] (Neanderthal)
  • Upper Palaeolithic age [40,000 BC – 10,000 BC] (Homo sapiens)

Lower Palaeolithic Age

Evolution

Hunting and food gathering. Lived on trees and in caves.

Tools

Hand-axes, Cleavers and Chopper

Sites

Ganges valley, southern Tamil Nadu and in the hilly areas of the Western Ghats, The valley of river soan or sohan in Punjab (Now Pakistan), Sites in Kashmir, Thar Desert, Belan valley in Mirzapur District (UP), Didwana in Rajasthan, Narmada, & in the caves and rock shelter of Bhimbetka near Bhopal (MP)

  • Early, Middle and Late Acheulian Industries
  • Early, Middle and Late Acheulian Industries
  • Acheulian tradition is
    • Present - Central India and in south-eastern part of India (near Chennai).
    • Absent - Western Ghats, coastal areas and north-eastern India.
  • Acheulian - Cultural traditions of hand axe
  • Sohanian - Cultural traditions of pebble-flak
  • Fossil
    • Honinin Fossil (Narmada Human) - Hathnora near Hoshangabad in Madhya Pradesh.
    • Animal Fosssil - Narmada valley.
  • few sounds or words and used a sign language.
  • First Palaeolithic tools - Pallavaram near Chennai by Robert Bruce Foote in 1863

Middle Palaeolithic Age

Evolution

Language was invented in this period + Remained hunters and food gatherers.

Tools

Diversified tools based on flakes: Hand axes, cleavers, choppers, chopping tools, scrapers, borers and points, projectile points or shouldered points and knives on flake.

Sites

Narmada, Godavari, Krishna, Yamuna and other river valleys river, south of the Tungabhadra river, Nevasa, Bhimbetaka, Didwana, Belan Valley in UP etc.

  • India dated - 3,85,000 and 40,000 BCE

Upper Palaeolithic Age (last phase of Ice Age)

Evolution

Other hominin species were eliminated by this time.

Forms of Paintings, Beads & Ornaments.

Tools

Blades, scrapers, and burins could be fitted in handles; Bone tools like needles, harpoons etc.

Sites

Bhimbetka (8 km form Bhopal), Renigunta, Bardia, Belan Valley in UP, Meralbhavi in Karnataka, Kurnool caves and Godavarikhani in Telangana, Baghor I and Baghor III of Son Valley in Madhya Pradesh and Patne in Maharashtra.

  • Upper Palaeolithic Shrine - Baghor in Uttar Pradesh 

  • Ostrich eggshell
Mesolithic Age

Mesolithic (10,000 BC – 8000 BC) – (20,000 BC – 9,500 BC)

Evolution

  • First people to use bow and arrow; big animals were hunted down easily. They are Hunting, Fishing & Food Gathering.
  • First burials are reported and use of stone-ornaments also appeared.
  • Domestication of animals: sheep and goats.
  • Rock paintings of Central India.

Tools

  • Microlith tools i.e., tools made of micro-sized stones and were very refined. [Transitional  Period between Palaeolithic and Neolithic Age]

Sites

  • Rajasthan, South UP, Central and East India, Bhimbetaka (Rock shelter), Mahadaha, Sarai Nahar Rai, Adamgarh Paisra (Bihar), Langhnaj (Gujarat), Chopani Mando, Mahadaha and Damdama (all in Uttar Pradesh), Sankanakallu and Kibbanahalli (Karnataka)
  • Domistication of Animal: Adamgarh (MP), Bagor II (Rajasthan).
  • Rock shelter: Lekhakia, Baghai Khor, Adamgarh and Bhimbetka.
  • Earliest cave paintings at Bhimbetaka (UNESCO World Heritage Site)
  • Coastal sites: Mumbai, teri sites of Thoothukudy in Tamil Nadu and Vishakapatnam

  • Use fire.
  • Burials
    • Man and a woman were buried together
    • Ivory pendant as the grave good

Prehistoric Art

  • Paleolithic & Mesolithic Practised Painting.
  • Rock painting – Madhya Pradesh and southern UP.
  • Prehistory art is found in Bhimbetka (MP).
  • Many Rock Painting Associate with Mesolithic occupation.
  • Northern Spurs of the Vindhyas in the Belan valley all the Three phase of the Paleolithic → Mesolithic → Neolithic.

Neolithic Age

Neolithic Age (8000 BC - 4000 BC) – Food Producer

Evolution

Lived in huts and do fishing, reared cattle, developed agriculture (cereals, wheat, barley, cotton, rice etc.), used earthenware (both handmade and wheel-made).

Tools

Stone Axe, Daggers, digging sticks, celts, grinding stones, sickle, saw, axes, adzes, chisels, sling-stones etc. (continuous rubbing to smoothen)

  • North-western: Rectangular axes with curved cutting edge.
  • North-eastern: Polished stone axes with rectangular butt.
  • Southern group: Oval sides and pointer butt

Sites

  • Mehargarh (Pakistan), Burzaom, Chirand, Brahmagiri, Deojali Hading, Koldihwa and Maski Fertile Crescent region of Egypt and Mesopotamia, the Indus region, the Ganges valley of India and also in China
  • One of the most famous Neolithic sites, Catal Huyuk, was found in Turkey

  • The Neolithic Culture of North-west, the Kashmiri
    • Burzahom (Trade with Harappan)– people use coarse Grey pottery, Pit House. black ware pottery, beads of agate and carnelian and painted pottery.
    • Two phases – aceramic & ceramic.
  • The Neolithic Culture of South India (south of Godavari river)
    • Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka and the north-western part of Tamil Nadu.
    • Sites near the granite hills with water sources (River valleys of Godavari, Krishna, Pennaru, Tungabhadra and Kaveri).
    • Utnur and Palvoy in Andhra Pradesh and Kodekal, Kupgal and Budihal in Karnataka feature ash mound sites.
    • Stone axes, stone blade, fire-baked earthen figurines & cattles.
  • The Neolithic Culture of Ganges Valley and Central India
    • Lehuradeva, and Chopani Munda, Koldiwa, Chirand, Senuwar and Mahagara.
    • Characterized by cord-marked pottery.
  • The Neolithic Culture of Eastern India
    • Birbhanpur, Chirand, Kuchai, Golbaisasan and Sankarjang.
  • Neolithic Culture of North-eastern India.
    • Region of Assam (Daojali Hading and Sarutaru), Meghalaya, Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh.
  • Terracotta figurines and glazed faience beads
  • Piklihal were cattle-herders & also ash mounds and habitation sites have been found.
  • Mehrgarh – Square & Rectangle houses, Burials (Dead one buried with goat).


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