INTRODUCTION

The term Neolithic Period refers to the last stage of the Stone Age - a term coined in the late 19th
century CE by scholars which covers three different periods: Palaeolithic, Mesolithic, and Neolithic.

The Neolithic Age is sometimes called the New Stone Age

The Neolithic period is significant for its megalithic architecture, the spread of agricultural practices,
and the use of polished stone tools. Neolithic humans used stone tools like their earlier Stone Age
ancestors, who scratched out a marginal existence in small bands of hunter-gatherers during the last
Ice Age.

They agro-pastoral cultural developments of the early Holocene were labelled as Neolithic
revolution by V Gordon child in 1941. the Neolithic and chalcolithic cultures were treated as “food
producing economies” by him.

The idea of Neolithic revolution refers to origin of agriculture , animal domestication and a settled
way of life. It indicates the transformation of society from a food gathering economy (hunter
gatherers )to a food producing (agro pastoral )economy. Agriculture is the main feature which
differentiate this period from palaeolithic age.

People now were no longer dependent on nature but started to exploit it for their needs .
Cultivation of certain grain enabled and forced people to reside in permanent settlement .
Settlements were fenced since the cattle and sheep had to be protected. These activities gradually
led to food surplus and craft specialisation. Hence the constant cultural developments of this are
termed as Neolithic revolution.

Miles Birkett identified the Neolithic culture with polished tools , animal and plant domestication .
Thus, the Neolithic does not denote the use of new tools alone but also new modes of adaptation
and ways of life.
 Salient features

1. Chronology
- 9000 bceworld context , india – 7000 to 1000
- SI neo settlements – 2500
- North spurs of vindhyas – 5000 bce
2. Sites
- Mehragarh - pak
- Burzahom – Kashmir – lake side in pits , dogs
- Gufkral – Kashmir – agri and domes , polished tools and weapons
- Chirand – bihar – made of bone

3. Tools and weapons –

- Polished , axes called celts
- More refined
- Also used …made of bone
- NW- rectangular axes – curved cutting edges

4. Agriculture
- Ragi , horse gram , cotton , rice ------- food producers
- Domesticated cattle sheep goats

The most important advancement of the Neolithic period was the growth of agriculture.

5. Pottery

6. Living
- Plants and animals – grains and animal food
- Food they produced – STORED , FIRST APPEARED IN , classified under
- Settle open areas , houses were built
- Large villages developed
- ASH MOUNDS

The introduction of plants and animals led to production of large quantity of grains and animal food .
The people there had to settle in open areas away from caves and thus houses were built large
villages developed and permanent residents were built.

At many sites in neolithic age we found the remains of ash mounds which depicts some sort of
religious and cultural activities took place in that area . These were created by early pastoral and
agricultural societies by the burning of wood, dung, and animal matter.

First ash mounds were found around Bellary district in Telangana state.
 7. Burial customs
- Primary internment of the dead
- Cremation of the dead
- Burying bones beneath the floors – burzahom
- BURIAL MOUNDS

Every Neolithic culture developed its own burial practices, but there are some common traits that
we see around the world. One of the most substantial is the rise of burial mounds. Burial mounds
were some of the first large-scale architectural accomplishments of the Neolithic.