India’s prehistoric age stands as a testament to the rich tapestry of human history that unfolds across its vast landscape. Spanning thousands of years, this era holds the key to understanding the origins of human civilization on the Indian subcontinent. From the earliest stone tools to the emergence of complex societies, the prehistoric period in India offers a fascinating glimpse into the lives of our ancient ancestors.
History is divided into three main parts: Prehistory, Proto-History, and History. Prehistory focuses on the early days of human societies before people started writing things down. It’s often called the Stone Age because people mainly used stone tools back then. Proto-History comes next, kind of in-between Prehistory and History, around 3000 to 2000 BCE. Finally, History itself is sometimes split into the Stone Age, Bronze Age, and Iron Age, depending on the materials people used for tools and weapons.
The Palaeolithic Age, also known as the Old Stone Age, gets its name from the Greek words for “old” and “stone.” It’s a part of the Prehistoric Period and belongs to the Pleistocene geological era. This period is when people started using stone tools.
In India, we haven’t found any human fossils alongside Stone Age tools, but we can estimate their age through geological dating. Early human settlement in India seems to have happened later than in Africa but around the same time as in other parts of Asia.
Stages of Palaeolithic Age History
Lower Palaeolithic Age
In the Lower Palaeolithic Age in India, people mainly used stones as tools. These tools were used for chopping, like hand axes, cleavers, knives, and choppers, which were made from large pebbles or flakes.
There were two main traditions:
- Soanian tradition: This is a part of the East and Southeast Asian chopper-chopping tool tradition.
- The Acheulian tradition: This tradition is well-known from the western half of the Old World (Africa, Western Europe, West and South Asia). It’s represented by the handaxe-cleaver or biface assemblages.
Some important sites from this period include:
- Singi Talav in Rajasthan
- Bhimbetka and Adamgarh in Madhya Pradesh
- Lalitpur in Uttar Pradesh
- Paisra in Bihar
- Chirki-Nevasa in Maharashtra
- Hunsgi and Yediyapur in Karnataka
- Attirampakkam in Tamil Nadu
Middle Paleolithic Age
During the Middle Palaeolithic period in India, the culture is referred to as Nevasian, similar to Mousterian. This culture is named after Nevasa, where flake tools were found.
Tools during this period included:
- Flake Production: Flakes were made by striking them from pebbles or cobbles and were used to create tools.
- Tool Types: Various types of tools were made, including small and medium-sized handaxes, cleavers, scrapers, borers, and knives. These tools varied in raw materials, shapes, and sizes depending on the region.
- Large Borers and Awls: Large borers or awls with steep retouch on thick flakes were common.
- Variety of Scrapers: Scrapers came in different kinds, such as straight, concave, and convex-sided.
- Anvils and Hammers: Some manufacturing sites had anvils and hammers.
Important sites associated with this culture include:
- Didwana and Budha Pushkar in Rajasthan
- Hiran Valley in Gujarat
- Potwar Plateau between the Indus and Jhelum rivers
- Sanghao Cave in NWFP of Pakistan
- Luni river system, showing tool industries west of the Aravallis
- Chirki Nevasa in Maharashtra
- Kalpi in Uttar Pradesh
Upper Paleolithic Age
In this period, various regions of India witnessed the flourishing of distinct cultures, each leaving behind valuable archaeological evidence. From the rugged landscapes of the Rohiri Hills in Sindh to the fertile plains of Baghor in Madhya Pradesh, the Upper Palaeolithic sites offer insights into the lifestyles and technological prowess of ancient human societies.
Tools:
- The Rallakalava and Gunjuna valleys in the southern Eastern Ghats provide the best-known evidence of blade-and-burin industries in India.
- Bone tools, except for those found in Kurnool caves in Andhra Pradesh, were not common in India.
- Upper Palaeolithic tools indicate the manufacture of specialized hunting tools for both big-game and small-game hunting, as well as for fishing.
Sites:
- Rohiri Hills in Sindh
- Chopani Mando in Belan Valley
- Baghor in Madhya Pradesh
- Paisra in Bihar
- Haora and Khowai valleys in Tripura
- Kurnool and Muchchatla Chintamanu Gavi in Andhra Pradesh
Continue Reading: Free Ancient History Notes For UPSC 2025.