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    Bhanu Singh
    The document summarizes the prehistory of India, dividing it into three main periods: the Paleolithic Age (500,000 BCE to 10,000 BCE), Mesolithic Age (10,000 BCE to 6,000 BCE), and Neolithic Age (6,000 BCE to 1,000 BCE). During the Paleolithic Age, early humans lived as hunter-gatherers, using stone tools. The Mesolithic Age saw the development of smaller stone tools. In the Neolithic Age, humans transitioned to settled agriculture and the domestication of animals. Key archaeological sites provide evidence for changes in lifeways and tool technologies over these prehistoric periods in India.

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    Presentation 1

    Uploaded by

    Bhanu Singh
    14 views12 pages
    The document summarizes the prehistory of India, dividing it into three main periods: the Paleolithic Age (500,000 BCE to 10,000 BCE), Mesolithic Age (10,000 BCE to 6,000 BCE), and Neolithic Age (6,000 BCE to 1,000 BCE). During the Paleolithic Age, early humans lived as hunter-gatherers, using stone tools. The Mesolithic Age saw the development of smaller stone tools. In the Neolithic Age, humans transitioned to settled agriculture and the domestication of animals. Key archaeological sites provide evidence for changes in lifeways and tool technologies over these prehistoric periods in India.

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    The document summarizes the prehistory of India, dividing it into three main periods: the Paleolithic Age (500,000 BCE to 10,000 BCE), Mesolithic Age (10,000 BCE to 6,000 BCE), and Neolithic Age (6,000 BCE to 1,000 BCE). During the Paleolithic Age, early humans lived as hunter-gatherers, using stone tools. The Mesolithic Age saw the development of smaller stone tools. In the Neolithic Age, humans transitioned to settled agriculture and the domestication of animals. Key archaeological sites provide evidence for changes in lifeways and tool technologies over these prehistoric periods in India.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    14 views12 pages

    Presentation 1

    Uploaded by

    Bhanu Singh
    The document summarizes the prehistory of India, dividing it into three main periods: the Paleolithic Age (500,000 BCE to 10,000 BCE), Mesolithic Age (10,000 BCE to 6,000 BCE), and Neolithic Age (6,000 BCE to 1,000 BCE). During the Paleolithic Age, early humans lived as hunter-gatherers, using stone tools. The Mesolithic Age saw the development of smaller stone tools. In the Neolithic Age, humans transitioned to settled agriculture and the domestication of animals. Key archaeological sites provide evidence for changes in lifeways and tool technologies over these prehistoric periods in India.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
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    of 12

    Prehistory of India – Ancient

    History
    The Stone age is a prehistoric period related to the evolution of
    human beings. This period started about 2.6 million years.
    Archaeological have found some of the tools made of stone,
    bone, and woods.
    Early humans used stone tools and weapons for hunting-
    gathering during this period. Most of these stone tools and
    other sources were found during the archaeological
    excavations.

    Based on these archaeological shreds of evidence, we can


    divide the stone-age period into three parts.

    1.Palaeolithic Age (5,00,000 BCE to 10,000 BCE).


    2.Mesolithic Age (10,000 BCE to 6,000 BCE).
    3.Neolithic Age (6,000 BCE to 1,000 BCE).
    Palaeolithic Age (Old Stone age)

    The term ‘Palaeolithic’ comes from two Greek words,


    ‘Palaeo‘ meaning old, and ‘lithos‘ meaning stone. This
    period was the earliest period of human evolution. The
    people of this age were described as hunter-gatherers.
    Archaeologists have found that early humans lived in caves
    and rock shelters. They ate gathered fruits & roots and also
    hunted wild animals.
    Features
    ▪ Part of the Ice Age (5,00,000 BCE to 10,000 BCE).
    ▪ Use of fire was started during this time.
    ▪ Use of land bridges was found during this period.
    Habitation & occupation
    ▪ Hunters & gatherers,
    ▪ Nomadic people - no settled life
    ▪ No knowledge of agriculture,
    ▪ Found shelter in cave
    Cave paintings are found from these times, there are about
    eight hundred rock shelters in Bhimbetka (Madhya
    Pradesh), five hundred of which bear paintings.

    Important sites
    Belan valley (Uttar Pradesh)
    Sohan valley (Present day Pakistan)
    Punjab
    Kashmir
    Rajasthan (Thar desert)
    Narmada Valley
    Mesolithic Age (Middle Stone age: 10,000 BCE to 6000 BCE)

    The term ‘Mesolithic’ also comes from two Greek words,


    ‘Meso‘ meaning Middle and ‘Lithic‘ meaning stone. This
    period belongs to the Holocene era when the temperature
    starts rising on the earth.

    The warm climate results in the melting of ice and also


    brought environmental changes. Stone tools of this period
    were generally tiny and sharper, also called microliths.
    Tools
    ▪ Size of the tools became small. That small stone tools probably
    stuck to stones to be used as saws and sickles.
    ▪ Tools used include blades, daggers, spearheads, arrowheads,
    triangles, sickles, trapezes, etc.
    Important sites
    ▪ Bagaur (Rajasthan): Had a microlithic industry
    ▪ Adamgarh (Madhya Pradesh): Earliest evidence of
    domestication of animals)
    ▪ Langhnaj (Gujarat): Earliest evidence of burial of dead are
    found.
    Neolithic Period (New Stone Age: 6000 BCE to 1000 BCE)

    he term ‘Neo‘ is a Greek word, which means New. The new stone
    age brings a Neolithic revolution, as it introduced a lot of changes
    in people’s social and economic life. Their lifestyle changed from
    nomadic to a settled one.

    This period saws the transformation of man from food gatherer to


    food producer. During this period, there was a development of
    settled agriculture.
    Tools
    ▪ Polished stone tools were used.
    ▪ Burins, saws and chisels were found
    ▪ Black burnished ware, grey ware and mat-impressed ware used
    in pottery.
    Habitation & Occupation
    ▪ Use of fertilizers, sickle and pottery in agriculture.
    ▪ Horse Gram and Ragi were cultivated.
    ▪ Wheel was discovered in this age.
    ▪ Domestication of cattle, sheep & goats.
    ▪ Evidence of dogs, pigs and chickens are also found.
    Important sites
    ▪ Burzahom (2700 BC, Kashmir).
    ▪ Gufkral (2000 BC, Kashmir).
    ▪ Chirand (2000 BC, Patna).
    ▪ South of Godavari river.
    ▪ Hills of Assam, Garo hills (Meghalaya).
    ▪ Mirzapur and Allahabad (Uttar Pradesh).
    ▪ Hallur, Maski, Brahmagiri, Takkalkota (Karnataka).
    ▪ Paiyam-palli (2000 to 1000 BC, Tamil Nadu).
    ▪ Piklihal (Andhra Pradesh).

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