Archaeological Anthropology: Lower Palaeolithic India

Palaeolithic

Upper

Middle

<p>Lower</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>2.8</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>19,000</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>19,000</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Peterson</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>river</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>laterite</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>meandering</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>boulders</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>conglomerate</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Mottled</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Lower</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>1.5</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Pakistan</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Rawalpindi</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Allahabad</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>hysudricus</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Sohan</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>marker fossils</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Pre-Sohan</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Srinagar</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Acheulian</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Choppers</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Lower Palaeolithic</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Gorge</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Narmada</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Durkhadi</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>valleys</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>gravel</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>West Asia</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>India</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>succession</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>colonization</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Singi Talav</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>pebble</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>phases</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>crude</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>evolution</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Pleistocene</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>20 meters</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Hunsgi</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>chopper</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>layer</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>chopper</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Narmada</p> Signup and view all the answers

The earliest period of the Palaeolithic era in India, spanning approximately 2.8 million to 50,000 years ago.

The entire Pleistocene epoch, a period of ancient human history.

The primary stone tools characteristic of the Lower Palaeolithic period in India.

A period following the Lower Palaeolithic, marked by flake tools, spanning roughly 50,000 to 19,000 years ago.

The later period of the Palaeolithic, with blade tools, spanning approximately 19,000 to 9,000 BC.

A geological epoch characterized by ice ages and other climate fluctuations, encompassing the Palaeolithic periods.

A time period or range for a given event such as lower Paleolithic time period in India.

Tools typical of the Upper Palaeolithic period, characterized by thin, sharp blades.

Red crust formed on rock surfaces due to heavy rainfall creating in-situ change.

Fine consolidated clay deposit from meandering flow during dry phases.

Huge boulder deposit fixed into a conglomerate from massive flows during second pluviation.

Pattern of alternating gravels and clays (or silts).

Earliest human tool culture in India, with core tools.

Second human tool culture, with flake tools.

1.5 million years old.

Shows human arrival significantly earlier than previously estimated by geo-chronology.

A method of dating Lower Palaeolithic cultures in India based on the succession of gravel layers in riverbeds.

Evidence suggests early ancestors arrived in India shortly after their emergence in Africa.

A collection of tools from different terraces of the Sohan River, representing different Pleistocene time periods.

Tools found in the topmost terrace of the Sohan River, designated as earlier than the Sohan Industry itself.

Methods of determining precise ages of artifacts and sites, used to enhance estimates of time periods in Lower Palaeolithic studies.

Period of increased rainfall, creating conditions for the formation of river terraces and associated archaeological deposits.

Fossil remains used to date rock layers and determine relative ages of rock strata.

Researchers who conducted early studies on the geological and archaeological history of certain regions of India.

The movement patterns of Acheulian people, extending from West Asia to Central Asia, and the Indian subcontinent (Pakistan and India).

The sequence of wet and dry periods in a region over time. Important for understanding human history.

Periods of heavy rainfall, which influence archaeological sites and human settlement.

Periods of moderate rainfall, which can be crucial for human habitation, but hard to detect from gravel analysis.

A rich Acheulian site near Didwana in Rajasthan, India, with tools from multiple depositional phases.

Distinct layers of sediment at the Singi Talav site, showing evidence of different time periods.

Beaches formed by changes in global sea level.

Studying ancient human history is difficult because there is limited understanding of small wet periods and the dating of sites.

Stone tools from the Middle Palaeolithic period, found in the middle part of the Amarpura stage.

Common Lower Palaeolithic tools, often made with a stone hammer technique.

Lower Palaeolithic stone tools with a characteristic hand-shaped form.

The idea that stone tool technologies evolved progressively over time in a specific sequence.

Gathering stone tools from river valleys by simply observing and collecting them on the surface.

Gravel from river valleys that contained many Lower Palaeolithic artifacts.

Stone tools from a later period found in the upper part of the Amarpura stage.

Distinct differences in tool types and raw materials used in Lower Palaeolithic sites across regions of India, with eastern sites favoring pebble tools and western sites showcasing well-finished flake tools.

Eastern sites in India exhibit large, crude flake tools, while western sites display more refined tools like points, knives, and side scrapers, often made from carefully prepared Levallois flakes.

Sites designated as 'primary' because they are believed to have yielded evidence of the earliest Lower Palaeolithic occupations in India. These sites include Bhimbetka, Adamgarh, Chirkhi-Nevasa, Paisra, and Hunsgi.

Despite extensive excavation, none of the identified primary Lower Palaeolithic sites in India show clear evidence of multiple tool layers, suggesting there may have been limited vertical evolution at these locations.

The majority of Lower Palaeolithic primary sites are found to possess a high concentration of upper Acheulian tools, alongside chopper and choppingtools. This observation challenges the typical emphasis on core tools.

Bhimbetka stands out as an exception among primary Lower Palaeolithic sites, lacking the abundance of chopper and chopping tools, possibly due to limited access to large boulders or pebbles in the mountainous region.

Adamgarh, situated close to Bhimbetka, shares similarities in tool types and even artistic patterns on its rock shelters, highlighting the close relationship between these two sites.

Adamgarh differs from Bhimbetka in its tool assemblage, showcasing approximately 30% chopper and chopping tools, attributed to its proximity to the Narmada River and access to suitable raw material.