Stone age in India part 1

The earth is over 4000 million years old. The evolution of its crust shows four stages. The fourth stage is called the Quaternary, which is divided into Pleistocene (most recent) and Holocene (present); the former lasted between 2,000,000 and 10,000 years before the present and the latter began about 10,000 years ago. Man is said to have appeared on the earth in the early Pleistocene, when true ox, true elephant and true horse also originated. The early man seems to have moved around in Africa. The fossils of the early men have not been found in India. It appears that India was settled later than Africa, although the lithic technology of the subcontinent broadly evolved in the same manner as it did in Africa. The old stone age or the Palaeolithic culture of India developed in the

Pleistocene period of the Ice Age. . • Paleolithic Age (Old Stone Age): Man in the Paleolithic age in India used tools of

stone roughly dressed by crude shipping, which have been discovered throughout the country except the alluvial plains of Indus, Ganga and Yamuna rivers. These tools were used for hunting, gathering as man had no knowledge of cultivation. The Paleolithic age continued till 9,000 BC and is divided into three phases according to the nature of the stone tools used by the people. The first phase is called the early or lower Palaeolithic Between 5,00,000 BC and 50,000 BC, the second phase is called the middle Palaeolithic between 50,000 BC and 40,000 BC; and the third phase is called the upper Palaeolithic age between 40,000 BC and 10,000 BC.

Early or Lower Palaeolithic Phase

Early or Lower Palaeolithic Phase (1) This phase was between 5,000,000 BC to 50,000 BC.

It's characteristic feature is the use of hand-axes, cleavers and choppers. (Ill) Stone tools were used mainly for chopping, digging and skinning. (IV) Early old stone age sites have been found in the valley of river soan or sohan in

Punjab, now in Pakistan. Several sites also found in Kashmir, Thar desert, Belan valley of Mirzapur district in Uttar Pradesh and in the Narmada valley, and in the -

caves and rock shelters of Bhimbetka near Bhopal.** Middle Palaeolithic Phase (i) 'This phase was between 50,000 BC to 40,000 BC

The Middle Palaeolithic industries are mainly based upon flakes. These flakes

show many regional variations in different parts of India. (ii) The principal tools are varieties of blades, paints, borers and scrapers made of

flakes. The artefacts of this age are also found at several places on the river Narmada and also at several places, south of the Tungabhadra river.

Upper Palaeolithic Phase (0) This phase was between 40,000 BC to 10,000 BC (ii) In this age the climate became comparatively warm

This phase is marked by the appearance of new flint industries and of men of the modem type (Homo Sapiens) Blades and burins have been found in Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Central Madhya Pradesh, Southern Uttar Pradesh, South Bihar. Caves and rock - Shelters in upper Palaeolithic phase have been discovered at Bhimbetka, near

Bhopal. Mesolithic Age (0 in 9000 BC begin an intermediate stage in stone age culture, which is called the

Mesolithic age which lasted till 4000 BC. This phase intervened as a transitional phase between the Palaeolithic age and the Neolithic or New Stone Age. Climate change around 9000 BC brought about changes in fauna and flora and made it possible for human beings to move to new areas. Since then there have

not been any major changes in climatic conditions. . (II) The characteristic tools of the Mesolithic age are Microliths (iv) The Mesolithic people lived on hunting, fishing and food gathering; at a later stage

they also domesticated animals. The Mesolithic sites are found in good numbers in Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Central and eastern India and also south of river Krishna, Adamgarh in Madhya Pradesh and Bagor in Rajasthan provide the earliest evidence for the domestication of animals around 5000 BC. The cultivation of plants was possibly

around 7000-6000 BC. (vi) Rock paintings from the Palaeolithic and Mesolithic ages have been found from

Bhimbetka, about 45 km south of Bhopal. Many birds, animals and human beings

are painted. Neolithic Age (1) The Neolithic age dating between 5000 BC to 1800 BC is characterised by the

cultivation of plants and domestication of animals. (1) The development of agriculture and cultivation of cereals transformed the

nomadic hunters into sedentary farmers. This led to the beginning of village settlements, manufacture of new types of tools and greater control over nature for exploitation of natural resources. Neolithic tools such as ground stone tools, celts, adzes, chisels, axes, saws and bufins have been found across India.