Prehistoric India to 1000 B.C. c9.35

c9.35

There certainly exist a vast quantity of ground stone axes of the type known in ‘Neolithic’ contexts elsewhere, from many sites scattered over the country, not infrequently associated with microliths, but so far no distinctive habitation site has been found which places allegedly ‘Neolithic’ material in stratigraphical relationship to the earliest known agricultural communities in Baluchistan or Sind. Typology or colour-staining of the surface of an axe is a very untrustworthy guide to antiquity, and claims for a high dating for surface finds on these grounds can be ignored. On the other hand, certain stratified sites have produced ground stone axes and pottery in a distinct cultural layer, and these need to be considered.