Mesolithic Age : Features, Major Sites, Culture, Findings & Impact

Mesolithic Age: Mesolithic Age is the intermediate stage between the Paleolithic and the Neolithic periods in the Stone Age Culture. The word ‘Mesolithic’ is derived from the Greek words ‘Meso’ meaning ‘middle’ and ‘Lithic’ meaning ‘stone.’ In India, the Mesolithic Age is said to have been from 9000-4000 BCE. Initially, in the Mesolithic era, lived on hunting, fishing, and food gathering. Later on, the Mesolithic man domesticated animals and cultivated plants.

In this article, we will talk about the Mesolithic Age, its period, features, tools of Mesolithic Era, Mesolithic Sites in India, findings of these archaeological sites, their characteristics, the Mesolithic art and culture along with the impact of the Mesolithic Age.

Let’s explore.

Mesolithic Age

Known for being the transitional phase between the Paleolithic and the Neolithic periods of human history, the Mesolithic Age in India lasted from 9000 to 4000 BCE. Mesolithic Age is also known as the Middle Stone Age. The word Mesolithic is derived from the Greek words ‘meso’ meaning ‘middle’ and ‘lithic’ meaning ‘stone’. The Mesolithic man in the beginning survived by hunting, fishing, and foraging for food, but later on went to domesticate animals and cultivate plants. This led to the development of agricultural practices.

Mesolithic age is also known for its tools, especially the Microliths. The tools used in the Mesolithic era were different from the ones used in the Palaeolithic. Mesolithic tools were known for being of a reduced size. There are several Mesolithic sites in India. Apart from this, burials & rock paintings were seen in the Mesolithic period.

Mesolithic Age Time Period 

In various regions all across the world, the time period for the Mesolithic Age is as follows:

Region	Time Period
Northern & Western Europe	10,000- 4000 BCE
Central Europe	10,000- 5500 BC
East Asia	10,000- 6000 BC
Southeast Europe	10,000 to 7000 Years before the Present Day
Middle East and Other parts of the world	10,000- 8000 BCE
India	9000- 4000 BCE

Salient Features of the Mesolithic Age in India

The characteristic features of the Mesolithic Age are as such:

• Transitional phase between the Paleolithic and the Neolithic periods of human history.

• Also known as the Middle Stone Age.

• Mesolithic word is derived from the Greek words ‘meso’ meaning ‘middle’ and ‘lithic’ meaning ‘stone’.

• The Mesolithic man in the beginning survived by hunting, fishing, and foraging for food.

• Later on went to domesticate animals and cultivate plants. This led to the development of agricultural practices.

• The Mesolithic people lived in semi-permanent settlements along with occupying caves and open grounds.

• Reduction in size of well-established tool types.

• Famous for Microliths tools which were basically miniature stone tools.

• Pottery was not seen at most Mesolithic sites except in Laghnaj, Gujarat and Kaimur region of Mirzapur, Uttar Pradesh.

• Plant cultivation began during the last phase of the Mesolithic era.

• Rock art began in the Mesolithic era. The 1st rock paintings in India were discovered at Sohagighat (Kaimur Hills, Uttar Pradesh) in 1867.

• Over 150 Mesolithic rock art sites have been found in India till date, most of them located in Central Indian region such as the Bhimbetka Caves, Kharwar, Jaora and Kathothia (Madhya Pradesh), Sundargarh and Sambalpur (Odisha), Ezhuthu Guha (Kerala).

• Animals dominate the scenes at most Mesolithic rock art sites. However, no snakes were seen in the Mesolithic paintings.

• Mesolithic people supposedly believed in life after death and hence they buried the dead with food items and other goods.

• Prevalence of Burials and rock paintings was seen which gives us an idea of the development of religious practices and division of labour based on gender.

• The remains of plants, animal bones, and other ecological indicators found at these sites, provides an insight into the strategies employed by the Mesolithic people to make use of the available resources.

Major Indian Sites of the Mesolithic Age

The various locations of some Mesolithic sites in India along with their characteristics are:

Site in India	State	Characteristics
Bagor	Rajasthan	Bagor situated on River Kothari is one of the largest & best documented Mesolithic site in India. Its residents earned their income by hunting and pastoralism along with microlith industry.
Adamgarh	Madhya Pradesh	Provides earliest evidence of domestication of animals
Bhimbetka	Madhya Pradesh	More than 500 painted rock shelters have been found
Rakhi Garhi	Haryana	Significant Mesolithic site as it marks the transition from the Mesolithic to the Neolithic period Evidence of early agricultural practices, like the presence of domesticated animals and agricultural tools. Enhances understanding of the cultural and technological advancements
Langhnaj	Gujarat	Earliest evidence of the interment of the dead Pottery has been found.
Kaimur region, Mirzapur	Uttar Pradesh	Pottery has been found.
Mohrana Pahara	Uttar Pradesh	Bone artefacts, arrowheads and bone ornaments were found. Oldest evidence of a burial site has been found
Mahadaha	Uttar Pradesh	Bone artefacts have been found, including arrowheads and bone ornaments.

Findings from Archaeological Excavations of Mesolithic Age

All across India, there are several mesolithic sites. In these sites, various archaeolgical excavations have been done. In the table given below, we will look at what has been excavated in various Mesolithic Indian sites.

Site in India	Archaeological Excavation
Bhimbetka Rock Shelters	Popular Mesolithic site in India, located in Madhya Pradesh. Designated as a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2003. Numerous rock art paintings have been found in which scenes from daily life, animal and human figures, and abstract designs can be seen. Such artistic expressions reveal the social, religious, and cultural aspects of the Mesolithic people.
Bagor Village	Located in Rajasthan. Houses well-preserved archaeological remains. Variety of artefacts, like stone tools, pottery, and animal remains have been excavated which enhance our understanding of the Mesolithic technological advancements and subsistence strategies.
Langhnaj Village	Located in Gujarat. Range of stone tools, pottery fragments, and animal bones have been found which tell us about the settled lifestyle of the Mesolithic people living in Langhnaj. Also shows importance of Hunting and gathering. Such archaeological excavations make us understand the Mesolithic social organization and cultural practices.
Sarai Nahar Rai	Located in Uttar Pradesh. throws light on Mesolithic period’s trade and exchange networks. Variety of artefacts, like stone tools, ornaments, and beads made from shell and bone have been found indicating that the Mesolithic people engaged in long-distance trade, which meant that they interacted with distant communities. Enhances our understanding of the Mesolithic society’s cultural complexities, including their rituals and belief systems.
Adamgarh Cave	Located in Madhya Pradesh. reveals intriguing insights into the artistic expressions of the Mesolithic people. Paintings and engravings showing animals, humans, and geometric designs can be seen in the caves of Adamgarh. Enhances understanding of Mesolithic beliefs, rituals, and worldview
Deccan College Archaeological Site	Located in Pune, Maharashtra. Stone tools, pottery has been excavated from here which serves as evidence of early agricultural practices.
Bhagimori	Located in Rajasthan. Variety of artefacts like microliths, bone tools, and pottery fragments have been found. Helps us undertand the technological advancements and subsistence strategies of the Mesolithic communities in this region.
Chaturbhujnath Nala	Located in Madhya Pradesh. Houses rich archaeological evidence. Stone tools, pottery, and animal bones have been excavated which provides an insight into the daily lives of the Mesolithic people. Enhances understanding of Social organization and cultural complexities of the Mesolithic societies in this region
Baghpat site	Located in Uttar Pradesh. Shows how the Mesolithic people in this region adapted to their environment. Variety of artefacts like stone tools, pottery have been found. Evidence of plant and animal remains. Provides insights into the resource utilization techniques adopted by the Mesolithic people of this region.
Roopkund Lake	Situated in the Himalayas. Skeletal remains have been found in the lake, therefore it is also known as the “Skeleton Lake.” Scientific investigations have revealed that these remains date back to the Mesolithic period. Provides insights into the ancient populations’ activities and how they were connected to this region.
Rakhi Garhi	Located in Haryana. Marks the transition from the Mesolithic to the Neolithic period. Evidence of early agricultural practices, like the presence of domesticated animals and agricultural tools. Enhances understanding of the cultural and technological advancements.

Tools of the Mesolithic Age

The mesolithic era is especially known for its tools, as in this period the tools size reduced. Notable features about the tools used in the Mesolithic era are as such:

• Microliths came to be used. Microliths are miniature stone tools usually made of crypto-crystalline silica, chalcedony or chert, both of geometrical and non-geometrical shapes.

• They were not only used as tools in themselves, but were also used to make composite tools, spearheads, arrowheads and sickles after hafting them on wooden or bone handles.

• Microliths helped the Mesolithic man in hunting small animals & birds.

• Main tool types were blades, points, crescents, triangles, and trapezes.

• Some of the microliths were used as parts of spearheads, arrowheads, knives, sickles, harpoons, and daggers, among other weapons. Others were used as decorative elements.

• Naturally occurring adhesives such as gum and glue were used to hold them together as they were inserted into grooves in bone, wood, and reed shafts.

• Macroliths were also used, they were larger than microliths.

• Mesolithic people also used bone and antler tools. They were made from animal bones and antlers and used for many activities like cutting, scraping, and hunting.

• The Mesolithic man used the bow and arrow for hunting which is also seen in the Mesolithic rock art.

Art of Mesolithic Period

Rock art was prevalent when it comes to the Mesolithic period. It was seen how paintings, engravings, and carvings were made by humans on cave walls, rock shelters, and boulders. Animals, human figures, hunting scenes, and symbols were seen. It is said that this was done for various purposes such as communication, storytelling, or religious and ritualistic practices.

Small-scale sculptures and figurines were seen as well, which were usually made from bone, antler, or stone. They often depicted animals, such as deer or fish, as well as human figures. These figurines may have had symbolic or ritualistic significance within the Mesolithic communities.

Mesolithic people made jewellery and ornaments out of shells, teeth, bones, and stones, having aesthetic and symbolic value.

Mesolithic Culture

Several technological innovations and artistic expressions are a part of the Mesolithic culture. In the sphere of technology, the Mesolithic people were quite advanced. They made the bow and arrow, which revolutionized the hunting techniques. Apart from this, they also used querns, grinders, and hammer stones for grinding and pulverizing plant foods like roots and tubers.

All such changes, allowed the people of the Mesolithic era adapt to their environment in a better manner. Role of art was crucial in the Mesolithic culture as can be seen in the Mesolithic paintings and engravings. 

Impact of Mesolithic Sites in India

Mesolithic archaeological sites in India enhance our understanding of the cultural, social, and technological aspects of this period. Given below is how the mesolithic sites created an impact.

• Preservation of Prehistoric Heritage: Mesolithic sites provide tangible evidence of human existence and activities during the Mesolithic period. This allows us to reconstruct the lifestyles, practices, and technological advancements of our ancient ancestors.

• Importance of Cultural Practices: Study of the artefacts like stone tools, pottery and artistic expressions in the form of cave art, personal ornaments found at Mesolithic sites, throws light on the cultural practices of the Mesolithic people. We also see how important was hunting and food- gathering which was evident in the artistic expressions of this age. It also tells us about the, rituals, and belief systems of the mesolithic people.

• Technological Advancements: The stone tools found at the Mesolithic sites show us how skilled and innovative the people of this age were. They made tools for hunting, gathering, and other daily activities which later enhanced their stone tool-making techniques.

• Resource Utilization: Mesolithic people put to good use whatever they found around them, this shows how easily they adapted to their environment by using different raw materials.

• Social Organization: Distribution of artefacts, settlement patterns, and burial practices found at these Mesolithic sites provides an insight into the society, community and intergroup relationships of the Mesolithic people. Through the excavations, archaeologists get information about family units, division of labor, the roles and responsibilities within the communities.

• Human Adaptation: The remains of plants, animal bones, and other ecological indicators found at these sites, provides an insight into the strategies employed by the Mesolithic people to make use of the available resources.

Conclusion on Mesolithic Age

Thus we see how from hunting and food-gathering, the Mesolithic man went on to domesticating animals and cultivating plants. Mesolithic age is the transitional phase between the Paleolithic and the Neolithic age. Also known as the Middle Stone Age, it lasted from 9000-4000 BCE in India. The Mesolithic people lived in semi-permanent settlements like caves and open grounds. Known mostly for is use of microliths and tools that were smaller in size, the Mesolithic man created the bow and arrow for hunting.

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FAQs on Mesolithic Age

What is the Mesolithic Age?

Mesolithic Age is the intermediate stage between the Paleolithic and the Neolithic periods in the Stone Age Culture. Initially, in the mesolithic era, lived on hunting, fishing and food gathering. Later on, the Mesolithic man domesticated animals.

What does the term ‘Mesolithic’ mean?

The word ‘Mesolithic’ is derived from the Greek words ‘Meso’ meaning ‘middle’ and ‘Lithic’ meaning ‘stone.’

When was the Mesolithic Age in India?

In India, the Mesolithic Age was from 9000- 4000 BCE.

Mention some major sites of the Mesolithic Age.

Major sites in India related to the Mesolithic Age are: Bhimbetka and Adamgarh in Madhya Pradesh, Rakhigarhi in Haryana, Bagor in Rajasthan, Langhnaj in Gujarat, Mohrana Pahara in Uttar Pradesh to name a few.

What kind of tools were used in the Mesolithic Age?

Microliths, macrolaths, bone and antler tools were used in the Mesolithic Age.