History of Technology in India, Vol. I: From Antiquity to c. 1200 A.D. v1.c10.s1.t2: A.1 Direct Percussion Stone Hammer Technique
History of Technology in India, Vol. I: From Antiquity to c. 1200 A.D. v1.c10.s1.t2
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A.1 Direct Percussion Stone Hammer Technique
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In this method the selected piece of stone which is to be converted into a tool, is held in one hand (generally in left hand). A medium sized, round stone hammer is held in the other hand (the right). Hard blows are delivered on the tool’s surface by hitting the hammer (Fig.2).
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Due to the use of heavy and hard hammer and the delivery of strong blows, the flakes which are detached from the surface of the tool under making are generally thick and of medium size. The resultant scars appearing on the tool surface are deep and rudimentary, and provide crude look to the worked specimen.
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Fig.2. Direct Percussion Stone Hammer Technique
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In correspondence with this, the by-product flakes, which come out during the process of flaking the part of the tool, in case of the direct percussion stone hammer technique, retain mostly natural stone or cortexed surface on the upper part (dorsal) and also have similar unprepared striking platform (Fig.1). Besides these completely unprepared flakes, in the flaking debris of Pebble tools some partly or fully flaked dorsal surfaced and striking platformed flakes could also be found. Such by-product flakes are usually the result of reflaking of the same edge or surface in more than one series, or flaking at very close intervals as to cover the part of the earlier flaked surface (Fig.3). The direct percussion stone hammer technique in India was widely practiced during the Lower Palaeolithic period. The Pebble tool complex of the north and the north-western part of this sub-continent was made primarily by this technique (Jayaswal, 1982, p. 45). Not only chopper and chopping tools of such sites as Guler (Lal, 1956), Bilaspur (IAR : 1962-63, pp.37- 38) in Beas and Banganga valleys and Lahchura in Uttar Pradesh (Pant, 1982, pp. 39-44) are characterized by deep, crude flaking, but also many of the flakes which are found in association with these tools have cortexed dorsal and unprepared striking platforms (Jayaswal, 1978, pp. 89-95, Jayaswal, 1982, pp. 45-63). But it may be noted that use of this technique in India appears to be much later in date than the African evidence.
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For the deposits in the Potwar region which retains the remains of this technique are datable to the Middle Pleistocene period (De Terra & Paterson, 1949, p. 295),
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Fig.3. Abbevillian Handaxe while African evidence suggest an Early Pleistocene date (1.8 million is the date accepted for the beginning of the Pleistocene) (Clark, 1982, p. 36).
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Pebble tool tradition in India is named as the ‘Soanian/Sohanian culture’ after the concentration of their find spots in the valley of Soan or Sohan of Pakistan (De Terra & Paterson, 1939, p. 2).
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It may be put to record that though initiated at a very early date, the direct percussion stone hammer technique continued to be used all over the world in all the succeeding periods. But, later on when this very technique was utilized for making another form, the handaxe, this method was given a different name i.e. ‘Abbevillian’. According to the evidence obtained from Africa, the basic form of handaxe had evolved from chopper and chopping tools (Bordes, 1968, p. 51). It is therefore, logical to presume that the same technique which was used for the making of the chopper and chopping tools were being practiced for making of the earlier forms of handaxes.