Stone Age Prehistory

PART I – ANCIENT INDIA

THE PRE-HISTORY OR STONE AGE

The period when humans began to use stones for making tools is called the Stone Age.
It is divided into four stages:

1️⃣ Paleolithic Age (Old Stone Age)

Time Period: Pleistocene Period / Ice Age.
People: Belonged to Negrito race; Homo sapiens appeared in the last phase.
Lifestyle:
- Hunters and food gatherers.
- No knowledge of agriculture, fire, or pottery.
- Lived in caves and rock shelters.
- Tools were unpolished and rough, made of quartzite stones → hence called Quartzite Men.
Sites:
- Uttar Bahini (Jammu) – Early Paleolithic artifacts (Upper Shiwaliks).
- Belan Valley (Vindhyas) and Narmada Valley show all three Stone Age phases.

2️⃣ Mesolithic Age (Middle Stone Age)

Transition period between Paleolithic and Neolithic ages.
Lifestyle:
- Hunting, fishing, and food gathering; later domesticated animals.
Tools:
- Microliths – small stone tools like crescentic blades, points, and scrapers.
Art & Culture:
- Practised rock painting – best example: Bhimbetka (Madhya Pradesh).
Important Sites:
- Adamgarh (Madhya Pradesh)
- Bagor (Rajasthan) → earliest evidence of animal domestication.

3️⃣ Neolithic Age (New Stone Age)

Lifestyle:
- First farming communities; practiced agriculture (ragi, horse gram).
- Domesticated cattle, sheep, and goats.
- Wove cotton and wool; used potter’s wheel and handmade pottery.
- Lived in circular and rectangular mud houses; later built reed huts.
Tools: Polished stone tools and axes.
Culture:
- Boats, paintings, and burial customs (e.g. dogs buried with masters at Burzahom – Kashmir).
Important Sites:
- Koldihwa (Uttar Pradesh) – Neolithic to Iron Age sequence.
- Mehrgarh (Balochistan, Pakistan) – oldest Neolithic site (7000 BC).
- Chotanagpur region, Central India, South of Krishna River, Belan Valley, Narmada Valley.

4️⃣ Chalcolithic Age (Stone–Copper Age)

Transition phase from Stone to Metal age.
First metal used: Copper.
Lifestyle:
- Rural communities practicing agriculture and animal domestication.
- Lived in thatched houses (no burnt bricks).
- Worshipped Mother Goddess and Bull.
Pottery:
- Painted pottery – Black and Red Ware with white line designs.
- Malwa ceramics – richest in design and quality.
Important Sites:
- Rajasthan, Maharashtra, West Bengal, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh.

Summary Table (Quick Revision)

Age	Main Feature	Tools/Material	Economy	Sites
Paleolithic	Cave dwellers, food gatherers	Rough stone tools (Quartzite)	Hunting & gathering	Uttar Bahini (Jammu), Belan Valley
Mesolithic	Transition phase	Microliths	Hunting + Animal domestication	Bagor, Adamgarh, Bhimbetka
Neolithic	Farming begins	Polished stone, pottery	Agriculture, cattle rearing	Koldihwa, Burzahom, Mehrgarh
Chalcolithic	Use of copper	Stone + Copper tools	Rural agriculture	Malwa, Rajasthan, Maharashtra