Ancient India

The Early Man

• The fossils of the early humans have been found in Africa about 2.6 million
  years back, but there are no such evidence in India. So, it appears that India was inhabited later than Africa.
• The artefacts discovered from Bori in Maharashtra suggest that the appearance of early humans in India was around 1.4 million years ago.
• The modern humans (Homo sapiens) first appeared in Africa around 2 lakh
  years ago and in India around 70,000 years ago.
• The early man in India used tools of stone roughly dressed by crude clipping. This period is therefore, known as the Stone Age, which has
  been divided into
• The Palaeolithic or Old Stone Age
• The Mesolithic or Middle Stone Age
• The Neolithic or New Stone Age

The Palaeolithic Age (500000 BC-9000 BC)

• The Palaeolithic culture of India developed in the pleistocene period or the ice age.
• Robert Bruce Foote was the first to discover a palaeolithic site in India. Homo Sapiens first appeared towards the end of this phase.
• Palaeolithic men were hunters and food gatherers. They had no knowledge of agriculture or pottery. They used tools of unpolished, rough stones and lived in cave and rock shelters.
• Their tools were mostly made of quartzite, thus, 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.
• Early or Lower Palaeolithic
• Middle Palaeolithic
• Upper Palaeolithic

The Mesolithic Age (9000 BC-6000 BC)

• It was a transitional phase between the Palaeolithic Age and the Neolithic Age.
• In this age, climate became 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 later stage, they also domesticated animals.
• The characteristic tools of the Mesolithic Age are microliths. Microliths were small tools made of stone pointed cresconic blades, scrapers, etc made up of stones were other important tools.
• Adamgarh in Madhya Pradesh and Bagor in Rajasthan provide the earliest evidence for the domestication of animals.
• The people of Palaeolithic and Mesolithic ages practiced painting Bhimbetka in Madhya Pradesh is a striking site of Pre-historic painting of Mesolithic age.

The Neolithic Age (6000 BC-1800 BC)

• The people of this age are characterised by the use of polished stone tools. They particularly used stone axes.
• Important Neolithic sites in India include Burzahom, Mehrgarh, Daojali Hading, Chirand, Maski, Brahmagiri, Hallur, Piklihal, Utnoor, Nagarjunakonda and Paiyampalli.
• It is interesting that in Burzahom 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 millenium BC. They domesticated cattle, sheeps and goats. They wove cotton and wool to make clothes.
• Hand made pottery and use of potter wheel first appeared during the Neolithic age.
• Neolithic men lived in caves and decorated their walls with hunting and dancing scenes. They knew the art of making boats. In the later phase, people lived a more settled life and lived in circular and rectangular houses made of mud and reed. Pit houses have been found in Burzahom.
• Koldihwa in UP revealed a three fold cultural sequence: Neolithic, Chalcolithic and iron age. Mehargarh in Baluchistan is the oldest Neolithic site in India (7000 BC).

Chalcolithic Culture (1800 BC-1000 BC)

• The end of the Neolithic period saw the use of metals. Copper was the first metal to be used.
• Chalcolithic culture refers to the stone-copper phase. People also used hand-axes and other objects made up of copper ware.
• Chalcolithic people were primarily rural communities. They domesticated animals and practised agriculture. They were not acquainted with burnt bricks and lived in thatched houses. They venerated the mother Goddess and worshipped the bull.
• The people of Chalcolithic culture were the first to use painted pottery. Black and red pottery painted with white line design was most popular.
• The Malwa ware is considered the richest ceramics. among the Chalcolithic
• Important chalcolithic sites in India are Ahar, Jorwe, Kayatha, Malwa, Eran, Rangpur, Navdatoli, Nevasa, Daimabad and Inamgaon.