The stone age ( palaeolithic period)

 Pre History period

1. Palaeolithic period

2. Mesolithic period

3. Neolithic period

4. Chalcolithic period

1. Palaeolithic period ( Hunters and               gathering)

• The archaeological site of bori in Pune district of Maharashtra is about 1.4 million year old. It gives the scientific record for the early stone tools in india.
• The early human settlement in india is contemporary to the Asian countries, but it is of the later period then that in the African region.
• Stones and pebbles were used for hunting, cutting, etc.
• Man had no knowledge of cultivation and house building.  

A) Lower palaeolithic

• Covers greater part of the ice age
• Use of hand axes, cleavers, and choppers.
• Stone tools mainly used for chopping, digging and skinning.
• Climate became less humid.

Major sites of lower palaeolithic period

1. Pahalgam in Kashmir
2. Belan valley in Allahabad district ( utter pradesh)
3. Bhimbetka and Adamgarh in Hoshangabad district (M.P)
4. Singi talav in Nagaur district (Rajasthan)
5. Nevada in Ahmedabad district ( Maharashtra)
6. Hunsgi in Gulbarga district ( Karnataka)
7. Attirampakkam ( Tamilnadu)

Some other sites also hare been found in 

1. Shivalik range of Kashmir, himachal pradesh and punjab.
2. Belan valley in uttar pradesh
3. Berach basin and the hilly areas of Rajasthan
4. Narmada and sone valley in Madhya Pradesh
5. Malprabha and ghatprabha basins in Karnataka
6. Chhotanagpur plateau and several areas of Maharashtra
7. Some areas near Chennai Tamilnadu some areas of orrisha, west bengal, madya Pradesh.

B) Middle palaeolithic

• The flank tools
• Verities of blades, points, boreres and scrapers made of flakes.
• Sites coincides with that of power palaeolithic
• The middle pelaeolithic tools were found in central India, Deccan, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Tamilnadu, Karnataka and orisha.

Major sites of middle palaeolithic period

1. Bhimbetka
2. Nevasa
3. Pushkar
4. Rohini hills of upper sind
5. Samnapur on Narmada.

C) Upper palaeolithic

• Coincided with last phase of ice age when climate became comparatively warm.
• Modern type of man homo sapiens
• New flint industries.
• Large flakes, blades, burins and scrapers.

Major sites of upper palaeolithic period

1. Rajasthan
2. Central and Western India
3. Parts of the Ganga and belan valley
4. Gujrat
5. Andhra Pradesh
6. Karnataka

 

Basic facts

* About 4.4 million year old Fossils of the earliest humans found in Africa.

* The earliest humanbeings were shorter in hight and a smaller brain.

* The present form reached about 50000 year ago.

* In India, the only huminid fossils found from " Hathnora" in the Narmada valley.