The Mesolithic Age – Hunters and Herders
Ancient History › Prehistoric and Chalcolithic Cultures · Topic 2.3
The Mesolithic age (about 9000 to 4000 BC, lasting longer in some regions) followed the end of the ice age. Its people used microliths, hunted, fished and gathered, and began to domesticate animals, as at Bagor and Adamgarh. Sites such as Langhnaj, Sarai Nahar Rai, Mahadaha, Bagor and Bhimbetka show huts, burials, art and a shift towards animal husbandry that led to the Neolithic.
5 min read · UPSC Prelims · History · Prehistoric and Chalcolithic Cultures
At a Glance
- Date About 9000 to 4000 BC
- Tools Microliths
- Economy Hunting, fishing, gathering, then herding
- Key sites Bagor, Adamgarh, Langhnaj, Sarai Nahar Rai
- Transition Leads to the Neolithic
- Exam link UPSC Prelims, Ancient History: Prehistoric and Chalcolithic Cultures
Where Does It Fit?
This is the third topic of the category on prehistoric and chalcolithic cultures. The previous topic covered the Palaeolithic phases, and this one covers the transitional Middle Stone Age. The next topic covers rock art and early human organisation. Previous topic: Phases of the Palaeolithic Age and Major Sites.
What Marked the Mesolithic Age?
In short: the Mesolithic was a transitional phase between the Old and New Stone Ages, marked by tiny stone tools and the start of herding.
The Upper Palaeolithic ended with the end of the ice age around 10,000 BC, after which the climate became warm and rainy and has not changed greatly since. The Mesolithic began about 9000 BC as an intermediate stage between the Palaeolithic and the Neolithic. It continued roughly from 9000 to 4000 BC, and in parts of Kerala and Tamil Nadu microliths continued until about 1000 BCE, the start of the Iron Age. After the ice age, human groups became highly mobile and occupied many eco-zones, from coasts to hills, including sand dunes, rock shelters, deltas, lakes and forests. At Didwana in western Rajasthan, freshwater lakes existed between 10,000 and 3500 years ago. The characteristic tools were microliths or tiny tools, with spears, bows and arrows and traps.
Which Sites Matter?
| Region | Sites |
|---|---|
| Rajasthan | Bagor, very well excavated, with a distinct microlithic industry; occupied for 5000 years from the fifth millennium BC; people lived by hunting and pastoralism; Tilwara; Chandravati |
| Madhya Pradesh | Adamgarh, which with Bagor gives the earliest evidence of animal domestication in the subcontinent, about 5000 BC; Bhimbetka and other rock shelters |
| Uttar Pradesh | Sarai Nahar Rai, Mahadaha, Damdama, Chopani Mando, Baghor II |
| Gujarat and Bihar | Langhnaj in Gujarat; Paisra in Bihar |
| South | Sankanakallu and Kibbanahalli in Karnataka; Teri sites at Thoothukudy in Tamil Nadu; coastal sites at Mumbai and Vishakapatnam |
| Others | Rock shelters at Lekhakia and Baghai Khor |
What Is the Time Frame and Spread?
| Aspect | Detail |
|---|---|
| Start | About 9000 or 10,000 BC with the end of the ice age |
| End | About 4000 BC in most regions; to about 1000 BC in parts of Kerala and Tamil Nadu |
| Climate | Warm and rainy; a dry deciduous forest suggested by animal bones |
| Spread | Found in nearly all eco-zones, from coasts to hills |
| Population | Semi-permanent and temporary settlements in caves and open ground |
Only a few Mesolithic finds have been scientifically dated, so the dates are approximate.
How Did Mesolithic People Live?
They hunted wild animals, gathered plant food and fished, and at a later stage domesticated animals; farming was not practised early on, though the deposits of the former Sambhar salt lake in Rajasthan suggest cultivation of plants about 7000 to 6000 BC. The animals hunted included cattle, gaur, buffalo, barasingha, sambar, chital, nilgai and fish, with bones of rhinoceros and elephant too; domestic cattle, sheep, goat, pig and dog bones are found at Kanewal, Loteshwar, Ratanpur, Adamgarh and Bhimbetka, and camel bones at Kanewal. Paintings at Bhimbetka show men and women hunting together. People moved often, building temporary huts and using caves and rock shelters. Circular huts with postholes and burnt clay lumps bearing reed impressions have been found, and oval and circular huts at Chopani Mando, Damdama, Bagor and Tilwara.
| Feature | Evidence |
|---|---|
| Burials | They buried their dead, suggesting beliefs and human relations; skeletons at Mahadaha, Damdama and Sarai Nahar Rai; at Mahadaha a man and woman were buried together, one burial with an ivory pendant |
| Art | Rock paintings in Madhya Pradesh and central India showing hunting, trapping, fishing and dancing; geometric engravings on a chert core at Chandravati; bone objects at Bhimbetka |
| Dress and ornament | Haematite with traces of rubbing suggests decoration of the body |
As an analytical point, the Mesolithic prepared the Neolithic: herding and microlith technology, and in a few places early cultivation, laid the base for the settled farming of The Neolithic Age – First Food Producers. Cultural continuity from this period is seen in many parts of India, and in the Indus period Tamil Nadu still had microlithic hunter-gatherers, so such communities should not be called primitive but people who preferred hunting and gathering.
Why Is This Topic Important?
- Transitional phase Links Palaeolithic and Neolithic
- Sites Bagor and Adamgarh are asked often
- Culture Burials and rock art
What Came Next?
The next topic describes rock art and the earliest human organisation in the Stone Age. Next topic: Rock Art and Earliest Human Organisation in the Stone Age.
Key People and Terms
- Microlith Tiny stone tool
- Teri Coastal sand-dune landscape
- Bagor Rajasthan Mesolithic site
- Adamgarh MP site with early domesticated animals
- Langhnaj Gujarat Mesolithic site
- Haematite Iron-rich stone
Exam Corner
Points to Remember
- Mesolithic: about 9000 to 4000 BC.
- Tools: microliths.
- Earliest domestication: Adamgarh and Bagor, about 5000 BC.
- Mahadaha: man and woman buried together.
- Plant cultivation hints at Sambhar, 7000 to 6000 BC.
Do Not Confuse With
- Mesolithic and Neolithic Microliths and herding versus polished tools and farming
- Bagor and Bhimbetka Rajasthan pastoral site versus MP rock-shelter site
- Microlith and hand axe Tiny tool versus large Lower Palaeolithic tool
Memory Hook
Ice age ends, tools shrink, hunters tame animals; Bagor and Adamgarh lead to the farm.
Mains Angle
Questions on the Mesolithic ask about its place and features. These points add depth.
- Climate Post-ice-age warming
- Economy Hunting to herding
- Culture Burials, art, huts
A Question You May Face
An original practice question, not a past paper question.
“Explain the significance of the Mesolithic age in the prehistory of India.”
How to Answer
- Setting End of the ice age.
- Tools Microliths.
- Economy Hunting, fishing, herding.
- Importance Paved the way for the Neolithic.
GS Relevance
Frequently Asked Questions
What were the main features of the Mesolithic age?
The Mesolithic was a transitional phase from about 9000 to 4000 BC, marked by microliths, a hunting, fishing and gathering economy, the beginning of animal domestication, temporary huts, burials and rock art, which led towards the Neolithic way of life.
Which sites show early domestication of animals?
Adamgarh in Madhya Pradesh and Bagor in Rajasthan provide the earliest evidence of animal domestication in the Indian part of the subcontinent, around 5000 BC, and domestic cattle, sheep, goat, pig and dog bones have been found at several Mesolithic sites.
What are microliths?
Microliths are tiny stone tools that characterise the Mesolithic age. Used with spears, bows and arrows, they enabled people to hunt small and swift animals and to work on bone and wood, and they are found across Rajasthan, UP, central, eastern and southern India.
What do Mesolithic burials show?
Mesolithic people buried the dead, as skeletons from Mahadaha, Damdama and Sarai Nahar Rai in Uttar Pradesh show. At Mahadaha a man and woman were buried together, and one grave held an ivory pendant, suggesting beliefs and human relations.
Why did the Mesolithic lead to the Neolithic?
Mesolithic people already kept animals and in a few places may have cultivated plants, so their mode of subsistence was moving towards animal husbandry. This transitional way of life paved the way for settled farming in the Neolithic age.
PYQ Practice — Statement Analysis
1 Bagor in Rajasthan is a well-excavated Mesolithic site.
It was occupied for 5000 years.
2 Mesolithic people practised settled farming with ploughs.
Farming came with the Neolithic.
3 Microliths are characteristic tools of the Mesolithic age.
They are tiny stone tools.
4 Adamgarh and Bagor give early evidence of domestication of animals.
The date is about 5000 BC.
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