An Encyclopaedia of Indian Archaeology v1.c21.s15.7

v1.c21.s15.7

*16.15.2 Neolithic and Chalcolithic.* Stone tool assemblages occur, albeit in varying proportions, in all the Neolithic [4.6] and Chalcolithic [4.14] cultures of the country. These belong to two different industrial traditions, viz., (1) the pecked and ground stone industry and (2) the blade industry. But it should be made clear that the assemblages occurring in various cultures show marked differences in respect of artefact types as well as their percentages. The range of types and the richness of assemblages of the pecked and ground stone industry of the Neolithic cultures contrast sharply with the impoverished character of the counterpart industry in the Chalcolithic cultures. Similarly the blade industry of the Deccan and s. Neolithic [4.6. 7-10], Jorwe [4.14.6] and Malwa [4.14.5] cultures is richer and more varied than that of the other Neolithic and Chalcolithic cultures.