Prehistoric Phase in India_Notes on Ancient Indian History

Introduction

❖ The study of past events with the help of written documents, oral accounts, artefacts, coins, arts and pictography is called history.

❖ In broader sense here the study of the past means discovery, collection, organization, presentation, and interpretation of these past events.

❖ The word ‘history’ derived from the Greek word ‘historia’.
❖ ‘historia’ means “inquiry, ‘knowledge from inquiry”, or “judge”.

Classification of History

❖ On the basis of the time period the History is divided into three parts. They are __
◘ 1. Ancient history (6000 BC – 650 AD)
◘ 2. Medieval history  (500 AD – 1500 AD)
◘ 3. Modern history  (500 AD – Present Day)

Division of history

❖ On the basis of discovery of writing and reading system the History is divided into three main categories. They are __
◘ 1. Prehistory
◘ 2. Protohistory
◘ 3. History

❖ Prehistory-

• The time before the writing method was invented.
• It is represented by the three stone ages.

• British geologist and archaeologist, Robert Bruce Foote is considered to be the father of prehistory.

• He discovered the first Paleolithic tool, a handaxe.
• He found the tool at Pallavaram near Madras in southern India.

❖ Proto-history –

• Period between prehistory and history.
• The script / writing system has been found, but remains undecipherable.
• Example – Script of the Indus Valley Civilization (Pictographic Script), Vedic civilization (oral literary tradition)

❖ History –

• Events occurring after the invention of writing and reading systems (writing sources deciphered).
• Societies based on the written and archaeological sources.
• Example – Jainism, Buddhism, Medieval and Modern India to till date.

Classification of Stone Age

❖ On the basis of geological age, the type and technology of stone tools, and subsistence base, the Indian Stone Age is classified primarily into three type ……
◘ Old stone Age or Paleolithic Age (5,00,000 − 10,000 BCE)
◘ Late Stone Age or Mesolithic Age (10,000 − 6000 BCE)
◘ New Stone Age or Neolithic Age  (6,000 −1000 BCE)

❒ Paleolithic Age

➢ Paleolithic Age is the earliest period of the Stone Age.
➢ It is developed in the Pleistocene period or the Ice Age.

➢ On the based on the nature of stone tools, It is divided into three phases, They are__
◘ Early or lower Paleolithic

• It Covers the greater part of the Ice Age.
• Fire was discovered in this age.

◘ Middle Paleolithic

• Established by Hasmukh Dhirajlal Sankalia and was named Nevasan industry after the site of Nevasa (Maharashtra).

• He excavated Pravara River valley located  at Nevasa.

◘ Late or Upper Paleolithic

• Homo sapiens first appeared at the end of this phase.
• Coincided with the last phase of the Ice Age.

Important Tools of this age

Location of the three Paleolithic age

❒ Mesolithic Age

➢ Mesolithic Culture belong to the Holocene era.
➢ Key aspects of the Mesolithic Age was the reduction in size of well-established tool types.

➢ The Mesolithic people lived by hunting animals, fishing and gathering food.

➢ The main characteristic features of the Mesolithic age was use of microlithic tools.

➢ Features of Microlithic tools
◘ It is a miniature version of the well established tools in Palaeolithic age.
◘ These stone tools usually made up of cryptocrystalline silica, chalcedony, or chert.
◘ The materials can be geometrical and non-geometrical shapes.

➢ Major Tools in this Age – Composite tools, spearheads, arrowheads, and sickles after hafting them on wooden or bone handles.

➢ Major characteristic features of this age
◘ Evidence of Pottery found at Langhnaj in Gujarat, and Kaimur region at Mirzapur, Uttar Pradesh.

◘ The Mesolithic era initiated rock art in pre-history.
◘ In 1867, the first rock paintings discovered at Sohagighat (Kaimur Hills, Uttar Pradesh).

◘ No snakes are depicted in Mesolithic Paintings.

➢ Important Mesolithic sites

• Madhya Pradesh (Bhimbetka Caves, Kharwar, Jaora, and Kathotia)
• Odisha (Sundargarh and Sambalpur)
• Kerala (Ezhuthu Guha)
• Central India (Chhotanagpur Region)
• Tamil Nadu (Tinnevelly)
• West Bengal (Birbhanpur)

• Uttar Pradesh ( Sarai Nahar Rai near Allahabad , Mahadaha)
_ Bone artifacts including arrowheads and bone ornaments. are found in Mahadaha.

• Rajasthan (Bagor ,on River Kothari) – One of the largest and best documented Mesolithic sites.

♦ Both Adamgarh in Madhya Pradesh and Bagor in Rajasthan provide the earliest evidence for the domestication of animals.

❒ Neolithic Age

➲ Major characteristic features of this age
◘ Neolithic Age also known as Food-Producing Stage.
◘ The people of the Neolithic age cultivated land and grew fruits & corn like ragi and horse gram.

◘ Neolithic man domesticated animals like cattle, sheep, and goats.

◘ They made the first hand made pottery with the help of the potter’s wheel.
◘ Their pottery included black burnished ware, grey ware, and mat-impressed ware.

◘ They mostly lived in circular and rectangular houses which is made up of mud and reed.

◘ They also knew how to make boats and could spin cotton and wool and weave cloth.

➲ Major tools of this age
◘ Mostly Polished stone tools like pecked, ground stone tools and handaxes.
◘ Neolithic man uses polished stones and celts instead of quartzite for making tools.

➲ Three Important Neolithic Settlements
◘ North-Western Region
• Major tools – rectangular axes with curved cutting edge.

◘ North-Eastern Region
• Polished stone axes with rectangular butt, has occasional shouldered hoes.

◘ Southern region
• Axes with oval sides and pointed butt.

➲ Important Excavated Sites
◘ Mehrgarh
• It is the earliest Neolithic site known as the Breadbasket of Baluchistan, a province of Pakistan.

◘ Burzahom
• Evidence of unique rectangular chopper, domestic dogs (buried with their masters in graves) found here.

◘ Chopani Mando, Belan valley
• Earliest evidence of use of pottery.

◘ Belan Valley (Northern side of Vindhyas, middle of the Narmada valley
• Evidence of all the three phases of Paleolithic , Mesolithic and Neolithic settlements found here.

◘ Koldihwa, Belan valley
• Neolithic, Chalcolithic and Iron Age settlements.

◘ Koldihwa and Mahagara, south of Allahabad
• Earliest evidence of rice cultivation in the world.

◘ Gufkraal in Jammu and Kashmir
• Famous for pit dwelling, stone tools, and graveyards.

◘ Piklihal
• Proof of cattle herding

◘ Budihal
• Community food preparation and feasting.

◘ Chirand in Bihar
• Evidence of use of antlers made bone implements.

❒ Chalcolithic Age (3000 – 500 BCE)

➢ Chalcolithic Age Also knew as Copper-Stone Age
➢ It is the transition phase between Stone age and Bronze age.

➢ Greek word ‘Chalkos’ means “Copper.”

➢ From this phase the Chalcolithic people started using metal along with stone tools.

➢ The first metal to be used was copper.

➢ The Chalcolithic age largely covers the late stone age or neolithic age or pre Harappans settlements and the  remaining part covers the bronze age or mature Harappan settlements .

➲ Major PreHarappan Chalcolithic site
◘ Ganeshwar, near the Khetri Mines of Rajasthan
◘ Kalibangan in Rajasthan
◘ Banawali in Haryana
◘ Kot Diji in Sindh (Pakistan)

➲ Domesticated animals of Chalcolithic people
◘ Cows
◘ Sheep
◘ Goats
◘ Pigs
◘ Buffaloes
◘ Deer

♦ They are not acquainted with horses.

➲ Common food of Chalcolithic people
◘ As a staple food the Chalcolithic people produces wheat and rice.

◘ Other food materials they produced are bajra, several pulses such as lentils, black gram, green gram, and grass pea etc.

◘ Besides agricultural products they also ate meat of all the domesticated animals except Pigs.

➲ Major features of Chalcolithic age
◘ Chalcolithic people practiced jhum cultivation.
◘ But, neither the plough nor the hoe has been found at any site of this period.
◘ They used mainly black and red pottery.

◘ Infant mortality was very high among Chalcolithic people.
◘ They were generally lived in thatched houses , made of mud bricks.
◘ They were not acquainted with burnt brick.
◘ Chalcolithic-era people did not know the use of writing.
◘ Small clay images of earth goddesses have been found from Chalcolithic sites.

◘ The bull is considered to be the religious cult symbols of Chalcolithic people.

◘ The Chalcolithic people knew the art of copper-smelting , manufacturing of beads of semi-precious stones such as carnelian, steatite, and quartz crystal.

◘ They knew spinning and weaving.

➲ Major Chalcolithic sites
◘ Ahar, Rajasthan in Banas Valley
• Major evidence of Metallurgy like smelting of copper and stone houses

◘ Gilund, Rajasthan in Banas Valley
• Major evidence of occasional use of burnt bricks.

◘ Western Maharashtra
• Burial of a large number of children found here.

◘ Nevasa, Jorwe
• non-Harappan culture

◘ Navdatoli
• cultivated almost all food grains

◘ Daimabad
• Largest Jorwe culture site in the Godavari valley.
• Daimabad famous for the recovery of bronze goods.

◘ Songaon, Inamgaon
• large mud houses with ovens and circular pit house. and Nasik, Maharashtra.

◘ Kayatha
• Mud-plastered floors, pre-Harappan elements in pottery

◘ Malwa
• Richest Chalcolithic ceramics, spindle whors, non-Harappan culture.

◘ Eran, M.P
• Non- Harappan culture.

Pre History Phase Key Points

Division of Stone age