The Personality of India: Pre- and Proto-historic Foundation of India and Pakistan c15.s1.t1.7

c15.s1.t1.7

Similarly there is an equally widespread distribution of Geometric microlithic industries all over the continent. We have not yet got positive evidence, that these succeeded the non-geometric, but typology suggests it and nothing more will be said at this stage. Again pottery is never associated with the non-geometric industries. As in tropical Africa, these microlithic industries which are generally supposed to fit into an environment with light vegetation, have been perfectly adapted to a life of hunting and fishing in jungle areas. Curiously, nothing resembling an arrow-head or even bi-facially retouched point, has ever been produced in the country, except in the remote Tinnevelly (probably as a result of contact with Ceylon). Yet the asymmetric point with a strong central ridge and a thick back, may be a substitute, as suggested by Zeuner. In a tropical country with forests, a wood, probably with a burnt tip can be equally effective. It is this very adaptation of these primitive hunting communities to a thickly vegetated forests and hills that led to a cultural diversity in the Neolithic period. In certain areas with very little agricultural potential, these cultures survived. Probably they were also driven out into these unfavourable environments by the agricultural communities themselves. Hence we see in areas like Gujarat, Malwa and Maharashtra, these hunting communities survived till they were displaced by their brethren who came with heavy metal tools or stone tools. Finally in the areas of isolation, this hunting-fishing economy might have lasted still longer!