Ancient India (The Pre-History or Stone Age)

Ancient History of India (The Paleolithic Age,  The Mesolithic Age,  The Neolithic Age )

The age, when the pre-historic man began to use stone for utilitarian purpose is divided into three broad divisions,  The Paleolithic Age Or the Old stone age , The Mesolithic Age or the Middle Stone Age and The Neolithic Age Or The New Stone Age.

The Paleolithic Age (Up to 9000BC)

• The Paleolithic culture of India developed in the Pleistocene period or the Ice Age. 
• It seems that paleolithic men belonged to the Nehtiho race. Homo Sapiens  first appeared in the last of this phase. 
• paleolithic men were hunters and food gatherers. They had no knowledge of agriculture, fire or pottery, they used tools of unpolished, undressed rough stones and lived in cave rock shelters. They are also called Quartzite men.
• This age is divided into three phases according to the nature of the stone tools used by the people and change in the climate.

(I) Early or Lower Paleolithic 

(II)Middle Paleolithic 

(III)Upper Paleolithic 

(I)  Early or Lower paleolithic 

Tools: Hand axes, Cleavers and Choppers. 

Climate: Humidity decreased.

Sites: Soan Valley (Punjab)

(II) Middle Paleolithic 

Tools: Flakes-blades, points, borers, scrapers.

Climate: Further decrease in humanity. 

Sites: Valley of span, Narmada and Tungabhadra rivers. 

(III) upper paleolithic 

Tools: Scrapers and burin

Climate: Warm climate 

Sites: Caves and rockshelters of this age have been discovered at Bhimbetka near Bhopal.

The Mesolithic Age (9000BC -4000BC)

• It intervened as a transitional phase between the paleolithic Age and the Neolithic Age. 
• In this age, climate become warm and dry,  which brought about changes in fauna and flora and made it possible for human beings to move to new areas. 
• The Mesolithic people lived on hunting, fishing and food gathering. At a time they also domesticated animals.
• The characteristics tools of the Mesolithic Age are microliths, pointed cresconic blades, scrapers, etc, made up of stones. 
• Adamgarh in Madhya Pradesh and Bagor in Rajasthan provide the earliest evidence for the domestication of animals.
• The people of paleolithic and Mesolithic ages practicised painting. Bhimbetka in Madhya Pradesh is a striking site of pre-historic painting. 

The Neolithic Age (4000BC-1000BC)

• The people of this age used tools and implements of polished stone. They particularly used Stone axes. 
• It is interesting that in Burzahom domestic dogs were buried with their masters in their graves.
• The neolithic settlers were the earliest farming communities. They produced ragi and horse-gram (kulathi). Neolithic sites in Allahabad district are noted for the cultivation of rice in the sixth millennium BC. They domesticated cattle, sheeps and goats. They wove cotton and wool to make cloths. 
• Hand made pottery and use of Potter wheel first appears during the Neolithic Age. 
• Koldihwa in UP revealed a three fold cultural sequence Neolithic, Chalcolithic and Iron age. Mehargarh in Baluchistan is the oldest Neolithic site in India (7000BC) 

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