The prehistoric period
The prehistoric period in the history of mankind can roughly be dated from 2,00,000 BC to about 3500-2500 BC, when the first civilizations began to take shape. History of india is no exception.
The first modern human beings or the homosapiens set foot on the Indian subcontinent somewher between 2,00,000 BC and 40,000 BC and they soon spread through a large part of the subcontinent, including peninsular India. They continuously flooded the Indian subcontinent in 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 called as the stone age. Stone age is divided into three broad divisions- paleolithic age or old stone age, mesolithic age or middle stone age and neolithic age or new stone age on the basis of the specialisation of 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 of food. The art of hunting and stalking wild animals individually and later in groups led to these people making stone weapons and tools.
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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 toos 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 are characheristic of the paleolithic age and were very rough. By this time, human beings had started making and using 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. Apart from hand axes, they also produced crude, stone tipped wooden spears, borers and burins. This period also saw the domestication of animals and cultivation of wild varieties of crops. Because of farming, small settlements began to take shape.
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Archaeological excavations have unearthed mesolithic sites in chotta nagpur area of central india and the areas south of the river krishna. The famous bhimbetka caves near bhopal belong to the mesolithic age and are famous for their cave paintings. The exact date 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
Neolithic age (4000BC- 2500 BC) or new stone age was the last phase of stone age and is characterised by very finely flaked small stone tools, also known as blades and burins. Neolithic age also saw the domestication of cattle, horses, and other farm animals.
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An important invention of this time was the wheel. Neolithic age quickly gave way to a number of small cultures that were highly technical.
Chalcolithic age
Towards the end of neolithic age metals like bronze and copper began to be used. This was the chalcolithic phase (1800BC to 1000 BC). Chalcolithic cultures extended from the chotanagpur plateau to the upper gangetic basin. Some of the sites of this era are brahmagiri and navada toli on river narmada.
