Ancient India

The Stone Age : Pre History

1: The fossils of the early human being have not beet found in india, but in Africa about 2.6 million years back. So, it appears that lndia was settled later than Africa.

2. The recent reported artefacis from Bart in Maharashtra suggest the appearance of human beings in india around 1.4 million years ago. 

3. The early man in india used tools of stone roughly dressed by crude clipping. This period is therefore. known as the StoncAge, which has been divided into “the Palaeolithic or Old Stone Age (5 lakh 9000 BC) The Mesolithic or Middle Stone Age (9000-4000 BC) ' The Neolithic or New Stone Age (4000-1000 BC)

4. it seems that Palaeolithic men belonged to the Negnto race. Homo sapiens first appeared in the last of this phase.

5.Palaeolithic men were hunters and food gatherers. They had no knowledge of agriculture. lire or pottery. they used tools of unpolished, undressed rough stones and lrved in cave rock shelters They are also called Quartzite men

6. The mesolithic people lived on hunting. fishing and food-gathering. At a later stage they also domesticated animals.

7. The characteristics tools of the Mesolithic Age are microliths, pointed cresconic blades. scrapers, etc, made up of stones.

8. Mamgari: in Madhya Pradesh and Bagor in Rajasthan pmvrde the earliest evrdence for the domestication of animals.

8.The people of Palaeolithic and Mesolithic ages practictsed painting, Bhimbctkn in Madhya Pradesh is a striking site of Pre-historic painting.

9.The people of Neolithic age used tools and implements of polished stone. They particularly used stone axes.

10.it is interesting that in Bumhom domestic dogs were buried With their masters in their graves.

The neoliihic settleis were the earliest farming communities. They produced ragi and horse-gram (kulaihi). Neolithic Sites in Allahabad district are noted for the cultivation of rice in the SlKll’i millenium BC. They domesticated cattle. sheeps and goats. They wove cotton and wool to make cloths.

11.Hand made pottery and use ot‘ potter wheel first appears during the neolithic age.