19 Nov

PREHISTORIC AGE (Earliest Human Life in India)

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Content

• What is the Prehistoric Period?
• Palaeolithic Age of Prehistoric Period
• Lower Palaeolithic Age in India
• Middle Palaeolithic Age in India
• Upper Palaeolithic Age in India
• Mesolithic Age of Prehistoric Period
• Mesolithic Age in India
• Neolithic Age of Prehistoric Period
• Chalcolithic Age in India
• FAQs

The prehistoric age, encompassing the Palaeolithic, Mesolithic, and Neolithic periods, is defined by the production of weapons and tools crafted from stone or organic materials, like bone, wood, or horn.

The “Stone Age,” when stone was typically employed to make artefacts for the diverse requirements of early humans, is sometimes referred to as the “prehistoric period.” Stone Age artefacts include the tools used by humans and their ancestors in the genus Homo, as well as the earlier hominids Australopithecus and Paranthropus. In addition to stone tools, bone tools were also utilised throughout this time, but the archaeological record hardly ever mentions them. Topography, chronology, and other broad features separate the Stone Age into the Palaeolithic, Mesolithic, and Neolithic periods.

What is the Prehistoric Period?

• Prehistory, Proto-History, and History are the three categories of history. The study of human societies’ origins and evolution before writing systems were developed is known as prehistory. Because stone tools were widely used throughout this time, it is also known as the Stone Age. Proto-history, which spans roughly the third and second millennia BCE, is a transitional period between prehistory and history. The Stone Age, Bronze Age, and Iron Age are alternative classifications of history.

Palaeolithic Age of Prehistoric Period

The term “Palaeolithic” pertains to the Old Stone Age of the Prehistoric Period, stemming from the Greek words palaeos, meaning old, and lithos, which translates to stone. It is associated with the Pleistocene geological era.

When examining the evidence for early human habitation in India, it is noted to be later than in Africa but concurrent with other regions in Asia. Tool technology, economic activities, and various cultural characteristics categorize the Palaeolithic age into three divisions: 

1. Lower Palaeolithic,
2. Middle Palaeolithic, 
3. Upper Palaeolithic.

Lower Palaeolithic Age in India

• The earliest use of stone was started in the Lower Palaeolithic Age by Homo habilis and Homo erectus. People of this age were nomadic and dependent only on hunting and food gatherings.

• The stones were used as chopping tools like hand axes, cleavers, knives, and choppers made from large pebbles or flakes.
• Two main traditions: Soanian tradition and The Acheulian Prehistoric Period tradition

• Important Sites:

1. Singi Talav in Rajasthan
2. Bhimbetka and Adamgarh in Madhya Pradesh
3. Lalitpur, Uttar Pradesh
4. Paisra, Bihar
5. Chirki-Nevasa, Maharashtra
6. Hunsgi and Yediyapur in Karnataka
7. Attirampakkam, Tamil Nadu.

Middle Palaeolithic Age in India

This period saw the creation of various tools fashioned from flakes using specialized methods, hence known as the flake tool industry.Scholars term the Middle Palaeolithic culture in India as Nevasian (comparable to Mousterian), and they discovered its flake tools at Pravara, Nevasa.

• Tools: small and medium-sized handaxes, cleavers, scrapers, borers, knives, large borers and awls, a variety of scrapers, anvils and hammers.

• Sites:

1. Didwana and Budha Pushkar in Rajasthan
2. Hiran Valley in Gujarat
3. Potwar Plateau between the Indus and Jhelum rivers
4. Sanghao Cave in NWFP of Pakistan
5. Luni river system, denoting tool industries west of the Aravallis
6. Chirki Nevasa in Maharashtra
7. Kalpi in Uttar Pradesh

Upper Palaeolithic Age in India

In addition to flake and core tools, the Upper Palaeolithic industries created side scrapers, ovate scrapers, notched scrapers, discoid scrapers, as well as unifacial and bifacial flake points

• Tools: Blades and burins, bone tools and specialised hunting tools.

• Sites: 

1. Rohiri Hills in Sindh
2. Chopani Mando in Belan Valley,
3. Baghor, in Madhya Pradesh
4. Paisra in Bihar
5. Haora and Khowai valleys in Tripura
6. Kurnool and Muchchatla Chintamanu Gavi in Andhra Pradesh

Mesolithic Age of Prehistoric Period

The Mesolithic Age, a transitional phase of the Prehistoric Period, occurred approximately 10,000 BCE and concluded with the advent of agriculture, marking the onset of the Neolithic Age.

• Climate: The phase is of variable length, depending on climatic factors like rising temperatures, warm and dry climates, and impacts on human life and fauna.

• Economy: Through hunting and gathering, fishing gained relevance.

• Tools: Microliths were the distinctive features of this age.

1. Macroliths, the larger tools, were also used.
2. People also used tools made from bone and antler.

Mesolithic Age in India

Due to the favourable climate for agriculture (for the Neolithic Age), the Mesolithic Age in India lasted only for 10,000 years. Barring the Northeast, these sites are found throughout India.

Sites: 

• Tilwara, Bagor, Ganeshwar in Rajasthan
• Langhnaj, Akhaj, Valasana, Hirpura, Amrapur, Devnimori, Dhekvadlo, and Tarsang in Gujarat
• Patne, Pachad, Hatkhamba in Maharashtra
• Morkhana, Lekhahia, Baghai Khor, Sarai Nahar Rai, Mahadaha, Damdama, Chopani Mando, Baidha Putpurihwa in Uttar Pradesh
• Pachmarhi, Adamgarh, Putli Karar, Bhimbetka, Baghor II, Baghor III, Ghaghariain Madhya Pradesh
• Paisra in Bihar
• Kuchai in Odisha
• Birbhanpur in West Bengal
• Muchatla Chintamanu Gavi, Gauri Gundam in Andhra Pradesh
• Sanganakallu in Karnataka
• Tenmalai in Kerala

Neolithic Age of Prehistoric Period

The Holocene epoch saw the emergence of this new stone age, which followed the Mesolithic period. Advancements in agriculture, the creation of pottery, and the establishment of permanent communities defined this ancient era, marking the dawn of the first human societies commonly referred to as the Neolithic Revolution.

Neolithic Culture in India

• Sites: Kashmir Valley, Vindhya-Ganga Valley and Deccan and Peripheral Sites in Bihar, Jharkhand, Bengal, and Assam included the Late Neolithic Age. 
• Characteristics:
• Tools: polished or ground stone axes, microliths and blades.
• Pottery: Early neolithic culture of a few sites, such as in Kashmir, Balochistan, and South India, was without any pottery. Later, earthen pots were the distinctive features.
• House: In the form of simple huts and pit dwellings
• Arts and crafts: Beads made of semi-precious stones and clay figures of animals and mother goddesses.

Chalcolithic Age in India

By the second millennium B.C., various regions of the Indian subcontinent had experienced the emergence of distinct regional cultures, characterized by their utilization of metals, primarily copper and low-quality bronze. Consequently, we refer to these communities as Chalcolithic societies. Additionally, stone tools were also employed.

• Archaeologists identify Chalcolithic cultures by their geographical locations, such as the Banas culture in Rajasthan, the Kayatha culture in Madhya Pradesh, and the Jorwe culture in Maharashtra. 
• The Chalcolithic culture, often referred to as the “stone-copper phase,” existed in India from around 2000 BC to 700 BC. 
• This culture was significant during the pre-Harappan era and continued to be present in various regions throughout the post-Harappan period.

Prehistoric Period in India PYQs

Mesolithic rock-cut architecture of India not only reflects the cultural life of the times but also a fine aesthetic sense comparable to modern painting. Critically evaluate this comment. (UPSC Mains 2015)

FAQs

1. What is meant by the Prehistoric Age in India?

The Prehistoric Age refers to the period before the invention of writing, when early humans lived as hunter-gatherers and left behind only material remains such as stone tools, cave paintings, bones, and shelters.

2. How is the Prehistoric Age in India classified?

Indian prehistory is generally divided into Paleolithic (Lower, Middle, Upper), Mesolithic, and Neolithic ages, each identified based on tool types, technology, climate changes, and lifestyle patterns.

3. Which are the most important prehistoric sites in India for UPSC?

Key sites include Bhimbetka, Hunsgi, Attirampakkam, Chirand, Mehrgarh, Belan Valley, and Nevasa, known for stone tools, rock art, early agriculture, and evidence of settled life.

4. What were the main characteristics of early human life in India?

Early humans were hunter-gatherers, used stone tools (flake, core, blade), lived in caves or open-air sites, controlled fire, created cave paintings, and gradually developed agriculture and settled communities in the Neolithic period.

5. Why is the study of the Prehistoric Age important for UPSC?

Understanding prehistory helps candidates trace human evolution, cultural development, early technology, and archaeological evidence forming the foundation of Ancient Indian History, a core part of the UPSC CSE syllabus.