Stone Age

STONE AGE

The Stone Age was a time in history when early humans used tools and weapons made out of stone. In the old stone ages people were se4lf sufficient. The only necessities were food and shelter. Thus the only skills that were in regard to gathering , hunting, farming and finding a cave. Their life was simple. It lasted from when the first stone tools were made , by our ancestors , about 3.4million years ago.

The stone age is divided into three periods- Palaeolithic period, Mesolithic period, And the Neolithic Period based on the degree of  sophistication in the fashion and use of tools. And the exact dates for each periods vary across the world.

                                      The Palaeolithic Period

The old stone age was known as Palaeolithic age.It lasted from the first use of stones until the end of the last Ice age. The people of the Paleolithic Period lived simple lives, which consisted primarily of survival. Man's life was simply to hunt, eat, and survive, while the woman's job was to gather and watch over the children. The people of the Paleolithic age were mostly nomads.To survive they had to travel everywhere, and follow the migration of animald; as the animals were there primary food sources. They had to eat, to do that they had to kill the animals. They did this by using tools as weapons. The tools were mainly stone, bone, and ivory.They could make the weapons into hatchets,knives and spearheads

ž The important palaeolithic sites in india:  

1.Bhimbedka         4. Athirampakkam          7.Nagarjunakonda

2.Altamira               5. Chauvet                          8.Lascaux               

3. Hunsgi                 6.  Narmadha Valley       9.Kurnool Cave   

Mesolithic Period

It is the period in between the Palaeolithic and Neolithic period .And This was a transition period from Old Stone Age to New Stone Age.It is the second period in human history based on the use of microliths. Men’s intelligence and skill were just growing and the stone implements they started using were much better than Palaeolithic tools. In this period man began to hunt with the aid or implements of bone and flint. And they used bow and arrows for hunting.

They harvested the food grains which grew wild in some regions.Besides bladelets,  burins and end-scrapers were found. A few bone tools and some ground stone have also been found. Mesolithic people Started domestication of animals and they  began to exchange foods, tools, ornaments etc
              The people in this age highly relied on fishing and hunting. They settled along lake shores and rivers, where they could easily fish. They lived in houses that varied in shape from rectangular to round with sunken floors. The hunter-gatherers in Mesolithic moved seasonally depending on the migration of animals and changes in plant. Most of these people were located along the coast either in semi-permanent or large permanent communities. Hunting served as a source of food and also provided the people with antlers and bones that were used for making weapons and tools. The animal skins were used as clothes, sacks, as well as water carriers.

ž The important Mesolithic sites in india: 
                       1. Chottanagpur                              
                       2. Adangarh                    
                       3. Akhaj                              
                       4. Hirapur(Gujarat)    
                    5. Valasana            
                    6. Baghalkhand                                  
                    7. Uchali(Punjab)
                   8. Bundelkhand 
               9.Bagor
Neolithic period

 The term Neolithic refers to the last stage of the Stone Age. The period of human culture that began around 10,000 years ago in the Middle East and later in other parts of the world. It is characterized by the beginning of farming, the domestication of animals, the development of crafts such as pottery and weaving, and the making of polished stone tools. The Neolithic Period is generally considered to end for any particular region with the introduction of metalworking, writing, or other developments of urban civilization. Also called New Stone Age.

They were very crude in nature. But the Neolithic stone objects were pecked, ground, rubbed and polished; they were far better in finishing as well as in effectiveness. Man was no longer a food-gatherer, he became a food-producer at the advent Neolithic

ž The important Neolithic sites in india: 

1.Mehrgarh                                    5.Sanganakallu,          9.Nagarjunakonda,

2.Maski                                            6.Brahmagiri             10.Tekkalakota,

3.Piklihal                                         7.Kupgal                      11.Hallur

4.Payyampally                                  8.Burzhahom and Gufkral