Discuss the silent features of thr paleolithic culture in india
Answers
The Paleolithic Age, or Old Stone Age in India spanned from 500,000 B.C. to 10,000 B.C in the Pleistocene Period of the Ice Age. It was the first part of the Stone Age. During this period, man relied on hunting and had no knowledge of cultivation and house building. According to the nature of tools and the change in the climate, the Paleolithic Age in India is divided into three phases; Lower Paleolithic (500,000 BC to 50,000 BC), Middle Paleolithic (50,000 BC to 40,000 BC), and Upper Paleolithic (40,000 BC to 10,000 BC).
The Paleolithic Age
The Paleolithic Age, or Old Stone Age, spanned from around 30,000 BCE until 10,000 BCE and produced the first accomplishments in human creativity. The most of the Paleolithic human culture and way of life comes from archaeologic and ethnographic comparisons to modern hunter-gatherer cultures due to a lack of written records from this time period. The Paleolithic lasted until the retreat of the ice, when farming and use of metals were adopted.
Chronology of Paleolithic Age in India
Paleolithic Age in India can be studied into three phases:
1. Lower Paleolithic extended from 500,000 B.C. to 50,000 B. C. In India its sites were discovered in Punjab, Kashmir, UP, Rajasthan etc.
2. Middle Paleolithic extended from 50,000 B.C. to 40,000 B. C. In India its sites were found around Tungabhadra River Valley and Narmada River Valley.
3. Upper Paleolithic extended from 40,000 B.C. to 10,000 B. C. In India its sites were discovered in Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Central Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, southern Uttar Pradesh, and South Bihar Plateau.
Upper, Middle & Lower Palaeolithic Sites in India
Characteristics of Paleolithic Age
Paleolithic man was a hunter and food gatherer. He used simple chipped and chopped type stone tools for hunting and other purposes. There was no trace of knowledge of agriculture and building houses, hence no settled life. With the change in climate the humidity from Lower Paleolithic decreased to a reasonable amount till the Upper Paleolithic Period, which could have probably led to the settled lifestyle. It has been found that people survived consumed on roots of trees and fruits and lived in hills and caves.
Paleolithic man was a hunter and food gatherer. He used simple chipped and chopped type stone tools for hunting and other purposes. There was no trace of knowledge of agriculture and building houses, hence no settled life. With the change in climate the humidity from Lower Paleolithic decreased to a reasonable amount till the Upper Paleolithic Period, which could have probably led to the settled lifestyle. It has been found that people survived consumed on roots of trees and fruits and lived in hills and caves.
1. Lower Paleolithic Age mainly spread in Western Europe and Africa and early human lived a nomadic lifestyle. No specific human group was the carrier of Lower Paleolithic period, but many scholars believe that this era was a contribution of Neanderthal-like Palaenthropic men (Third stage of hominid evolution)
2. Middle Paleolithic Age was mainly associated with early form of man, Neanderthal, whose remains are often found in caves with evidence of the use of fire. He got his name from the valley of Neander (Germany). Neanderthal was hunter of prehistoric time. The Middle Paleolithic man was scavenger but few evidences of hunting and gathering were traced. The dead were painted before burial