An Encyclopaedia of Indian Archaeology v1.c9.s6.t4.19

v1.c9.s6.t4.19

At the sites in Dt Dharmapuri this red ware is associated with a microlithic industry, while Site 45 at NAGARJUNAKONDA representing the earliest Neolithic phase (before 2500 B.C.) reveals a short-blade microlithic industry on chert as the dominant tool tradition. A few crudely fashioned neoliths, perhaps used for tillage operation, and flakes of basalt and quartzite—an element present in all the relevant phases of NAGARJUNAKONDA—were the other components of this culture. The pottery is pale reddish-brown with a gritty surface and blackish core. The absence of animal bones or remains of pits or dwellings may suggest that the authors of this culture were nomadic food-gatherers not much conversant with domestication of animals and plants.