An Encyclopaedia of Indian Archaeology v1.c9.s5.13

v1.c9.s5.13

The Mesolithic technology is essentially based on microblades which were mass-produced by pressure technique [16.15.1]. The beautifully fluted cylindrical or conical cores and thin parallel-sided blades, so common at most sites, testify to the high skill of the Mesolithic craftsmen in the production of microblades. These blades were then retouched on one or more edges, mostly by steep blunting, to produce a variety of microlithic types—blunted-back blades, obliquely truncated blades, points, triangles, crescents, trapezes and drills. The size of these tools usually varies from 1 to 3 cm. Though no actual hafted examples have yet been found in India, comparative evidence available from other parts of the world shows that microliths were hafted on bone or wooden handles and shafts with natural resin or gum to produce a variety of implements and weapons like arrows, spears, knives and sickles. One of the advantages of these composite tools was that being made of a number of microlithic components if one of them broke it could be easily replaced without having to discard the whole tool as would be the case with single-piece tools of the earlier times. It is believed that the bow and arrow came into regular use with the introduction of microlithic technology.