Stone Age and Early Indian Prehistory

Vocabulary flashcards covering major terms, sites, cultures, and concepts from the Stone Age through the Chalcolithic period in early Indian prehistory.

Stone Age

Broad prehistoric period characterized by the manufacture and use of stone tools; divided into Palaeolithic, Mesolithic, and Neolithic sub-periods.

Palaeolithic

Old Stone Age (c. 5 lakh BC – 10,000 BC) marked by hunter-gatherers using rudimentary stone implements.

Lower Palaeolithic

Earliest Palaeolithic phase (c. 5 lakh BC – 50,000 BC) coinciding with the Ice Age; sites include Soan/Sohan (Punjab).

Middle Palaeolithic

Phase c. 50,000 – 40,000 BC based on flake technology; key occupation hunting and food gathering.

Upper Palaeolithic

Late Palaeolithic (c. 40,000 – 10,000 BC), last Pleistocene phase; emergence of Homo sapiens and cave art at Bhimbetka.

Mesolithic

Middle Stone Age (c. 9,000/8,000 BC – 4,000 BC) featuring microliths, a warmer climate, and initial animal domestication.

Neolithic

New Stone Age (c. 7,000 BC – 1,000 BC) when agriculture, pottery, settled life, and property ownership appeared.

Microliths

Very small, finely worked stone tools typical of the Mesolithic period.

Flake Technology

Stone-tool technique where flakes struck from a core are fashioned into implements; typical of Middle Palaeolithic.

Bhimbetka

Madhya Pradesh cave complex with Upper Palaeolithic to Mesolithic rock art and shelters.

Belan Valley

Uttar Pradesh region with Palaeolithic to Neolithic sequence; early rice domestication at Koldihwa.

Soan / Sohan Valley

Lower Palaeolithic site in Punjab noted for pebble-tool industry.

Langhnaj

Mesolithic site in Gujarat (Mehsana district) yielding microliths and faunal remains.

Bagor

Large Mesolithic habitation on the Kothari River, Rajasthan; evidence of animal domestication.

Chopani Mando

Mesolithic site in Belan Valley near Allahabad exhibiting transitional cultural layers.

Sanganakallu

Neolithic-Mesolithic complex in Karnataka famous for early stone-axe production.

Mehrgarh

Neolithic site in Baluchistan with evidence of wheat, barley, cotton cultivation and mud-brick houses.

Burzahom

Neolithic site near Srinagar where pit dwellings and dog-with-master burials were found.

Gufkral

‘Cave of potters’ 41 km SW of Srinagar; Neolithic agriculture and animal domestication evidence.

Chirand

Neolithic-Chalcolithic site in Bihar noted for bone tools and black-and-red pottery.

Koldihwa

Belan Valley Neolithic site providing earliest evidence of rice cultivation (c. 7000 BC).

Mahagara

Belan Valley Neolithic site complementing Koldihwa’s rice-domestication evidence.

Daojali Hading

Neolithic site in Assam distinguished by jadeite stone artifacts.

Catal Huyuk

Early proto-city in Turkey dating to Neolithic era; shows early settled urban life.

Chalcolithic Age

Copper Age (Chacolithic) marked by rural settlements using copper tools alongside stone.

Copper

First metal discovered and used by humans; hallmark of Chalcolithic cultures.

Ganeshwar

Rajasthan Chalcolithic site supplying copper tools, linked to Khetri copper mines.

Ahar–Gilund

South-eastern Rajasthan Chalcolithic culture near Banas Valley with black-and-red ware.

Kayatha

Chalcolithic site in Madhya Pradesh (Kalisindh River) with copper and stone assemblages.

Eran

Madhya Pradesh Chalcolithic-to-early historic site; important for copper artifacts.

Jorwe Culture

Western Maharashtra Chalcolithic culture (Godavari-Pravara basin) typified by distinctive pottery and urn burials.

Daimabad

Largest Jorwe-culture site; famous for bronze sculptures and extensive occupation layers.

Inamgaon

Long-occupied Jorwe settlement on the Ghod River with evidence of agriculture and urn burials.

Nevasa

Maharashtra site spanning Upper Palaeolithic to Chalcolithic levels, part of Jorwe network.

Navdatoli

Chalcolithic settlement on Narmada River, notable for house-plans and blade tools.

Urn Burial

Funerary practice of interring human remains in large ceramic jars, common in Chalcolithic Jorwe culture.

Cairn Circle

Stone circle erected over megalithic graves; term for South Indian megalithic monuments.

Celt

Neolithic ground and polished stone axe or adze used as a tool.

Black-and-Red Ware

Bichrome pottery with black interior and red exterior common in Neolithic-Chalcolithic sites.

Ochre-Coloured Pottery

Red-slipped ceramic tradition associated with late Harappan and Chalcolithic cultures.

Khetri Mines

Major copper ore source in Rajasthan exploited since prehistory.

Malajkhand

Large copper deposit in Madhya Pradesh mined since ancient times.

Microlithic Transitional Phase

Shift from Palaeolithic to Neolithic marked by microliths, warmer climate, and growing subsistence diversity.

Flint

Fine-grained silica stone widely used for making sharp Upper Palaeolithic tools.

Ostrich-Eggshell Evidence

Upper Palaeolithic Patne (Maharashtra) yielded engraved ostrich eggshells, indicating symbolism.

Hathnora Skull

Homo erectus/archaic hominin cranium discovered near Narmada River, Madhya Pradesh.

Ice Age

Pleistocene epoch with extensive glaciation; timeframe of Lower Palaeolithic culture.

Holocene

Post-Ice-Age geological epoch beginning c. 10,000 BC, encompassing Mesolithic onward.

Proto-historic Period

Age with written symbols that remain undeciphered, bridging prehistory and history.

Pre-historic Period

Times before the advent of writing; knowledge derived solely from archaeology.

Excavation

Archaeological process of systematically uncovering past human activity through digging.

BC / AD (CE)

Chronological markers: Before Christ and Anno Domini (Common Era) used for dating history.