Category 2 · Ancient History
Prehistoric and Chalcolithic Cultures
9 micro topics in Ancient History for UPSC Prelims, in book order: Human Evolution and the Early Man in India; Phases of the Palaeolithic Age and Major Sites; and 7 more.
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2.1
Human Evolution and the Early Man in India
Humans evolved in Africa: Australopithecus (5.5 to 1.5 million years ago), Homo habilis (2 to 1.5 million), Homo erectus (1.8 to 1.6 million, with the hand axe and fire), Homo sapiens (Neanderthals 230,000 to 30,000 years…
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2.2
Phases of the Palaeolithic Age and Major Sites
The Palaeolithic age in India has three phases by tools and climate: Lower (about 600,000 to 150,000 BC; hand axes, cleavers, choppers; Bori, Sohan valley, Belan valley, Didwana, Chirki-Nevasa, Bhimbetka), Middle (150,000 to 35,000 BC; flake…
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2.3
The Mesolithic Age – Hunters and Herders
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…
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2.4
Rock Art and Earliest Human Organisation in the Stone Age
Stone Age people painted rock shelters, most strikingly at Bhimbetka near Bhopal, with over 500 painted shelters showing hunting scenes that probably served hunting rituals. Upper Palaeolithic finds include ostrich eggshell beads at Patne and a…
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2.5
The Neolithic Age – First Food Producers
The Neolithic or New Stone Age began about 9000 BC in the world and about 7000 BC in the Indian subcontinent, at Mehrgarh. Its people used polished stone tools, farmed wheat, barley and later rice, kept…
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2.6
Neolithic Settlements – Baluchistan, Kashmir, Chirand and South India
Neolithic settlements fall into regional groups: Mehrgarh and Kashmir (Burzahom, Gufkral) in the north-west; Koldihwa, Mahagara, Senuwar and Chirand in the Vindhyas and Ganga plain; Assam and Meghalaya in the north-east; and over 850 south Indian…
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2.7
Chalcolithic Cultures of India
Chalcolithic means copper-stone age. Its rural cultures included Ahar-Banas (c. 2100 to 1500 BC), Kayatha, Malwa (1700 to 1200 BC) and Jorwe (1400 to 700 BC, with Inamgaon and Daimabad) in the west and centre, plus…
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2.8
Copper Hoards and Ochre-Coloured Pottery Culture
Over eighty copper hoards of rings, celts, hatchets, swords, harpoons and human-like figures are known from West Bengal and Orissa to Gujarat and Haryana, with the largest at Gungeria in Madhya Pradesh (424 copper tools and…
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2.9
Megalithic and Iron Age Cultures of South India
The Iron Age of south India is the megalithic culture (c. 1000 BC to the early centuries AD), known from stone-circle, cist and urn burials with black-and-red ware and iron tools, at sites such as Adichanallur,…
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Frequently asked questions
Which topics are in Prehistoric and Chalcolithic Cultures?
Prehistoric and Chalcolithic Cultures has 9 micro topics in Ancient History: Human Evolution and the Early Man in India; Phases of the Palaeolithic Age and Major Sites; The Mesolithic Age – Hunters and Herders; Rock Art and Earliest Human Organisation in the Stone Age; The Neolithic Age – First Food Producers; Neolithic Settlements – Baluchistan, Kashmir, Chirand and South India; Chalcolithic Cultures of India; Copper Hoards and Ochre-Coloured Pottery Culture; Megalithic and Iron Age Cultures of South India.
Is Prehistoric and Chalcolithic Cultures important for UPSC Prelims?
Prehistoric and Chalcolithic Cultures is a part of the UPSC Prelims Ancient History syllabus map on MaargX UPSC. Each of its 9 published topics has key terms, a Mains angle and practice questions.