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Prehistoric Age Of India (Part-II)

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Neolithic Age:

– It is the food-producing stage. Food production was developed at this time, and ragi and horse gram (kulthi), wheat, barley, rice, and millet were some of the most popular edible foods.

– During this time, pottery was invented, with the first hand-made pottery using the potter’s wheel. Black burnished ware, grey ware, and mat-impressed ware are all examples of it. Pottery may be used for both cooking and storing food grains.

– There was the appearance of a hamlet, as there were significant production centres, rather than cities, where these products were consumed. Mehrgarh, India’s first village, was founded in 6000 BC. During the late Neolithic period, village communities arose. We also saw gender and age-based labour divisions.

– Production of stone tools, including polished, pecked, and ground stone tools, is another example of technological innovation. The people were no longer reliant on Quartzite implements. People of this era were aware of six metals: gold, silver, copper, tin, bronze, and lead, although metal use was not common at the time. Instead of grass huts, mud-brick dwellings were constructed, and cotton and woollen clothing was worn.

– Kashmir valley, Chirand in Bihar, Belan valley in Uttar Pradesh, and several spots in Deccan were Neolithic sites. Maski, Brahmagiri, Hallur, and Kodekal in Kerala, Paiyampalli in Tamil Nadu, and Utnoor in Andhra Pradesh are among the important sites excavated.

Neolithic Age Tools:

Gordon Childe dubbed the Neolithic period the Neolithic Revolution, owing to the application of technology and ingenuity in the production of stone tools during the time. Innovative stone tool manufacture, such as polished, pecked, and ground stone tools, was seen throughout this period. For creating tools, people relied on polished stones other than quartzite. Three areas can be defined based on the sorts of axes:
a. Rectangular axes with curved cutting edges in the northwest.
b. Polished stone axes with rectangular butts, with occasional shouldered hoes in the northeast.
c. Axes with oval sides and pointy butts towards the south.

Evidence from Neolithic Sites:

Burzahom archaeological excavation revealed (rectangular chopper, domestic dogs buried with masters) in Jammu & Kashmir, and Gufkral archaeological excavation revealed (rectangular chopper, domestic dogs buried with masters (famous for pit dwelling, stone tools, and graveyards located within households). Maski, Brahmagiri, Piklihal (cattle herding), Budihal (community food preparation and celebration), and Tekkalakota were discovered during the excavation in Kerala. Excavation sites were discovered in Tamil Nadu (Paiyampalli) and Andhra Pradesh (Utnoor). The Garo Hills in Meghalaya was established as a prominent site. Chirand (the use of a bone instrument, particularly one made of antler) was founded in Bihar. Koldihwa in the Belan valley (presence of Neolithic, Chalcolithic, and Iron Age villages) and Mahagara in Uttar Pradesh. They were founded in the south of Allahabad (the first record of rice farming).

Chalcolithic Age/ Copper-Stone Age- (3000−500 BCE)

This period is noted for its usage of metal. Copper was the first metal utilised. The Indus Valley Civilisation arose during this period.
Cows, sheep, goats, pigs, and buffaloes were domesticated while deer were hunted by Chalcolithic people. They tamed animals that were butchered for food but not milked for dairy products, and they were unfamiliar with horses. The people grew wheat and rice as well as bajra and pulses, whereas the Eastern region subsisted on fish and rice. They practised Jhum, but no plough or hoe was discovered. Chalcolithic communities established India’s first villages and grew significantly more crops than Neolithic communities.

Female potters used black and red pottery. Men were the only ones who used the potter’s wheel. They had never seen burnt brick before and lived in thatched mud-brick buildings. These people had no idea what writing was for. They created a clay goddess of the ground. Their religious cult was symbolised by a bull.
Ornaments and adornments were important to the Chalcolithic people. Coppersmithing was a speciality of the Chalcolithic people. They were skilled at spinning and weaving.

Important Chalcolithic Sites:

  • Ahar (smelting and metallurgy, stone houses) and Gilund (use of burnt bricks) in Banas Valley, Rajasthan.
  • Chirand, Senuar, Sonpur in Bihar.
  • Mahishadal in West Bengal.
  • Kayatha (mud-plastered floors, pre-Harappan elements in pottery), Malwa (richest Chalcolithic ceramics, spindle whorls, non-Harappan culture).
  • Nevasa, Jorwe (non-Harappan), Navdatoli (cultivated all food grains), Daimabad (largest Jorwe culture site in Godavari valley, famous for recovery of bronze goods).

Metal Age:

India has a long history in the metal industry, including smelting metals and forming alloys, dating back to 3000 BCE. Harappa was known as the Bronze Age because it utilised bronze tools, which are an alloy of tin and copper. The process for producing lead shots is also described in the Atharva Veda. India’s metallurgy had advanced significantly by the time of the Guptas.

1. (Copper-Stone) Age or Chalcolithic Age

During this period, copper and bronze became popular. The Indus Valley Civilisation was the most important civilisation under it.

2. Iron Age

  • The Veda mentions iron. In burial trenches [Megalith Pits], black and red pottery, iron objects such as hoes and sickles, and small weapons were discovered. Megalithic Burial, which refers to burial holes covered with large stones, was associated with the Iron Age of the Southern Peninsula.
  • Hallur and Maski in Kerala, Nagarjunakonda in Andhra Pradesh, and Adichanallur in Tamil Nadu are all important megalithic sites.
    Southern India’s Megalithic civilisation was Iron Age culture. From the Vidarbha region in Central India to Adichanallur in Tamil Nadu, iron objects have been discovered practically everywhere. Iron arrowheads, spearheads, hoes, and sickles were also discovered.

Last Updated : 01 Dec, 2022
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