Neolithic Age in India

When did Neolithic Age start?

The Neolithic period began around 10700 to 9400 BC in Tell Qaramel in Northern Syria. In South Asia the date assigned to Neolithic period is 7000 BC and the earliest example is Mehrgarh Culture.

What were main changes in life during Neolithic period, that are collectively called Neolithic Revolution?

The human settlements in the Mesolithic era got more sedentary and this was the beginning of establishment of villages. Man now could keep cattle, sheep and goats and protect crops from pests. In due course, as the efficiency of agricultural production improved, some farmers were able to generate surplus food. As a consequence, a section of the population were freed from the task of food production and their talents and energies were diverted to tasks such as the production of pots, baskets, quarrying of stone, making of bricks, masonry and carpentry. This was the beginning of the new occupations such as the oil presser, washerman, barber, musician, dancers etc. This transition from hunting-gathering to food production is called the Neolithic revolution.

What was Neolithic Revolution?

Neolithic Revolution or Neolithic Demographic Transition, sometimes called the Agricultural Revolution, was the world’s first historically verifiable revolution in agriculture. It was the wide-scale transition of many human cultures from a lifestyle of hunting and gathering to one of agriculture and settlement which supported an increasingly large population. Archaeological data indicates that various forms of plants and animal domestication evolved in separate locations worldwide, starting around 12,000 years ago.

What are important Neolithic sites in India?

There are mainly four groups of Neolithic agriculture based regions in India as follows:

• Indus Valley
• Ganga Valley
• Western India (including northern Deccan) and
• Southern Deccan.

One of the most important Neolithic agricultural settlements in Indian subcontinent is Mehrgarh. It is now considered oldest agricultural settlement in the Indian subcontinent. It flourished in the seventh millennium B.C. It is located on the Bolan River, a tributary of the Indus, at the eastern edge of the Baluchistan plateau. In 1974, Mehrgarh was excavated by the French Archaeologist Jean Francois Jarrige.

Other important Neolithic sites include Gufkral and Burzahom in Kashmir; Mahgara, Chopani Mando, and Koldihwa in Belan valley in Uttar Pradesh; Chirand in Bihar etc. Belan valley sites have provided oldest evidence of rice cultivation in any part of the world. The people in Burzahom lived in pit dwellings, rather than building houses on the ground. In South India, the important Neolithic sites include Kodekal, Utnur, Nagatjunikonda, Palavoy in Andhra Pradesh; Tekkalkolta, Maski, Narsipur, Sangankallu, Hallur, and Brahmagiri in Karnataka; Pariamlpalli in Tamil Nadu etc.