1. The Basics: Timeline & Classification
Pre-Historic
Stone Age
(No Writing)
Proto-Historic
Indus Valley
(Script Undeciphered)
Historic
Vedic Age
(Written Records)
Father of Indian Pre-History: Robert Bruce Foote (British Geologist).
• Discovered first Paleolithic tool (Handaxe) at Pallavaram (Madras) in 1863.
Three Age System: (Stone-Bronze-Iron) coined by Thomsen (Copenhagen
Museum).
2. Paleolithic Age (Hunters & Gatherers)
Life was completely natural. No Fire (ate raw meat). No Agriculture.
🛠️ Tool Evolution
- Lower: Handaxe, Cleaver, Chopper. (Sohan Valley).
- Middle: Points, Borer, Scrapper.
- Upper: Burins.
📍 Key Sites
- Bhimbetka (MP): Discovered by V.S. Wakankar (1957).
• Famous for Rock Paintings (Elephant, Deer, Sambhar).
• 133 pictures in 700 shelters. UNESCO Site.
- Sohan Valley (Pakistan): Chopper-chopping tools.
3. Mesolithic Age (Hunters -> Herders)
The transition period. Tools became smaller (Microliths).
🐾 Domestication of Animals
💡 Mnemonic: "DAM" (Domestication at Adamgarh & M... Bagor)
- Adamgarh (MP) & Bagor (Rajasthan): Earliest evidence of
domestication.
💀 Burials & War
- Sarai Nahar Rai (UP): Earliest evidence of War/Attack (Skeleton
with stone embedded).
- Lekhahiya (Vindhya): 17 (or 27) Human skeletons found.
4. Neolithic Age (Food Producers)
Man becomes a Farmer. Inventions: Agriculture, Wheel, Fire, Pottery.
🌾 The Agriculture Debate (High Yield)
1. Lahuradewa (UP)
UP Special
• Rice (9000 BC - 7000 BC).
• Oldest Evidence in Indian Subcontinent.
• Priority #1 in Exam.
2. Mehrgarh (Pak)
• Wheat (7000 BC).
• Earliest Buffalo domestication.
• Priority #2 (If Lahuradewa not in options).
- Koldihwa (UP): Evidence of Rice (6500 BC).
- Burzahom (Kashmir):
• Pit Dwelling (Living in pits).
• Dog Burial (Master + Dog).
- Sangana Kallu (Karnataka): Ash Mounds (Burnt cow dung camps).
5. Chalcolithic (Copper Age)
First Metal: Copper. Rural Culture.
- Navdatoli (MP): Largest rural settlement. Excavated by H.D. Sankalia.
- Jorwe Culture (Maharashtra):
• Buried dead under house floor in North-to-South orientation.
• Sites: Daimabad, Inamgaon.
- OCP (Ochre Coloured Pottery): Found at Hastinapur/Atranjikhera.
🦁 UP Special Sites (Memorize This!)
1. Belan Valley (Allahabad)
• Research by G.R. Sharma.
• Bone Mother Goddess (Lohanda Nala).
2. Damdama (Pratapgarh)
• 41 Human Graves.
• 5 Double Burials, 1 Triple Burial.
3. Mahadaha (Pratapgarh)
• Bone Ornaments & Arrowheads.
4. Sarai Nahar Rai
• Grave with 4 Skeletons.
• Evidence of War.
5. Mandi (Muzaffarnagar)
• Harappan site.
• Huge hoard of Jewellery.
🎯 PYQ "Sniper" Shots
Direct hits from Ghatna Chakra
Q: Who discovered the first Paleolithic tool?
A: Robert Bruce Foote (1863).
Q: Where is the National Human Museum?
A: Bhopal (Indira Gandhi National Human Museum).
Q: Earliest evidence of Agriculture?
A: Lahuradewa (Rice) > Mehrgarh (Wheat).
Q: Dog buried with Human?
A: Burzahom (Kashmir).
Q: Ash Mounds are associated with?
A: Neolithic (Sangana Kallu).
UPPCS Preparation