Prehistory and Protohistory in India and Pakistan c6.s17: Density of Palaeolithic Population
Prehistory and Protohistory in India and Pakistan c6.s17
- Language
- English
Density of Palaeolithic Population
c6.s17.1
On the South-East, the great number of sites and their richness imply that the Palaeolithic population was probably much denser in this region than in the west or north, though if we again go by statistical analysis, of fossil remains elsewhere, this population was much less—only 4.2 million for the whole of Palaeolithic world, that is almost equal to the present population of Bombay,¹⁴⁹ though the wide distribution of his tools might be due to the fact that he did not carry the tools with him, but made them, as and when required, on the spot. However, within this limited number, Africa and India could boast of a denser population than Europe, for instance. As mentioned earlier, this man in India or China or Africa never lived beyond the age of 40, the mortality rate being high owing to the nomadic life. With his two main tools—the hand-axe—which must have been held first in the naked hand as the pebble-butt indicates—and the cleaver—he dug up roots of plants, cut trees as well as animal carcasses.
c6.s17.2
¹⁴⁹ For details see CLARK, GRAHAME, *Archaeology and Society*, London, 1957, p. 241 ff.
c6.s17.3
However, these are speculations based no doubt on a few observations among the few remaining primitive peoples in the world. What one would wish is more positive data. This can certainly be had if some more students come forward from different parts of India and seriously take to the search of stones and fossils in rivers and caves. Then only we shall truly know about the First Man in India and his successors.