News: The Archaeological Survey of India recently discovered one of first rock grooves in Kanniyakumari district which were created during the neolithic age. Neolithic age
About Neolithic age
- The term Neolithic has been derived from two Latin words. ‘Neo’ meaning New and ‘lithic’ meaning stone, hence Neolithic period is also known as New Stone Age.
- The Neolithic Age in India is generally dated between 7000 BCE and 1000 BCE, though this varies regionally.
- Characteristics of this period
- Agriculture transition and domestication of animals: People began domesticating animals, cultivating crops such as wheat, barley, rice, millets, lentils, ragi, and cotton.
- Permanent settlements: This period saw a transition from nomadic lifestyles to settled village
- Tool advancement: Use of polished stone tools, including axes and sickles, indicating technological progress; was seen in the period.
- Pottery: Development of handmade and wheel-turned pottery, often decorated, reflecting artistic expression.
- Arts and crafts: Beads made of semi-precious stones, terracotta figurines (including images of cattle and mother goddesses), and decorated pottery.
- Social behaviour: Likely tribal, with nuclear families indicated by small house sizes.
- Burial practices included burying the dead within houses, and sometimes animal burials, suggesting rituals and ancestor worship.
- Belief systems: Possible worship of natural forces and fertility cults, as suggested by terracotta images and burial customs.
Important Neoithic sites of India
- North-western India: The Neolithic culture of the north-western part of the Indian subcontinent at Mehrgarh has produced the earliest evidence of plant and animal domestication.
- North India: Kashmir Neolithic sites have evidence of pit dwellings (Burzahom, Gufkral). These sites show contacts with the Harappan sites and the cultures of East Asia and West Asia.
- Vindhyan Hills, the Belan and the Ganga River Valleys: The Belan valley Neolithic sites have cord-marked pottery and produced evidence for transition from hunting gathering to agriculture.
- North-eastern India: The sites of eastern and north-Eastern India show traits of shouldered axes often noticed in Southeast Asia. Marakdola, Daojali Hading and Sarutaru are the Neolithic sites of Assam region.
- Central-eastern region: The eastern Indian Neolithic sites have evidence of shouldered axes, pointed-butt celts, and chisels. Birbhanpur, Kuchai, Golbaisasan and Sankarjang are some of the important Neolithic sites of this region of West Bengal and Odisha.
- South India: The Neolithic sites of South India have ash mounds in the early stages and evidence of plant and animal domestication is found.
- Neolithic grooves were found in parts of Tamil Nadu such as Kanniyakumari, Krishnagiri, Tiruvannamalai and Villupuram.
