From Pre-History to Modern Times

Overview of Stone Age in India

• Stone Age is the prehistoric period before the development of script, and the main source of information is archaeological excavations.
• Robert Bruce Foote discovered the first Palaeolithic tool in India - the Pallavaram handaxe.
• Indian Stone Age is classified into three types: Palaeolithic age, Mesolithic age, and Neolithic age.
• Palaeolithic age or old stone age developed in the Pleistocene period or the Ice Age.
• Main characteristics of Palaeolithic age: Indian people belonged to the 'Negrito' race, lived in open air, river valleys, caves and rock shelters, were food gatherers, and lived on hunting.
• No knowledge of houses, pottery, agriculture, and fire was discovered in later stages.
• Upper Palaeolithic age had evidence of art in the form of paintings.
• Humans used unpolished, rough stones like hand axes, choppers, blades, burins and scrapers.
• The old stone age or Palaeolithic age in India is divided into three phases.
• Lower Palaeolithic Age covered the greater part of the Ice Age, tools used were hand axes, choppers and cleavers, and one of the earliest sites is Bori in Maharashtra.
• Middle Palaeolithic age had tools like flakes, blades, pointers, scrapers and borers, and the tools were smaller, lighter and thinner.
• Upper Palaeolithic age coincided with the last phase of the ice age when the climate became warmer, and the period is marked by innovation in tools and technology with a lot of bone tools.

Overview of Stone Age in India

• Stone Age is the prehistoric period before the development of script, and the main source of information is archaeological excavations.
• Robert Bruce Foote discovered the first Palaeolithic tool in India - the Pallavaram handaxe.
• Indian Stone Age is classified into three types: Palaeolithic age, Mesolithic age, and Neolithic age.
• Palaeolithic age or old stone age developed in the Pleistocene period or the Ice Age.
• Main characteristics of Palaeolithic age: Indian people belonged to the 'Negrito' race, lived in open air, river valleys, caves and rock shelters, were food gatherers, and lived on hunting.
• No knowledge of houses, pottery, agriculture, and fire was discovered in later stages.
• Upper Palaeolithic age had evidence of art in the form of paintings.
• Humans used unpolished, rough stones like hand axes, choppers, blades, burins and scrapers.
• The old stone age or Palaeolithic age in India is divided into three phases.
• Lower Palaeolithic Age covered the greater part of the Ice Age, tools used were hand axes, choppers and cleavers, and one of the earliest sites is Bori in Maharashtra.
• Middle Palaeolithic age had tools like flakes, blades, pointers, scrapers and borers, and the tools were smaller, lighter and thinner.
• Upper Palaeolithic age coincided with the last phase of the ice age when the climate became warmer, and the period is marked by innovation in tools and technology with a lot of bone tools.

Test your knowledge of history with this quiz on pre-history, proto-history, and history. Challenge yourself to remember important events and their significance, and learn more about the study of the past. Explore the different categories of history and discover how we collect and interpret information about our past. Perfect for history buffs and curious minds alike!