South Asian Stone Age

History of South Asia History of India
Stone Age	70,000–7000 BCE
Mehrgarh Culture	7000–3300 BCE
Indus Valley Civilization	3300–1700 BCE
Late Harappan Culture	1700–1300 BCE
Vedic Civilization	1500–500 BCE
· Iron Age Kingdoms	· 1200–700 BCE
Maha Janapadas	700–300 BCE
Magadha Empire	684–26 BCE
· Maurya Dynasty	· 321–184 BCE
Middle Kingdoms	230 BCE–1279 CE
· Satavahana Empire	· 230 BCE–199 CE
· Kushan Empire	· 60–240 CE
· Gupta Empire	· 240–550
· Chola Empire	· 848–1279
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· Deccan Sultanates	· 1490–1596
Hoysala Empire	1040–1346
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The South Asian Stone Age covers the Palaeolithic and Mesolithic periods in South Asia.

Paleolithic

Homo erectus

Homo erectus lived in South Asia during the Pleistocene Epoch. Biface handaxe and cleaver traditions may have originated in the middle Pleistocene ^[1]. The beginning of the use of Acheulian and chopper-chopping tools of lower paleolithic may be dated to approx. the middle Pleistocene ^[2].

Homo sapiens

Cave sites in Sri Lanka have yielded the earliest record of modern homo sapiens in South Asia. They were dated to 34 tya. (Kennedy 2000: 180). mtDNA analysis dates the immigration of Homo sapiens to South Asia to 70 to 60 tya.

Based on a syntheses of fossil, artifact, and genetic data, Michael Petraglia and Hannah James argue that modern humans arrived there about 70,000 years ago ^[3].

For finds from the Belan in southern Uttar Pradesh radio carbon data have indicated an age of 18-17 tya. Palaeolithic rock art is also well-known.

At Bhimbetka humans lived from late Pleistocene to the mid-Holocene. The Narmada valley, the Sivaliks and the Potwar region have exhibit many vertebrate fossil remains and paleolithic tools.

Chert, jasper and quartzite were often used by humans during this period. Upper paleolithic tools were also found in Bhimbetka.

Mesolithic

The Mesolithic period in South Asia was diverse and innovative.^[4] The Bhimbetka site has revealed many cave paintings that date to the mesolithic period.

Neolithic

See Mehrgarh

Notes

1. ^ (Kennedy 2000: 136)
2. ^ (Kennedy 2000: 160)
3. ^ Petraglia 2005, Current Anthropology 46
4. ^ e.g. Kennedy 2000:239

See also

• Pre History of Sri Lanka

Further reading

• Kenneth A.R. Kennedy. 2000, God-Apes and Fossil Men: Palaeoanthropology of South Asia Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press.
• Hannah V. A. James and Michael D. Petraglia 2005, Modern Human Origins and the Evolution of Behavior in the Later Pleistocene Record of South Asia, Current Anthropology Volume 46, Supplement, December 2005 [1]
• V. N. Misra 2001. Prehistoric human colonization of India [2]

External links

• Introducing Indian Prehistory

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