Prehistoric India to 1000 B.C. c9.21

c9.21

The Soan industry develops in technique as the geological context becomes later - the Early Soan is mainly of early Middle Pleistocene date, within the Second Interglacial period and, dated by the solar radiation method, between about 400,000 and 200,000 years ago. By the end of this period, however, technical developments in stone-flaking can be seen dividing into two the industries which become distinct in the Late Soan industries, apparently beginning in Third Glacial times, but surviving later. In one of these the pebble element is retained in a pronounced form, but in the other this primitive feature is discarded and use is made of a technique of preparing the core before detaching the flake similar to that which appears more or less contemporaneously in South Africa, Palestine, and Western Europe. It is generally felt, however, that the appearance of this particular technique need indicate no more than parallel evolution in flake production in the various regions in which it occurs. These final phases of the Soan industries persist into the Last Interglacial period and beyond, and are distributed far afield in North-West India.