Palaeolithic Age in India
I. Introduction
The word Palaeolithic is derived from the Greek words palaeos (old) and lithos (stone), meaning the Old Stone Age.
This period belongs to the Pleistocene epoch of the Quaternary era.
Time span in India: Approximately 5,00,000 BCE to 10,000 BCE.
Main characteristics:
a) Humans lived as hunter-gatherers.
b) They were nomadic, moving from place to place in search of food.
c) Use of stone tools was the defining feature.
Evidence:
a) No human fossils have yet been found in direct association with Stone Age tools in India.
b) Geological dating of tools, however, confirms antiquity.
c) The cultural sequence in India is later than Africa but contemporaneous with Asia.
The Palaeolithic Age is divided into three phases, based on tool technology, economy, and cultural traits.
III. Lower Palaeolithic Age in India (5,00,000 – 1,00,000 BCE)
Human Species: Homo habilis and Homo erectus.
Tools:
a) Heavy core tools such as hand axes, cleavers, choppers.
b) Made from pebbles or large flakes.
c) Traditions:Soanian Tradition – chopper-chopping tools of East and Southeast Asia.
Acheulian Tradition – biface hand-axe and cleaver industry found in South Asia, Africa, and Europe.
Way of Life:
a) Nomadic hunters and food gatherers.
b) Depended on hunting animals and collecting roots, fruits, and nuts.
c) Language was primitive; mostly gestures and sounds.
d) Shelters: open spaces, river valleys, caves, and rock shelters (e.g., Bhimbetka).Important Sites:
a) Bhimbetka and Adamgarh – Madhya Pradesh.
b) Singi Talav (Didwana) – Rajasthan.
c) Paisra – Bihar.
d) Chirki Nevasa – Maharashtra.
e) Hunsgi and Yediyapur – Karnataka.
f) Attirampakkam – Tamil Nadu.
IV. Middle Palaeolithic Age in India (1,00,000 – 40,000 BCE)
Human Species: Early Homo sapiens.
Tools:
a) Flake tools produced by striking flakes from cores.
b) Smaller hand axes, scrapers (straight, concave, convex), borers, knives.
c) Use of raw materials like chert, jasper, chalcedony, quartz.
d) Core preparation techniques were common.Way of Life:
a) Hunter-gatherer society.
b) Evidence of ritualistic burials.
c) Signs of improved language skills.
d) Habitation in open areas, caves, and shelters.Important Sites:
a) Didwana and Budha Pushkar – Rajasthan.
b) Hiran Valley – Gujarat.
c) Potwar Plateau – Pakistan.
d) Sanghao Cave – NWFP, Pakistan.
e) Chirki Nevasa – Maharashtra.
f) Kalpi – Uttar Pradesh.
V. Upper Palaeolithic Age in India (40,000 – 10,000 BCE)
Human Species: Homo sapiens sapiens (modern man).
Tools:
a) Blade and burin industries.
b) Specialised hunting tools for both large and small game.
c) Bone tools found at Kurnool caves.
d) Scrapers (side, ovate, discoid, bifacial).Way of Life:
a) First evidence of art and symbolism – cave paintings at Bhimbetka.
b) Use of ornaments, beads, decorations.
c) Semi-permanent settlements.
d) Advanced hunting and fishing practices.Important Sites:
a) Bhimbetka cave paintings – Madhya Pradesh.
b) Rohiri Hills – Sindh.
c) Chopani Mando (Belan Valley) – Uttar Pradesh.
d) Baghor – Madhya Pradesh.
e) Haora and Khowai valleys – Tripura.
f) Kurnool caves – Andhra Pradesh.
VI. Significance of the Palaeolithic Age in India
Marks the earliest phase of human settlement in India
Provides evidence of evolution from Homo erectus to Homo sapiens sapiens.
Development of tool-making traditions – from crude pebble tools to sophisticated blades and burins.
Emergence of symbolic culture and art in the Upper Palaeolithic.
Acts as the founation for the Mesolithic Age, which witnessed microliths and the beginnings of food production.
FAQs
Q1. What is the meaning of the term Palaeolithic?
Ans. The word Palaeolithic comes from the Greek words palaeos (old) and lithos (stone), meaning the Old Stone Age.
Q2. What is the time span of the Palaeolithic Age in India?
Ans. The Palaeolithic Age in India lasted from about 5,00,000 BCE to 10,000 BCE, belonging to the Pleistocene epoch.
Q3. Into how many phases is the Palaeolithic Age divided in India?
Ans. It is divided into three phases:
i. Lower Palaeolithic (5,00,000 – 1,00,000 BCE)
ii. Middle Palaeolithic (1,00,000 – 40,000 BCE)
iii. Upper Palaeolithic (40,000 – 10,000 BCE)
Q4. Who were the human species during the Palaeolithic Age?
Ans.
i. Lower Palaeolithic – Homo habilis and Homo erectus.
ii. Middle Palaeolithic – Early Homo sapiens.
iii. Upper Palaeolithic – Homo sapiens sapiens (modern man).
Q5. What kind of tools were used during the Palaeolithic Age?
Ans.
i. Lower Palaeolithic – Hand axes, cleavers, choppers.
ii. Middle Palaeolithic – Flake tools such as scrapers, borers, knives.
iii. Upper Palaeolithic – Blades, burins, scrapers, bone tools.
Q6. Which sites are important for the Lower Palaeolithic culture in India?
Ans. Important sites include Bhimbetka (Madhya Pradesh), Attirampakkam (Tamil Nadu), Didwana (Rajasthan), Chirki Nevasa (Maharashtra), Hunsgi (Karnataka), and Paisra (Bihar).
Q7. What are the main features of Middle Palaeolithic culture?
Ans.
i. Development of flake tool industry.
ii. Decrease in the use of hand axes.
iii. Use of raw materials like chert, jasper, chalcedony.
iv. Evidence of burial practices and better language skills.
Q8. Which is the most important feature of the Upper Palaeolithic Age?
Ans. The emergence of modern humans (Homo sapiens sapiens) and the development of art, ornaments, beads, and cave paintings (e.g., Bhimbetka).
Q9. What traditions are associated with Lower Palaeolithic tool industries in India?
Ans. Two traditions are identified:
i. Soanian tradition – Chopper-chopping tools of East and Southeast Asia.
ii. Acheulian tradition – Hand-axe and cleaver tradition, widespread in South Asia, Africa, and Europe.
Q10. Why is the Palaeolithic Age significant in Indian history?
Ans. It marks the earliest human settlement in India, shows the evolution of human species, the growth of tool-making traditions, and the beginnings of symbolic culture and art, paving the way for the Mesolithic and Neolithic Ages.