Sambhav-2024

• Start the answer with a discussion that sets a context for the question.
• Discuss the key changes that accompanied the transition during the Paleolithic Age.
• Discuss the key changes that accompanied the transition during the Mesolithic Age.
• Discuss the key changes that accompanied the transition during the Neolithic Age.
• Conclude suitably.

Introduction

The Neolithic revolution was the critical transition that resulted in the birth of agriculture, taking humans from scattered groups of hunter-gatherers to farming villages. This transition from the Paleolithic to the Neolithic era began in Mesopotamia, notably in the region of Sumer, and subsequently disseminated to India, Europe, and other regions.

Body

Here are some key changes that accompanied this transition:

• Phases in the Paleolithic Age: (around 600000-10000 BC)
  • Lower Paleolithic Age: People started using hand axes, cleavers, and choppers to hunt fish and birds. Its most important site lies in Belan Valley, Uttar Pradesh.
  • Middle Paleolithic Age: Middle Paleolithic industries were largely based upon flakes or small pieces of stone found in different parts of India with regional variations. The artefacts of this age were found at several places on the river Narmada.
  • Upper Paleolithic Age: It marks the appearance of new flint industries and men of the modern type. In India, the use of blades and burins can be found in Andhra Pradesh. Cave and rock shelters have been discovered at Bhimbetka.
• The Mesolithic Age: (around 10000 BC)
  • Animal Husbandry: Mesolithic Age marked a transitional phase in the mode of subsistence leading to animal husbandry.
  • Microliths: The characteristic tools of the Mesolithic age are microliths with sites that have been around Rajasthan.
• The Neolithic Age: (around 9000 BC)
  • Rural Settlements: The earliest rural settlements in the Indian subcontinent were attributed to Mehrgarh located on the bank of Bolan River.
  • Use of Bone Tools: The Neolithic People in Kashmir used not only bone tools but also numerous tools and weapons made of bone. Its most important sites are Burzahom, Gufkral and Chirand.
  • Agriculture; The Neolithic settlers were the earliest farming communities. The Neolithic people led a settled life and produced ragi, horse gram, and even rice.
  • Pottery: Neolthic people used foot wheels to make pots. The Neolithic pottery includes black burnished ware, grey ware, and mat-impressed ware.
• Limitations: The people of the Stone Age suffered from one great limitation, they had to depend almost entirely on tools made of stone, and they could not find settlements far away from hilly areas.

Conclusion

The transition from the Paleolithic to the Neolithic era was a transformative period that laid the groundwork for the development of civilizations. The adoption of agriculture and the shift to settled communities had far-reaching implications for human societies, shaping the course of human history for millennia to come.