A History of Agriculture in India v1.c13.12

v1.c13.12

Equally ancient is the Birbhanpur microlithic industry, which was investigated by B.B. Lal. The tools are non-geometric and include irregular, free flaked cores, fluted cores, blades, lunates, points, borers, scrapers and burins (Fig. 34). The material is mostly milky quartz, though occasionally crystal, chert, chalcedony, quartzite and fossil wood are used. Lal's studies indicate that the climate when the microlithic people occupied the site must have been comparatively dry and mild. It succeeded the last wet phase during which dense forests existed in the region. This mild climatic phase was followed by a period of aridity, and the habitation layers were covered with wind-blown sand.