The era known as the prehistoric era is when human civilization was not written about. In ancient history, this era is known as the prehistoric period since there is no writing from the people during this time. This period of time spans from 1,200 B.C. to 2.5 million years ago.
The inhabitants used stone implements for hunting at that period. It was exceedingly challenging to decipher the manner of life and conduct of those who lived in those times because there were no written records. Archaeology and excavation are used to find the evidence of this era. We’ll cover everything there is to know about the ancient era in this post.
Three ages are distinguished in ancient history: the Stone Age, Bronze Age, and Iron Age.
Stone Age
- The era when stone was utilized for making tools is known as the Stone Age. Three periods are further separated out of this age:
- Paleolithic age (old stone age): Period – 500,000 – 10,000 BCE
- Mesolithic age (late stone age): Period – 10,000 – 6000 BCE
- Neolithic age (new stone age): Period – 6000 – 1000 BCE
Paleolithic Age (Old Stone Age)
Because the entire earth was covered in snow and sunlight was scarce, the Paleolithic Age is also known as the Ice Age. Because of the extreme cold, neither humans nor vegetation could survive. However, because the ice used to melt there, human life was discovered in the tropical areas.
Major characteristics of the Paleolithic Age
- The people of this era lived in caves and rock shelters near rivers and valleys;
- They were unaware of agriculture and pottery;
- They used to hunt and eat a lot of wild fruits and vegetables;
- All of their weapons were made entirely of stone.
Based on the types of weapons employed and the climatic circumstances, the Paleolithic Age is divided into three phases:
- Lower Paleolithic Age: up to 100,000 BC
- Middle Paleolithic Age: 100,000 BC – 40,000 BC
- Upper Paleolithic Age: 40,000 BC – 10,000 BC
Mesolithic Period (Middle Stone Age):
A large quantity of ice melted at this time because the environment warmed. Significant changes in development happened in both plant and human life.
Major characteristics of people during Mesolithic Period
- Mainly engaged in fishing, hunting, and food collection.
- Changed to taming animals, establishing the groundwork for agriculture.
- Dressing in animal pelts.
- Hunting with bows and arrows.
- Notable feature: microliths, which are tiny stone hunting implements.
- Stone paintings depicting dance, hunting scenes, wild animals, and food gathering were created by art enthusiasts.
- The Ganga Plains’ initial human settlement.
Neolithic Period (New Stone Age)
Humanity saw numerous profound transformations in its social and economic landscape during this time.
Major characteristics of the Neolithic Period
- Around this time, people learned how to use fire, and widespread agriculture began.
- They erected mud and reed houses and began farming crops like wheat, ragi, and horse gram since agriculture had shown that people required a way to store grains.
- This is also the reason that pottery was created.
- Initially, pottery was made by hand, but later, wheels were used.
- People used microlithic blades and advanced to make more sophisticated tools out of polished stones.
- They also made other weapons out of bones, such as arrowheads, scrapers, borers, and needles. They were also able to weave cloth and build boats.
- • In the past, Neolithic people settled the hilly river valleys and hillside slopes.
Chalcolithic Age (Stone Copper Age)
In addition to stone weapons, metal was employed during the Chalcolithic era.
Major Characteristics of Chalcolithic Age:
- Chalcolithic people lived in the eastern regions and were primarily associated with fish and rice.
- They also made black and red pottery as well as ochre-colored pottery.
- The people crafted white linear designs.
- Infant mortality was very high.
- They used to live in thatched houses made of mud bricks.
- Agriculture was mostly developed during this age, and people produced several pulses, including green gram, grass pea, lentil, and black gram.
- Even still, the beginning of social inequality was marked by the leader of the community residing in a huge rectangular mansion.
Bronze Age:
- Stone Age ended with the Bronze Age.
- This era extends 3,300–1,200 BCE. During this time, states and kingdoms began to form.
- People also began to manufacture bronze tools and weapons.
- Humans began to migrate and trade with one another.
- The ox-drawn plough and the wheel were created.
- During this time, protowriting also began to emerge. Slavery and social inequality were brought into society.
Iron Age
- The Iron Age, which existed from 1200 to 600 B.C., was marked by the advent of the Aryans and the invention of iron and steel weaponry by people from Europe, Asia, and some regions of Africa.
- The introduction of Jainism and Buddhism coincided with the beginning of the Mahajanapadas civilization, which was the first to emerge on the Ganga’s banks following the Indus Valley.