Paleolithic Age

Introduction to Paleolithic Age

The Paleolithic age can be defined as the starting when man first learned how to make stone tools. The discovery of how to make the fist-hatchet, spear, and fire was the earliest man’s greatest achievement. The Old Stone Age was developed during the Ice Age. However, the earliest species of man could have existed in the tropical region, where ice melted. 

• Food gathering and hunting were the primary occupations of these people, and Paleolithic men learned to cover themselves in animal skins
• There was no knowledge of pottery, houses, or agriculture. Even fire was discovered in the later stage in the Paleolithic age
• The rivers Tapi, Godavari, Bhima, and Krishna have yielded a large number of Paleolithic sites

Below are the Paleolithic Age period- 

Let’s discuss each of these Paleolithic Age periods in detail along with their features- 

Lower Paleolithic Age

During the lower Paleolithic Age, the tools were made by extracting flakes from a stone block or core until they took the right size and shape. Tools used were hand axes, cleavers, and choppers. Tools were very heavy. Bori near Pune is considered to be the earliest Lower Paleolithic site. In some parts of India like Hunsgi in Karnataka, limestone was the main material.

Middle Paleolithic Age

Middle Paleolithic tools were primarily made on smaller, light flake tools and blades. The era was dominated by the flake industry, which produced tools such as scrapers, borers, and points. The size of tools decreased in this age. In the northwest, lots of stone tools, most of the middle Paleolithic, have been found in the Potwar Plateau.

Upper Paleolithic Age

The Paleolithic age period Upper Paleolithic Age is characterized by advances in tool technology as well as an improvement in human cognitive capacity. In this age, the size of tools further decreased. It saw the introduction of microliths (tiny stone tools), which were made from a variety of silica-rich raw materials.

The tools of this age were found in Bhimbetka, Kurnool caves (Telangana), Son Valley (Madhya Pradesh), and Patne in Maharashtra. The earliest paintings at Bhimbetka date from this phase, that is the Upper Paleolithic phase. During this phase, the people lived in small groups. Hunting is expressed as the main subsistence activity in the rock paintings found at Bhimbetka.

Salient Features of Paleolithic Culture in India

During the Paleolithic Age, people were nomadic herders. They traveled around a lot for fishing, hunting, and gathering food. In the beginning, people used to hunt big and slow-moving animals like elephants but with the development of hunting tools, they started to hunt small fast-moving animals like antelope, wild boar, etc.

Owing to a lack of evidence, historians generally find it difficult to comment on their social structures. However, large manufacturing sites dating from this period have been discovered, indicating that people were able to meet the needs of distant communities. This hints at some sort of Paleolithic social organization.

We can also decipher some aspects of their religious beliefs. A mother-goddess has been identified as a carved piece of bone discovered in Lohanda Nala (Belan valley, Uttar Pradesh). Around the same time, an ostrich shell bead was found in Patane. Almost definitely, this tooth was used as a pendant. All of this suggests that in this process, there might be some sort of religious belief system.

Conclusion

This chapter gives detailed knowledge of the paleolithic age. We also know the salient features of the paleolithic age. In that age how humans lived their lives and how they used different tools made up of stones.They Practiced Nomadic style of life. Men were hunters and women were gatherers.We also got to know three different ages of paleolithic age.During the lower Paleolithic Age, the tools were made by extracting flakes from a stone block or core until they took the right size and shape. Tools used were hand axes, cleavers, and choppers.In Middle Paleolithic tools were primarily made on smaller, light flake tools and blades and the Upper Paleolithic Age is characterized by advances in tool technology as well as an improvement in human cognitive capacity.