India during the Mesolithic
After the Paleolithic in India came the Mesolithic, generally defined as spanning 10,000 and 2,000 B.C.E. Once considered a technologically uneventful connection period between the Paleolithic and the Neolithic, closer examination has shown that the Mesolithic was an important period of rapid technological and cultural development that cannot be overlooked when discussing Indian prehistory.
By the advent of the Mesolithic, humans were long settled in the Indian subcontinent, and began to rapidly increase in population. During this period, humans also began to make significant technological advancements, particularly in their stone tools. The Mesolithic saw an increase in the production and quality of microliths, small stone tools ranging from 1 to 5 cm in length. These tools could be used as knives, arrowheads, spear points, or sickles, making their production extremely important for day to day life. Generally, they were made of chalcedony and chert, two types of common silica (a form of quartz). As a result of the increased production of microliths, the bow and arrow began to see widespread use during this period, marking the beginning of a versatile weapon that would be used for millennia. Larger stone tools such as grinding stones and digging weights were also used during the Mesolithic (though less often than smaller tools), further increasing efficiency when processing and obtaining food.
As humans became more and more aware of the plants and animals around them, they began to raise these sources of subsistence on their own, leading to the initial appearance of agriculture. At first, they domesticated dogs, cows, sheeps, and goats, as well as wheat and barley, starting around 10,000 years ago. From the animals they domesticated, humans found other uses than meat, such as transportation or milk. Although hunting and gathering remained dominant, the Mesolithic marked the beginning of a shift towards self-produced food.
In addition to introducing technological advancements, the people of the Mesolithic also effected cultural advancements such as those in the realm of art. The Bhimbetka Caves and the Vindhyan Sandstone Caves are filled with numerous examples of Indian art not just from the Mesolithic, but from the Paleolithic period as well. These paintings often contain hematite (iron oxide), an abundant red pigment, but also use blue and greed copper pigments as well as white and black colors. Similar pigments have been used in contemporary cultures around the world, and techniques such as applying the pigment via rubbing, twig, or spraying from the mouth have also been seen in other cultures. In addition to depicting hunting scenes, such as chasing an animal, Mesolithic artwork also depicted scenes of foraging and images of the social life of the communities that made them, offering a window into many aspects of their society.
The Mesolithic, while often overlooked, was a pivotal period in Ancient History, seeing the rise of agriculture, the advancement of important tools, and a marked shift in culture. These events marked the transition from the hunter-gatherers of the Paleolithic to the farmers of the Neolithic, eventually leading to the rise of cities and early civilization. The changes that occurred during the Mesolithic in India thus set the stage for the Indus Valley civilisation, one of the earliest and most advanced cultures of the time. The importance of the Mesolithic cannot be overstated because it set the stage for the rapid development that subsequently revolutionized Indian civilization.
References:
Bednarik, R. G. (2010). Indian Pleistocene rock art in a global context. Bulletin De La Société Préhistorique Ariège-Pyrénées, 150–151. Retrieved January 11, 2021 from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/311707006_Indian_Pleistocene_rock_art_in_a_global_context
Mathpal, Y. (1984). Prehistoric Painting Of Bhimbetka. India: Abhinav Publications.
Misra V. N. (2001). Prehistoric human colonization of India. Journal of biosciences, 26(4 Suppl), 491–531. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02704749
MOHANTY, P. (1993). Mesolithic Hunter-Gatherers of Keonjhar District, Orissa, India. Asian Perspectives, 32(1), 85–104. Retrieved January 11, 2021, from http://www.jstor.org/stable/42928272
