The Personality of India: Pre- and Proto-historic Foundation of India and Pakistan c13.s2: B. Middle Stone Age
The Personality of India: Pre- and Proto-historic Foundation of India and Pakistan c13.s2
- Language
- English
Contents
- c13.s2.t1 Bombay area — 59 parts
B. Middle Stone Age
c13.s2.1
This is, as yet, the least known of all the phases of Indian Stone Age. The basis of this new term has already been explained. It is being put forward as a hypothesis to explain an enigmatic group of stone industries, which do not fit in with the Early Stone Age or the equally distinctive Geometric and Non-geometric industries, widely distributed in time and space all over the sub-continent. Hence very vague term like "Proto-Neolithic" has been applied to them to show their distinctive character. But in a few localities there is some stratigraphic basis to show their intermediary position within the other well-known assemblages. This position was brought home by the discovery of a large group at Maheshvar and recently in a stratified [Figure: EARLY & MIDDLE STONE AGES GLACIATED TRACTS LATE CAINOZOIC (SIWALIK) EARLY STONE AGE SITES MIDDLE STONE AGE SITES
c13.s2.2
¹ DE TERRA and PATERSON. *op. cit.* p. 320.
c13.s2.3
POTWAR REGION PRE-SOHAN SOHAN A HAND AXE INDUSTRY]
c13.s2.4
Fig. 15.
c13.s2.5
context by Dr. Sankalia near Nevasa on the river Pravara. Hence the following account is intended to focus the attention of the workers to this problem. It needs a fresh investigation. (Fig. 15)
Bombay area
c13.s2.t1.1
The finest evidence for this industry is provided by the sections at Khandivli studied by Todd¹ (Fig. 16). Now, we can understand his sections in the light of recent work by Prof. Zeuner and by comparing them with those of Gujarat and Maharashtra. As already stated, there were two series of aggradations with a break. At Khandivli, we have more or less a similar situation. The lower clay, "bluish brown" in colour, seems to correspond to the "Mottled clay" of similar colour noticed in all the river systems of Western India. Then the lower gravel and the Middle clay constitute one aggradational deposit starting with a coarse gravel. Archaeologically, it is of the same age as in Gujarat and Maharashtra. This is succeeded again by an Upper Gravel and Upper clay in the eastern sections, while in the southern section, we have a "laterisation" of the top of the lower gravel with rubble underlying the "Red earth". As pointed out by Zeuner, the wind activity becomes less as we go south and eastwards from the Sabarmati valley—(note the difference between Sabarmati and Mahi—for example)—This would account for the absence of this evidence in Khandivli.
c13.s2.t1.2
¹ TODD, 1939. op. cit.
c13.s2.t1.3
If we accept this correlation, we have a very interesting evidence of an Early Stone Age assemblage at the base while in the intermediary levels there is a "blade-and burin-industry which appears to get into a more evolved stage in the upper clay with such types as polyhedral and angle burins and even the parrot beak type, strongly reminiscent of the Asiatic Aurignacian of Europe and the Middle East"²
c13.s2.t1.4
² KRISHNASWAMY, V. D. K., "Progress in Prehistory", *Ancient India*, No. 9.
c13.s2.t1.5
The recent work of S. C. Malik in the Khandivli area confirms this sequence.³
c13.s2.t1.6
³ MALIK, S. C., "Palaeolithic Industries of Bombay—A Re-evaluation", *Journal of the M. S. University of Baroda*, Vol. VI, No. 1, March 1957.
c13.s2.t1.7
Similar evidence has been found by Dr. Sankalia in the valley of Pravara near Nevasa. Here is his account:
c13.s2.t1.8
"The earliest occupation was represented by three layers of gravel, which contained two types of lithic industries. One, probably the earlier was a hand axe industry of Trap rock. It was typologically Acheulean. The second industry consisted of comparatively small cores, flakes, scrapers, blades and burins of jasper, carnelian and other fine grained stones"⁴
c13.s2.t1.9
⁴ *Archaeology in India—A Review*—1954-55.
c13.s2.t1.10
(Top half of the page contains 22 numbered stone tool illustrations)
c13.s2.t1.11
KHANDIVLI SECTIONS SEQUENCE
c13.s2.t1.12
(Diagram showing stratigraphic layers: RED EARTH, RUBBLE, LATERISED, LOWER GRAVEL, LOWER CLAY, ROCK)
c13.s2.t1.13
(Diagram showing stratigraphic layers: UPPER CLAY, UPPER GRAVEL, MIDDLE CLAY, LOWER GRAVEL, LOWER CLAY, ROCK)
c13.s2.t1.14
MICROLITHS BLADE-BURIN EQUUS NAMADICUS & ASINUS FLAKE-BLADE-SCRAPER LATE-ACHEUL-CLACTON CHELLEAN CLACTONIAN ROSTRO-HAND AXE CLACTON
c13.s2.t1.15
*After K. R. U. Todd*
c13.s2.t1.16
SECTION OF NARBADA NEAR NARSINGHPUR CORRELATION WITH POTWAR REGION Abbevillio-Acheulean Early Sohan Middle Stone Age ("PROTO-NEOLITHIC" "MICROLITHS") Late Sohan
c13.s2.t1.17
(Diagram of river cross-section with layers 1, 2, and 3)
c13.s2.t1.18
(1) LOWER GROUP
(2) UPPER GROUP
(3) BLACK SOIL GROUP WITH BASAL GRAVEL
c13.s2.t1.19
*After De Terra & Teilhard*
c13.s2.t1.20
Fig. 16. Type sections at Khandivli near Bombay and at Hoshangabad on the Narbada, with tools from Adilabad (1, 2 & 21); Kurnool District (3); Khandivli (4); Maheshvar area (5-8, 11-20 & 22) and Nevasa (9-10).
c13.s2.t1.21
This account would thus furnish an additional confirmation of this sequence, specially since the lower industry is, as already said, associated with *Bos namadicus*.
c13.s2.t1.22
From Central India, particularly the Narbada basin, we have evidence to confirm this hypothesis. De Terra and Teilhard studied the stretch of Narbada near Narsinghpur. There in the third period of aggradation (minor)¹ indicated by the basal sands or the gravel of the "Black soil group", we have similar evidence. "In the basal gravel and sands in the lower few feet, was found a flake industry characterized by the absence of hand axes or large cores and by the dominance of small blades and scrapers. These tools are made of flint or jasper, clearly indicative of a total change both in technique and in choice of materials".
c13.s2.t1.23
¹ DE TERRA and PATERSON. *op. cit.* p. 320.
c13.s2.t1.24
Unfortunately, the authors of this valuable survey have not given any description of this industry. Besides the finds have been divided between the various institutions in India and abroad. The writer of this account studied the collections available in the museums at Calcutta and Madras, when he was studying the fresh collections made in the Maheshvar area.² The numbers refer to are those in the catalogue of the Indian Museum, Calcutta.
c13.s2.t1.25
² I am very grateful to Shri C. Sivaramamurti and the staff of the Indian Museum, Calcutta for the facilities.
c13.s2.t1.26
11211 Leaf shaped scraper on a primary flake with cortex, flaked alternatively on one edge and retouched on the other longitudinal side by steep shallow flaking. On the back also, there is retouch.
c13.s2.t1.27
11230 A leaf shaped side-end scraper on thick flake of jasper.
c13.s2.t1.28
11216 Scraper on a semi-rectangular flake retouched on all the sides.
c13.s2.t1.29
11231 Semi-triangular flake of green jasper with a facetted platform and retouched on both the sides. One side shows battering due to use.
c13.s2.t1.30
11245 A core with alternate step flaking.
c13.s2.t1.31
11221 A side-end scraper on a thick flake, with the one edge retouched by steep upward flaking.
c13.s2.t1.32
12229 A semi-rectangular rolled flake with a hollow base and the side shows some working, but is badly battered.
c13.s2.t1.33
11238 A side scraper on a large thick flake. While one side shows steep retouch, the other edges, (back and front) show evidence of retouch or use marks.
c13.s2.t1.34
11212 Long flake of chert.
c13.s2.t1.35
About 200 miles down stream on the Narbada, we have plenty of material from the cliffs as well as number of sites at the foot of the Vindhyas.³ Here, there are fine veins of jasper exposed near the foots of these hills on either side of the river. A very large collection was made. (Fig. 16-5, 6, 7, 8, 12-18, 20 and 22). Besides the scrapers and short blades on flakes, the characteristic type seems to be a double hollow scraper or a borer. (20-22).
c13.s2.t1.36
³ SANKALIA, SUBBARAO, & DEO, *Excavations at Maheshvar and Navda toli*, Poona-Baroda, 1958. pp. 37-41 and Figs. S,T,U, and V.
c13.s2.t1.37
As already explained in the section on the Early Stone Age, the recent studies at Maheshvar have thrown a very important light on the age and character of this industry. It belongs to the basal gravel of the 40-feet terrace of the river Narbada. A number of tools were recovered *in situ* from the fine Trap gravels of this terrace. (Fig. 14).
c13.s2.t1.38
But the most interesting factor of this industry is the large number of open sites found in the interior at the foot of the Vindhyas and Satpuras on either bank of the Narbada. In the intra-trappean beds of the Trap formations which through which Narbada flows, there are large outcrops of variegated jasper which occurs in huge thick veins. At Choli, about 12 miles North-east of Maheshvar, there are blocks of jasper as big as 2 x 2 x 1 feet. So in the open fields near these outcrops we have extensive factory sites of the Middle Stone Age. One cannot ignore the nature of these open sites, which are difficult to date. Yet, one important fact for their antiquity of is the *absence of any significant typological difference* between those associated with the terrace gravels and the open sites in the interior. Provisionally, this homogeneity may be interpreted as suggesting a contemporaneity of the both. Hence one may argue that the people who lived on the banks of the river chipped their tools near the outcrops in the interior. Besides, this industry has a wide distribution in the country and it also represents a switch over to the fine-grained materials. Hence it shows a systematic hunt for raw materials.
c13.s2.t1.39
Now we have seen what little stratigraphic evidence is available about this industry. From Adilabad, Prof. Haimendorf has collected a large number of scrapers and blades and they are now lying in the London University Institute of Archaeology. I am obliged to Prof. Zeuner for permission to illustrate a few specimens from this collection (Fig. 16, 1, 2, 21). Among the older collections, Foote's antiquities from Patpad *Cache* is unique.¹ In view of the proximity of this site to the fossil bearing Upper Pleistocene caves of Billasurgam in the Kurnool district, the whole area calls forth an urgent investigation. Similarly from the limestone areas of Bijapur and Dharawar, Chapghar has found large number of such specimens from the caves, and our problems can be solved if the stratigraphic horizon of this industry can be confirmed.
c13.s2.t1.40
¹ FOOTE, *Ippacr.*
c13.s2.t1.41
Finally we propose to close this account with the pioneer typological classification attempted by Cammiade and Burkitt. They assigned this blade and burin industry to their series 3 (Fig. 17) while the earlier two series represented an Abbeville-Acheulean industry.
c13.s2.t1.42
1
c13.s2.t1.43
2
c13.s2.t1.44
3
c13.s2.t1.45
4
c13.s2.t1.46
5
c13.s2.t1.47
6
c13.s2.t1.48
7
c13.s2.t1.49
0 1 2 INCHES
c13.s2.t1.50
8
c13.s2.t1.51
9
c13.s2.t1.52
10
c13.s2.t1.53
11
c13.s2.t1.54
Fig. 17. Middle Stone Age tools from Uravakonda and Patpad Caehde—Kurnool District. From the Foote's collection in the Madras Museum.
c13.s2.t1.56
1. Middle Stone Age Blade-scraper industry from Narsinghpur and Hoshangabad from the collection of the Yale-Cambridge Expedition in the Narmada Valley. The specimen—(bottom right)—comes from Sukkur in the Indus Valley. Indian Museum, Calcutta By Courtesy—Director General of Archaeology in India.
c13.s2.t1.57
11. Retouched scrapers from Sukkur and Rohri—Indus Valley, Pakistan—from the Yale-Cambridge Collection, Indian Museum, Calcutta. By Courtesy—Director General of Archaeology in India.
c13.s2.t1.58
III. Retouched scrapers and furin from the Kurnool District, Andhra, from the Foote's Collection, Government Museum, Madras. By Courtesy—The Superintendent, Government Museum, Madras.
c13.s2.t1.61
IV. (1) A view of the valley Sanganakallu between the Sanganakallu and the Kupgal hill.
(2) The Sanganakallu hill, Bellary District, Mysore State.
c13.s2.t1.62
As already pointed out, the age and character of this Industry requires a further investigation and the most promising localities seems to be the caves in the lime stone areas of Karnatak and Andhra.