Prehistory and Protohistory in India and Pakistan c8.s7.29

c8.s7.29

Everywhere the sites are situated on the old river terraces and plateaus and away from the present river valleys. These are lightly forested now, and were possibly so when the microlithic people inhabited the area. At present these are the homes of a number of aboriginal tribes, such as the Santals and Uraons. Hence the Chota Nagpur plateau is of particular importance in understanding the Mesolithic problem in this part of India. How old are these microliths? Have they anything to do with the present tribes or their ancestors? No large scale work has ever been attempted in this region. However, one small excavation by LAL and earlier observation by ANDERSON give some idea of the antiquity of microliths.