Neolithic Age

Neolithic Age Definition

The term Neolithic age or the neolithic period can be defined as the last stage of the Stone Age. People started to shift towards agriculture and forest domestication during this age, which gave rise to other new practises. Because agriculture was developed at different times in different parts of the world, it is difficult to record the actual date for the beginning of the neolithic period. Agriculture developed around 9,000 BCE in the near east, in 7000 BCE, in southeast Europe, and later in other regions. 

The Neolithic age is also termed the ‘Neolithic revolution’ since it introduced a lot of essential changes in man’s social and economic life. The Neolithic Age saw a man turning into a food producer from a food gatherer. The term Neolithic Revolution is given by V. Gorden Childe.

Pottery in  Neolithic Age

The people in the Neolithic age lived more settled lives and paved the way for the dawn of civilization. The Neolithic people did not dwell far from the mountainous regions. Since they were entirely reliant on stone arms and tools, they mostly lived in hilly river valleys, rock shelters, and the slopes of the hills. Pottery is another crucial element that makes the dating of the Neolithic age even more difficult. The use of pottery and the wheel and the subsequent invention of crafts such as spinning, weaving, and bead-making were typical in the Neolithic age. Pottery first appeared in this age on a large scale and included grey and black ware. With a settled life and expansion of agriculture, people needed pottery to store their food grains.

Characteristics of neolithic age

A detailed understanding of metallurgy was not established during the Neolithic age time period. It is thus also dubbed as a “metal-less society.” Some of the characteristics of neolithic age are- 

• Cultivation of wheat, barley, fruits, corn-like ragi and horse gram, and lentils has been reported from the beginning and between 6000 BC and 5000 BC
• We can see the “division of labour” based on gender in the Neolithic period. We find women engaged in agricultural activities during the Neolithic period. As a result of the increased agricultural demand, women began to work in the pottery industry. Men hunted and fished, as they had done in the past
• Important Neolithic Sites include Mehrgarh (Pakistan), Chirand (Bihar), Burzahom (Kashmir), Hallur (Karnataka), etc

Gordon Childe, an Australian archaeologist, popularised the term “Neolithic Revolution” in the 1940s CE with an aim to showcase the deep impact that agriculture left over the human population of the world. However, it is believed the impact has been highly exaggerated in the past as the development was gradual. Since its origin, agriculture was developed independently in different regions of the world, leading to a sudden fall in hunting and gathering activities to the extent that even today, people of the gathering community persist only in a small area where practising farming is nearly impossible such as densely forested areas, frozen arctic regions, and arid deserts. Lately, the introduction of agriculture has led to several major changes in the way the world is perceived. It includes root crops, forest clearance, and cereal cultivation that can be stored safely for a longer period of time. Moreover, the invention of technologies such as irrigation systems and ploughs played a significant role. As a result, more intensive agriculture practises implied, the population increased in villages, and they gradually evolved into cities and towns. 

Salient Features of Neolithic Culture in India

During the Neolithic age time period, the best-known Neolithic site in the Northern Himalayas is Burzahom in Kashmir, where pit dwellings with conical roofs characterised the earliest occupation. Gufkral, meaning “the cave of the potter,” is another important Neolithic site in Kashmir. It was inhabited by potters who utilised the caves cut into the Karewa. The advent of sedentary rural societies led to mud-brick houses rather than grass huts. These houses were somewhat more permanent than the grass huts.“Community-festivals” also began during this time period. The butchering-place at Budihal denotes the importance of communal animal butchering. The people of Cachar Hills of Assam lived in mud-walled houses, and their handmade pots were decorated with basket impressions. Koldihwa and Mahagara lying south of Allahabad have evidence of many strata of circular huts along with crude handmade pottery. The most intriguing finding is evidence of rice dating from between 5440 and 4530 BC, which is the earliest evidence of rice in India and elsewhere on the globe.At this age, the man started growing cotton and learned about clothes. Instances of earlier cave dwellings have also been discovered, with walls decorated with hunting and dancing scenes.

Conclusion

During the end of the neolithic age, copper metallurgy was introduced, which was marked as a transition period from the neolithic age to the Bronze Age, also known as Chalcolithic or Neolithic Era. During this period, bronze was widely used. It is a substance that is a mixture of tin and copper with a lower melting point, greater hardness, and better casting properties. It was used to make weapons and tools, leading to the end of the Neolithic age and, thus, the Stone Age.