ProTeacher.in

Palaeolithic Age — UPSC Civil Services

It is broadly associated with the period when humans primarily used roughly chipped stone tools. In the Indian context, the Palaeolithic is generally studied from about 2 million years ago to around 10,000 BCE, though dates vary by region and archaeological evidence.

Palaeolithic Age

It is divided into three periods:

• Lower Palaeolithic
• Middle Palaeolithic
• Upper Palaeolithic

Sources of Knowledge – Palaeolithic Age

Our understanding comes mainly from archaeological evidence:

Lower Palaeolithic

Approximate period: c. 2 million–150,000 years ago

• Dominance of handaxes, cleavers and chopping tools.
• Tools were generally large and made from stone such as quartzite.
• People lived mainly by hunting, gathering and scavenging.
• Nomadic or semi-nomadic movement was common.
• Important evidence of early human occupation is found near river valleys and areas with suitable stone resources.

Important Indian sites

Middle Palaeolithic

Approximate period: c. 150,000–40,000 years ago

Major technological change

• Large handaxes became less dominant.
• Greater use of smaller and more carefully prepared tools.
• Important tools include:
  Scrapers
  Points
  Flake tools
• Levallois-type prepared-core technology is associated with Middle Palaeolithic technological traditions.

Important sites

Lifestyle

• Hunting and gathering remained the main subsistence activities.
• Greater adaptation to different ecological environments is visible.
• Humans increasingly exploited a wider range of animal and plant resources.

Upper Palaeolithic

Approximate period: c. 40,000–10,000 BCE

Major features:
Greater technological diversity and more refined stone tools.
Blade and burin technologies became important.
Tools became increasingly specialised.
Evidence suggests more complex hunting strategies and wider use of resources.

Important Indian evidence

Upper Palaeolithic

• Bhimbetka, Madhya Pradesh
• Patne, Maharashtra
• Kurnool caves, Andhra Pradesh
• Other sites across central and southern India provide evidence of Upper Palaeolithic occupation.

Let’s take a break and be ready for the Quiz!

Scroll down to attempt the quiz and also revise or revisit if needed.

Food & Subsistence

Palaeolithic communities were primarily hunter-gatherers.

Hunting

Gathering

Tools & Technology

Raw materials

Map

Settlement & Environment

• People generally lived in small, mobile groups. They moved in search of water, food and suitable habitats.
• River valleys, rock shelters and areas close to raw-material sources were important.
• Permanent villages and agricultural settlements had not yet developed.
• Caves and rock shelters were used where suitable, but Palaeolithic people did not necessarily live exclusively in caves.

Discovery & Use of Fire

Fire was an important technological development in prehistoric human life.

Possible uses:-
• Cooking food
• Providing warmth
• Protection from animals
• Light
• Processing certain materials

Art & Symbolic Expression

The prehistoric record provides evidence of symbolic behaviour and artistic expression, particularly in later prehistoric contexts.
Bhimbetka rock shelters are especially important for Indian prehistoric art.

Paintings depict subjects such as:

• Animals
• Hunting scenes
• Human figures
• Group activities

Important Palaeolithic Sites — India

Palaeolithic vs Neolithic

Exam Focus – Why the Palaeolithic Age Matters for UPSC & PCS Exams

Remember the Palaeolithic Age through five themes:

1. Technology → Stone tools and changing tool-making techniques
2. Economy → Hunting and gathering
3. Society → Small, mobile communities
4. Environment → Adaptation to different landscapes and resources
5. Archaeology → Tools, fossils, habitation sites, rock shelters and art

Quick Revision – Palaeolithic Age

Test Yourself — Check Your Understanding