Pre History

Pre History 

The English word ‘history’ comes from the Greek historia, meaning

“inquiry, knowledge acquired by investigation”. It corresponds to the

study of the past and throws light on various past events of significance

which shaped and evolved human experiences. History is further

divided into pre-history, proto-history, and history.

Old stone Age, Palaeolithic Age (5,00,000−10,000 BCE)

Late Stone Age, Mesolithic Age (10,000−6000 BCE)

New Stone Age, Neolithic Age (6,000−1000 BCE)

Palaeolithic Age (Hunters and Food

Gatherers)

The Palaeolithic Age is the earliest period of the Stone Age, which

developed in the Pleistocene period or the Ice Age. It was spread in

practically all parts of India except the alluvial plains of the Indus and

Ganga. The Palaeolithic man of India are said to have belonged to the

Negrito race and lived in caves and rock shelters. They were food

gathering people who lived on hunting and gathering wild fruits and

vegetables. They had no knowledge of agriculture, house building,

pottery, or any metal. It was only in later stages that they attained the

knowledge of fire. Man, during this period, used tools of unpolished,

undressed rough stones — mainly hand axes, cleavers, choppers,

blades, burin, and scrapers. Since the stone tools were made of a hard

rock called ‘quartzite’, Palaeolithic men are therefore also called

‘Quartzite men’ in India.

The Old Stone Age sites are widely found in various parts of

the Indian subcontinent. These sites are generally located near water

sources. Several rock shelters and caves used by the Paleolithic

people are scattered across the subcontinent. They also lived rarely

in huts made of leaves. 

Some of the famous sites of Old Stone Age

in India are:

a. The Soan valley and Potwar Plateau on the northwest India.

b. The Siwalik hills on the north India.

c. Bhimpetka in Madhya Pradesh.

d. Adamgarh hill in Narmada valley.

e. Kurnool in Andhra Pradesh and

f. Attirampakkam near Chennai.

In the Old Stone Age, food was obtained by hunting animals

and gathering edible plants and tubers. Therefore, these people are

called as hunter-gatherers. They used stone tools, hand-sized and

flaked-off large pebbles for hunting

animals. Stone implements are made of a

hard rock known as quartzite. Large

pebbles are often found in river terraces.

The hunting of large animals would have

required the combined effort of a group

of people with large stone axes. We have

little knowledge about their language and

communication. Their way of life became modified with the passage

of time since they made attempts to domesticate animals, make crude

pots and grow some plants. A few Old Stone Age paintings have

also been found on rocks at Bhimbetka and other places. The period

before 10000 B.C. is assigned to the Old Stone Age.

Mesolithic Age (Hunters and Herders)

Mesolithic or Middle Stone Age

The next stage of human life is called Mesolithic or Middle

Stone Age which falls roughly from 10000 B.C. to 6000 B.C. It

was the transitional phase between the Paleolithic Age and Neolithic

Age. Mesolithic remains are found in Langhanj in Gujarat, Adamgarh

in Madhya Pradesh and also in some places of Rajasthan, Utter

Pradesh and Bihar. The paintings and engravings found at the rock

shelters give an noidea about the social life and economic activities of

Mesolithic people. In the sites of Mesolithic Age, a different type of

stone tools is found. These are tiny stone artifacts, often not more

than five centimeters in size, and therefore called microliths. The

hunting-gathering pattern of life continued during this period.

However, there seems to have been a shift from big animal hunting

to small animal hunting and fishing. The use of bow and arrow also

began during this period. Also, there began a tendency to settle for

longer periods in an area. Therefore, domestication of animals,

horticulture and primitive cultivation started. Animal bones are found

in these sites and these include dog, deer, boar and ostrich.

Occasionally, burials of the dead along with some microliths and

shells seem to have been practiced.

Neolithic Age

A remarkable progress is

noticed in human civilization in the

Neolithic Age. It is approximately

dated from 6000 B.C to 4000

B.C. Neolithic remains are found

in various parts of India. These

include the Kashmir valley,

Chirand in Bihar, Belan valley in

Uttar Pradesh and in several places of the Deccan. The important

Neolithic sites excavated in south India are Maski, Brahmagiri, Hallur

and Kodekal in Karnataka, Paiyampalli in Tamil Nadu and Utnur in

Andhra Pradesh.

The chief characteristic features of the Neolithic culture are

the practice of agriculture, domestication of animals, polishing of

stone tools and the manufacture of pottery. In fact, the cultivation of

plants and domestication of animals led to the emergence of village

communities based on sedentary life.

There was a great improvement in technology of making tools

and other equipments used by man. Stone tools were now polished.

The polished axes were found to be more effective tools for hunting

and cutting trees. Mud brick houses were built instead of grass huts.

Wheels were used to make pottery. Pottery was used for cooking

as well as storage of food grains. Large urns were used as coffins

for the burial of the dead. There was also improvement in agriculture.

Wheat, barely, rice, millet were cultivated in different areas at

different points of time. Rice cultivation was extensive in eastern

India. Domestication of sheep, goats and cattle was widely prevalent.

Cattle were used for cultivation and for transport. The people of

Neolithic Age used clothes made of cotton and wool.

Metal Age

The Neolithic period is followed by Chalcolithic (copper-stone)

period when copper and bronze came to be used. The new

technology of smelting metal ore and crafting metal artifacts is an

important development in human civilization. But the use of stone

tools was not given up. Some of the micro-lithic tools continued to

be essential items. People began to travel for a long distance to

obtain metal ores. This led to a network of Chalcolithic cultures

and the Chalcolithic cultures were found in many parts of India.

Generally, Chalcolithic cultures had grown in river valleys.

Most importantly, the Harappan culture is considered as a part of

Chalcolithic culture. In South India the river valleys of the Godavari,

Krishna, Tungabhadra, Pennar and Kaveri were settled by farming

communities during this period. Although they were not using metals

in the beginning of the Metal Age, there is evidence of copper and

bronze artifacts by the end of second millennium B.C. Several bronze

and copper objects, beads, terracotta figurines and pottery were

found at Paiyampalli in Tamil Nadu.

The Chalcolithic age is followed by Iron Age. Iron is frequently

referred to in the Vedas. The Iron Age of the southern peninsula is

often related to Megalithic Burials. Megalith means Large Stone.

The burial pits were covered with these stones. Such graves are

extensively found in South India. Some of the important megalithic

sites are Hallur and Maski in Karnataka, Nagarjunakonda in Andhra

Pradesh and Adichchanallur in Tamil Nadu. Black and red pottery,

iron artifacts such as hoes and sickles and small weapons were

found in the burial pits.