The Prehistoric
Period
The prehistoric period in the
history of mankind can roughly be dated from 200000 BC to about 3500-2500 BC, when the
first civilisations began to take shape. The history of India is no exception. The first
modern human beings or the Homo sapiens set foot on the Indian subcontinent anywhere
between 200000 BC and 40000 BC and they soon spread throughout a large part of the
subcontinent, including peninsular India. They continuously flooded the Indian
subcontinent in waves after waves of migration from what is present-day Iran. These
primitive people moved in groups of few ‘families’ and lived mainly on hunting and gathering.
Stone Age
The age when the prehistoric man
began to use stones for utilitarian purpose is termed as the Stone Age. The Stone Age is divided into
three broad divisions — Paleolithic Age or the Old Stone Age (from unknown till 8000 BC), Mesolithic
Age or the Middle Stone Age (8000 BC-4000 BC) and the Neolithic Age or the New Stone Age (4000
BC-2500 BC) on the basis of the specialization of the stone tools, which were made during that time.
Paleolithic Age
The human beings living in the
Paleolithic Age were essentially food gatherers and depended on nature for food. The art of hunting and
stalking wild animals individually and later in groups led to these people
making stone weapons and tools. First, crudely
carved out stones were used in hunting, but as the size of the groups began to increase and there was need for
more food, these people began to make “specialized tools” by flaking stones, which were pointed on one end.
These kind of tools were generally used to kill small animals and for tearing
flesh from the carcass of the hunted
animals. The basic technique of making these crude tools was by taking a stone
and flaking its sides with a heavier
stone. These tools were characteristic of the Paleolithic Age and were very
rough. By this time, human beings had come to make
and use fire.
Mesolithic Age
In the Mesolithic Age, the stone
tools began to be made more pointed and sharp. To ensure a life that had abundance of food and clothing,
the stone tools began to appear in increasingly specialized way. The simple handheld stone tools were now
attached to thick branches from trees with rope made from animal skin and
sinew. These tools are known as hand
axes, which could be flung at fast-moving animals from a distance. Apart from
hand axes, they also produced crude
stone-tipped wooden spears, borers, and burins. This period also saw the domestication of animals and
graving of wild varieties of crops. Because of farming, small settlements began
to
take shape. Archaeological
excavations have unearthed Mesolithic sites in the Chotta Nagpur area of
central India and the areas south of the
Krishna River. The famous Bhimbetka caves near Bhopal belong to the Mesolithic Age and are famous for
their cave paintings. The exact dale of these paintings is not certain, but
some of the paintings are as old as 12,000
years. The prehistoric artist used natural white and red pigments in depicting
the various themes, which were close to his heart and
sustenance.
Neolithic Age
The Neolithic Age (4000 BC-2500 BC)
or the New Stone Age was the last phase of the Stone Age and is characterized by very finely
flaked, small stone tools, also known as blades and burins. The Neolithic Age also saw the domestication of
cattle, horses, and other farm animals. which were used for dairy and meat products. An important
invention of this time was the making of the wheel. The Neolithic Age quickly gave way to a number of
small “cultures” that were highly technical. These people used copper and bronze to make a range of
utilitarian tools. This phase or period is termed as the Chalcolithic Age’(1800 BC-I000 BC).
chalcolithic
Phase
Towards the end of the Neolithic
period, metals like bronze and copper began to be used. This was the Chalcolithic phase (1800 BC to
1000 BC). Chalcolithic cultures extended from the Chotanagpur plateau to the upper Gangetic basin. Some of
the sites of this era are Brahmgiri (near Mysore) and Navada Toli on the Narmada.
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