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 & 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).