An Encyclopaedia of Indian Archaeology v1.c11.s19.1

v1.c11.s19.1

These stone objects form a distinct class of artefacts mainly associated with the treatment and preparation of plant foods, their occurrence presupposing an assured supply of these food items. It is, therefore, not surprising that it is only from the food-producing or Neolithic-Chalcolithic [4.6, 4.14] stage of life that they begin to appear in a regular way in the archaeological record and, more important, still continue to be used among communities unaffected by modern technology. Some of these objects already appear in a rudimentary form in the Mesolithic [4.5] phase, then become a regular feature of the pre-Harappa [4.2], Harappa [4.3] and post-Harappa cultures and continue down into the historical period. Basalt, sandstone, quartzite, granite, dolerite and schist are the most common rocks employed in the preparation of these artefacts. The use of coarse-grained rocks is intentional inasmuch as their abrasive surfaces serve to quicken the operations of grinding, pounding and crushing. Flaking and pecking are the two techniques adopted for shaping the blocks of raw material.