Introduction
The Prehistoric Period refers to the time before the invention of writing.
It is divided into different ages based on tool-making techniques, lifestyle, and materials used.
Main Stages of Prehistory
| Age |
Period (Approximate) |
Tools |
Lifestyle |
| Paleolithic |
2 million BC – 10,000 BC |
Stone Tools (Hand axes, flakes) |
Hunting & Gathering |
| Mesolithic |
10,000 BC – 8,000 BC |
Microliths (small stone tools) |
Transition phase (Hunting + Early Farming) |
| Neolithic |
8,000 BC – 2,500 BC |
Polished Stone Tools |
Farming & Domestication |
| Chalcolithic |
2500 BC – 700 BC |
Copper + Stone Tools |
Settlements with Metals |
1. Paleolithic Age (Old Stone Age)
Key Features
- Oldest and longest phase of human history.
- Food: Hunting, fishing, gathering wild fruits.
- Tools: Hand axes, cleavers, flakes, choppers made of quartzite, basalt, granite.
- Shelters: Natural caves, open rock shelters.
- Fire: Used but not invented in early phase.
- Art: Rock art & engravings (e.g., Bhimbetka caves)
Divisions of Paleolithic Age
| Sub-period |
Tools |
Key Sites |
| Lower Paleolithic |
Large Tools (Hand axes) |
Soan, Belan, Bhimbetka, Attirampakkam |
| Middle Paleolithic |
Flakes & Scrapers |
Nevasa, Narmada Valley |
| Upper Paleolithic |
Blades, Burins |
Bhimbetka, Andhra Pradesh caves |
Important Sites
- Bhimbetka Caves (Madhya Pradesh): Rock paintings & shelters
- Attirampakkam (Tamil Nadu): Earliest Stone tools in India
- Hunsgi (Karnataka): Stone tool industry
Previous Exam One-Liners
- First tool-using man → Homo habilis
- First man to use fire → Homo erectus
- Bhimbetka Caves are UNESCO World Heritage Site → True
- Paleolithic man was nomadic → True
2. Mesolithic Age (Middle Stone Age)
Key Features
- Period: 10,000 BC – 8,000 BC
- End of Ice Age → Start of warm period.
- Microliths: Tiny, sharp stone tools mounted on wood or bone.
- Food: Early domestication of animals, semi-nomadic lifestyle.
- Started primitive farming.
- Beginning of pottery in late Mesolithic (in some regions).
Important Sites
| Site |
State |
Significance |
| Bagor |
Rajasthan |
Largest Mesolithic site in India |
| Adamgarh |
Madhya Pradesh |
Microliths found |
| Sarai Nahar Rai |
Uttar Pradesh |
Animal domestication evidence |
Previous Exam One-Liners
- Microliths are the hallmark of Mesolithic Age → True
- Mesolithic man tamed dogs and started basic farming → True
- Bagor is the largest Mesolithic site in India → True
3. Neolithic Age (New Stone Age)
Key Features
- Period: 8000 BC – 2500 BC
- Agriculture starts properly: Wheat, barley, rice.
- Domestication of animals: Cattle, sheep, goat, pig.
- First villages formed (settled life).
- Tools: Polished stone tools, axes, sickles.
- Pottery: Handmade, burnished pottery.
- Houses: Rectangular or circular, made of mud and reeds.
- Beginning of weaving (cotton, wool).
Important Sites
| Site |
State |
Features |
| Burzahom |
Jammu & Kashmir |
Pit dwellings, stone tools |
| Mehrgarh |
Baluchistan (Pakistan) |
Earliest farming site in South Asia |
| Chirand |
Bihar |
Bone tools, agriculture |
| Daojali Hading |
Assam |
Eastern Neolithic site |
Previous Exam One-Liners
- Burzahom is known for pit dwellings → True
- Mehrgarh is the earliest site of farming in Indian subcontinent → True
- Neolithic people used polished tools and pottery → True
4. Chalcolithic Age (Copper-Stone Age)
Key Features
- Period: 2500 BC – 700 BC
- Use of Copper + Stone tools.
- Agriculture: Wheat, barley, rice.
- Pottery: Painted pottery – Ochre Coloured Pottery (OCP)
- Burials: Urn burial and secondary burial seen.
Important Sites
| Site |
State |
Features |
| Ahar-Banas |
Rajasthan |
Black and Red Ware pottery |
| Malwa |
Madhya Pradesh |
Painted pottery |
| Kayatha |
Madhya Pradesh |
Stone and copper tools |
| Inamgaon |
Maharashtra |
Burial practices |
Previous Exam One-Liners
- First use of metal (Copper) in Chalcolithic Age → True
- Ochre Coloured Pottery belongs to Chalcolithic Age → True
- Inamgaon is an important Chalcolithic site in Maharashtra → True
Summary Table: Prehistoric Ages
| Age |
Tools |
Economy |
Housing |
Sites |
| Paleolithic |
Stone (Hand axes) |
Hunting-Gathering |
Caves |
Bhimbetka, Attirampakkam |
| Mesolithic |
Microliths |
Hunting + Early Farming |
Semi-permanent |
Bagor, Sarai Nahar Rai |
| Neolithic |
Polished Stones |
Agriculture & Domestication |
Mud Houses |
Burzahom, Mehrgarh |
| Chalcolithic |
Copper + Stone |
Agriculture & Trade |
Urban villages |
Ahar, Inamgaon |
Final Exam Pointers
- Stone to Metal transition: Neolithic → Chalcolithic
- First metal used by humans: Copper
- First animal domesticated: Dog (Mesolithic Age)
- First crops cultivated in India: Barley, Wheat (Mehrgarh)
- Earliest evidence of cotton cultivation: Mehrgarh
- Pit dwellings of Burzahom are unique to Neolithic Kashmir.
