This article provides fully detailed, exam-oriented notes for State PCS exams (BPSC, UPPCS, MPPSC, RPSC, etc.), covering every important fact from Prehistoric Period to Chalcolithic Age. Questions from this topic are regularly asked in Prelims and Mains.
Periodisation of Early History
🔹 Prehistoric Period
- Period without written records
- No documented evidence of history
- Entire Stone Age belongs to this period
🔹 Protohistoric Period
- Script exists but remains undeciphered
- Transitional phase between prehistoric and historic
- Includes Indus Valley Civilization and Copper Age cultures
🔹 Historic Period
- Written records available and deciphered
- In India, begins around 6th century BCE
Stone Age = Prehistoric Period
Research on Stone Age civilization in India began in 1863.
The Stone Age is divided into three phases based on tool technology:
- Palaeolithic Age (Old Stone Age)
- Mesolithic Age (Middle Stone Age)
- Neolithic Age (New Stone Age)
Palaeolithic Age (Old Stone Age)
Discovery
- First Palaeolithic tool in India discovered by Robert Bruce Foote (British geologist and archaeologist)
Lifestyle
- Fully dependent on nature
- Hunting and food gathering
- Nomadic life
- No agriculture or animal husbandry
- Early humans unfamiliar with fire and ate raw meat
Important Research
- Major research in Sohan Valley (1935) by Yale–Cambridge expedition led by De Terra
Subdivisions of Palaeolithic Age
🔹 Lower Palaeolithic
Tools: Handaxe, cleaver, chopper
Important Sites & Facts
- Belan Valley (Uttar Pradesh) excavated by G.R. Sharma
- Around 44 sites discovered here
- Bone-made Mother Goddess figurine found at Lohanda Nala
- Earliest human fossil in India found in the Narmada Valley (1982)
- Sohan/Soan River Valley — earliest chopper tools
🔹 Middle Palaeolithic
Tools: Points, borers, scrapers
Represents gradual technological advancement.
🔹 Upper Palaeolithic
Tools: Burins
Used for engraving and fine work.
Mesolithic Age (Middle Stone Age)
Key Features
- Use of microlithic tools
- Beginning of animal domestication
- Seasonal settlements
- Development of burial practices
- Extensive use of bone and horn tools
Discovery of Rock Paintings
- Discovered in 1867 by A.C.L. Carlleyle in Vindhya region
Important Mesolithic Sites
Bhimbetka Rock Shelters
- Located in Raisen district, Madhya Pradesh
- Discovered by V.S. Wakankar (1957)
- UNESCO World Heritage Site
- Contains earliest traces of human life and prehistoric paintings of animals
Evidence of Domestication
- Adamgarh (Madhya Pradesh)
- Bagor (Rajasthan)
Important Burial Sites (UP — Highly Important for PCS)
- Mahadaha (Pratapgarh) — bone tools and ornaments
- Sarai Nahar Rai — grave with four skeletons
- Damdama — 41 graves discovered
- Includes double, triple burials
- Three skeletons in one grave
Mesolithic Sites West → East
Mahadaha (UP) → Lekhahia (UP) → Paisra (Bihar) → Birbhanpur (West Bengal)
Neolithic Age (New Stone Age)
Marks the transition to food production and settled life.
Key Features
- Beginning of agriculture
- Domestication of animals
- Permanent settlements
- Use of polished stone tools
- Pottery making
- Widespread use of fire
Evidence of Early Agriculture
- Rice: Koldihwa (Belan Valley, UP)
- Wheat: Mehrgarh
- Earliest agriculture in subcontinent: Lahuradewa (UP), dated 9000–7000 BCE
- Rice bran evidence near Belan River (~6500 BCE)
Major Neolithic Sites
Burzahom (Kashmir)
- Pit dwellings (houses dug into ground)
- Human skeletons found in sitting position
- Animal bones buried with humans
- Evidence of trepanning (skull surgery)
- Dogs buried with humans
Excavation by Helmut de Terra and Thomas Paterson (1935)
South Indian Ash Mound Sites
- Sangankallu (Karnataka)
- Piklihal
- Utnur
These are burnt remains of cattle camps of Neolithic herders.
Mehrgarh (Pakistan)
- Oldest permanent settlement (~7000 BCE)
- Located in Kachhi Plains of Balochistan
- Cultural sequence from Stone Age to Harappan Civilization
Chalcolithic Age (Copper-Stone Age)
Key Features
- Use of copper along with stone tools
- First metal used by humans: Copper
- Village settlements
- Agriculture and animal husbandry
Distribution in India
- South-Eastern Rajasthan
- Western Madhya Pradesh
- Western Maharashtra
- South-Eastern India
Important Chalcolithic Cultures
Ahar Culture (Mewar, Rajasthan)
- Copper tools and smelting evidence
- Black-and-red ware pottery with white geometric designs
- Rice cultivation absent
Navdatoli (Madhya Pradesh)
- Circular and rectangular houses
- Excavated by H.D. Sankalia
- Dated to 1500–1300 BCE
- Houses with mud-plastered bamboo walls and thatched roofs
Jorwe Culture (Maharashtra)
- Large rectangular houses
- Belief in life after death
- Burials under house floors
- Children buried in urns
Ochre Coloured Pottery (OCP)
- Distinct ochre-colored pottery
- Found at Atranjikhera and Hastinapur
- Identified by B.B. Lal (1950–52)
Megalithic Burials
Large stone burial structures located away from habitation areas.
Types include:
- Dolmens
- Stone circles (cromlech)
- Chamber tombs
- Pit circles
- Stone alignments
Important Archaeological Facts for PCS Exams
Three-Age System
- Stone → Bronze → Iron
- Proposed by Christian Jurgensen Thomsen (Copenhagen Museum)
Archaeological Survey of India (ASI)
- Established in 1871
- First Director-General: Alexander Cunningham
- Known as Father of Indian Archaeology
- Centralized in 1901 under Lord Curzon
- Director-General in 1902: John Marshall
National Museum of Mankind (Indira Gandhi Rastriya Manav Sangrahalaya) – Bhopal (M.P.).
organization under the Ministry of Culture.
Important Site–Period Mapping (Very Important for Prelims)
| Period | Key Site |
|---|---|
| Palaeolithic | Sohan/Soan Valley |
| Mesolithic | Bhimbetka |
| Neolithic | Burzahom |
| Chalcolithic | Banas Valley |
Other Important Archaeological Sites
- Nevasa — Maharashtra
- Isampur — Karnataka
- Didwana — Rajasthan
- Gudiyam Cave — Tamil Nadu
- Chandraketugarh (West Bengal) — Terracotta art
- Ganeshwar (Rajasthan) — Copper artefacts
Conclusion
The Stone Age and Chalcolithic cultures represent the earliest stages of human civilization in India. For State PCS exams, candidates must focus on site-period mapping, earliest evidence of agriculture and domestication, important discoveries, and archaeological institutions.
Mastering these facts ensures strong performance in both Prelims and Mains.
IMPORTANT QUESTIONS
🔹 1. The entire Stone Age belongs to which period?
A) Historic Period
B) Protohistoric Period
C) Prehistoric Period
D) Early Historic Period
Answer: ✅ C) Prehistoric Period
🔹 2. Which civilization is considered Protohistoric in India?
A) Vedic Civilization
B) Mauryan Civilization
C) Indus Valley Civilization
D) Gupta Civilization
Answer: ✅ C) Indus Valley Civilization
🔹 3. Research on Stone Age civilization in India began in:
A) 1757
B) 1835
C) 1863
D) 1901
Answer: ✅ C) 1863
🔹 4. The first Palaeolithic tool in India was discovered by:
A) Alexander Cunningham
B) John Marshall
C) Robert Bruce Foote
D) H.D. Sankalia
Answer: ✅ C) Robert Bruce Foote
🔹 5. Which tool is characteristic of the Lower Palaeolithic period?
A) Microliths
B) Burins
C) Handaxe
D) Copper tools
Answer: ✅ C) Handaxe
🔹 6. The earliest human fossil in India was discovered in the:
A) Godavari Valley
B) Krishna Valley
C) Narmada Valley
D) Kaveri Valley
Answer: ✅ C) Narmada Valley
🔹 7. Points, borers and scrapers are typical tools of:
A) Lower Palaeolithic
B) Middle Palaeolithic
C) Upper Palaeolithic
D) Neolithic
Answer: ✅ B) Middle Palaeolithic
🔹 8. Burins are associated with which period?
A) Lower Palaeolithic
B) Middle Palaeolithic
C) Upper Palaeolithic
D) Mesolithic
Answer: ✅ C) Upper Palaeolithic
🔹 9. Rock paintings in India were first discovered by A.C.L. Carlleyle in the:
A) Aravalli Hills
B) Western Ghats
C) Vindhya Region
D) Himalayas
Answer: ✅ C) Vindhya Region
🔹 10. The famous prehistoric rock art site in Madhya Pradesh is:
A) Ajanta
B) Ellora
C) Bhimbetka Rock Shelters
D) Sanchi
Answer: ✅ C) Bhimbetka Rock Shelters
🔹 11. Bhimbetka was discovered by:
A) Robert Bruce Foote
B) H.D. Sankalia
C) V.S. Wakankar
D) Mortimer Wheeler
Answer: ✅ C) V.S. Wakankar
🔹 12. Evidence of early animal domestication in Mesolithic India is found at:
A) Kalibangan
B) Adamgarh and Bagor
C) Burzahom
D) Navdatoli
Answer: ✅ B) Adamgarh and Bagor
🔹 13. The Mesolithic site famous for numerous human burials in Uttar Pradesh is:
A) Inamgaon
B) Damdama
C) Mehrgarh
D) Chandraketugarh
Answer: ✅ B) Damdama
🔹 14. Agriculture began in India during the:
A) Palaeolithic Age
B) Mesolithic Age
C) Neolithic Age
D) Chalcolithic Age
Answer: ✅ C) Neolithic Age
🔹 15. The Neolithic site known for pit dwellings is:
A) Mahadaha
B) Burzahom
C) Bagor
D) Didwana
Answer: ✅ B) Burzahom
🔹 16. Which site provides earliest evidence of rice cultivation in India?
A) Atranjikhera
B) Lahuradewa
C) Daimabad
D) Navdatoli
Answer: ✅ B) Lahuradewa
🔹 17. Mehrgarh is located in:
A) Gujarat, India
B) Rajasthan, India
C) Balochistan, Pakistan
D) Afghanistan
Answer: ✅ C) Balochistan, Pakistan
🔹 18. Ash mounds related to Neolithic pastoral communities are found in:
A) Kashmir
B) Uttar Pradesh
C) Karnataka
D) Bihar
Answer: ✅ C) Karnataka
🔹 19. The Chalcolithic Age is also known as the:
A) Iron Age
B) Bronze Age
C) Copper-Stone Age
D) Megalithic Age
Answer: ✅ C) Copper-Stone Age
🔹 20. The Ahar culture flourished in the:
A) Ganga Valley
B) Deccan Plateau
C) Mewar region of Rajasthan
D) Kashmir Valley
Answer: ✅ C) Mewar region of Rajasthan
🔹 21. Ochre Coloured Pottery (OCP) was discovered at:
A) Burzahom
B) Atranjikhera and Hastinapur
C) Mehrgarh
D) Bagor
Answer: ✅ B) Atranjikhera and Hastinapur
🔹 22. The Three-Age System (Stone–Bronze–Iron) was proposed by:
A) V. Gordon Childe
B) Christian Jürgensen Thomsen
C) Mortimer Wheeler
D) Alexander Cunningham
Answer: ✅ B) Christian Jürgensen Thomsen
🔹 23. The Archaeological Survey of India was established in:
A) 1835
B) 1861
C) 1871
D) 1902
Answer: ✅ C) 1871
🔹 24. Who is known as the Father of Indian Archaeology?
A) John Marshall
B) Alexander Cunningham
C) Mortimer Wheeler
D) James Prinsep
Answer: ✅ B) Alexander Cunningham
🔹 25. Site–Period Matching: Which pair is correctly matched?
A) Bhimbetka — Neolithic
B) Burzahom — Mesolithic
C) Sohan Valley — Palaeolithic
D) Banas Valley — Neolithic
Answer: ✅ C) Sohan Valley — Palaeolithic