The Personality of India: Pre- and Proto-historic Foundation of India and Pakistan c11.7

c11.7

In India, Robert Bruce Foote readily adopted the Three Age concept and his brilliant generalization still holds the field.⁴ Yet, as we shall see, we have not been able to evolve a satisfactory correlation of Palaeolithic cultures, in different parts of the country. For the North-western India, we have a fine sequence based on the correlation of pleistocene glaciations, Siwalik fauna and human cultures.¹ In the peninsular India, various sub-divisions between "Wet" and "Dry" periods have been attempted by Cammiade, Burkitt² Zeuner,³ and Sen.⁴ But it still lacks a stratigraphic basis and typology creeps into it at every stage. Not that it is wrong, but what we need is other independent criteria. The most important result of all this is the undoubted existence of a Pebble-Chopper-Complex in the Sohan and a widespread Peninsular Hand-axe and cleaver groups in the Middle and Upper Pleistocene. But in the two areas, where they have been systematically studied (Madras and Sohan), the tendency is for the appearance of a Levallois or prepared-platform technique in the later stages of both these industries. The second distinct group is the Geometric and Non-geometric Microlithic industries spread all over the country. In between two distinct assemblages, what one may call as "Early" and "Late" Stone Ages, we have an equally well-distributed blade, scraper and burin industry with distinct "Levallois" and Mousterian technique. All over the country, we see a switch-over to the fine-grained stones like agate, chert, jasper etc. The stratigraphic position of this industry between the Early and Late is indicated at Narsinghpur,⁵ Bombay⁶ and Maheshvar⁷ area. Hence for greater clarity, we may call this as "Middle Stone Age" industry.