Distribution of upper paleolithic cultures.pptx

The Upper Paleolithic period in india, which lasted from around 40,000 to 10,000 yrs ago , characterised by significant advancements in human culture and technology. This era saw the emergence of modern human behaviour , including the development of sophisticated tools, art, and symbolic expression. The Upper Paleolithic culture in india was marked by the presence of various archaeological sites that provide valuable insights into the lives of early humans during this period.

1. Distribution Of Upper Paleolithic Cultures

2. Upper Paleolithic as a cultural region in human civilisational history It comes with new fossil kind ‘ HOMO SAPIENS SAPIENS ’(AMHS). Dated to 40,000-50,000 BCE.(conceived all over the world). In western Europe entirely different from central Europe . 2) In India How it occur or does it occur it all? W.Europe 4 traditions: 1) Perigordian – Denticulate tools 2) Aurignacian – Bone and antler points, fine blades and bladelets. 3) Solutrean - Leaf- shaped points 4) Magdalenian – Use of ivory , bone and artefacts, fashion symbolic. Artefacts – beads, figurines, utilitarian objects- eyed needles, barbed harpoons. But we don’t know whether there were different authors or not but seems to be AMHS; not true for all over the world. In Africa ‘NO’ different traditions. Same with India.

3. Leaf-shaped Points Denticulate

4. In India, in some sites handaxes continue and Next stage is microliths. Example – Paisra (Bihar) Huge deposits of handaxes i.e.Lower Paleolithic and Next deposits if of microliths( Date – 7000 BCE). First stratigraphic discovery – Cammiade and Burkitt – found blades but didn’t call it Upper Paleolithic but Series III. In india there was upper paleolithic and line number of tools found but have ‘ NO’ geochronological context . Problem – found in same context e.g. finds found with flake tools in the same context, can’t call it Upper paleolithic . 1970s – G.R Sharma for the first time demonstrated huge section in Belan river. Found 3 rd gravel ; dated – 19000 BCE – having only blade tools. Proved – Upper paleolithic developed with middle paleolithic . First time – Accepting Upper Paleolithic as a legitimate cultural stage of India.

5. Renigunta 1970s by MLK Murthy. Not an excavated site. In terms of terraces and tools – late Pleistocene. Fine grained quartzite- blades , End Scrapers, burins ( 6-10%). Looks like upper paleolithic culture of W. Europe; No bone tools and hard objects. W. European culture characterized by – Stone and bone tools and art objects ( NOT found in Renigunta and Belan ). But tools were well- analysed : 6% Burins , 13% retouched blades , backed blades, large number of end scrapers.

6. Bone Tool Industries Known from Kurnool cave sites. Excavations by R.B Foote in the Billa surgam caves ,tools in association with Late Pleistocene fauna. Tools comprised awls,barbed and unbarbed arrowheads,scraper - knives,chisels,axe -heads . Muchchatla Chintamani Gavi- Blade-tool industry is found in association with a bone tool industry and late Pleistocene fauna. Excavated by Murthy. only 9.7% was stone tools and rest 90.30% were bone tools. Bone tools of MCG cave - scrapers,chisels,barbs,spatulas,shouldered point. MCG cave bone tools display a crude technology. Bone Tools from MCG Cave I

7. Regional Distribution 1] North Region Not well developed in this zone. 2] Western Region Mahrashtra – existence of blade and burin tools was given by K.R.Todd . Patne , a village in Jalgaon District, important site for the study of upper Paleolithic , it provides a sequence of stone age industries from the middle Paleolithic to Mesolithic. Gujrat- visadi , rich site of upper Paleolithic . Site contain a good percentage of blade and burin, made on babular pieces of quartz. 3] Central Region Uttar Pradesh- Belan valley, stratigraphically clear evidence of Upper Paleolithic culture. But according to Sankalia and Misra these blades and burin didn’t comprise the classical upper Paleolithic types. Madhya Pradesh- Bhimbetka, distinct blade and burin culture. Similar to Auringnacian type of Western Europe . Cave III F-23 yielded a deposit between Middle Paleolithic and Mesolithic.

8. Belan valley Baghor II – Prehistoric shrines by J. desmand clark . Numerous ethnographic comparisons have been made . E arliest mother goddess shrine in the subcontinent.

9. 4] East Region Bihar- different artifacts from five groups of sites in Singhbhum reveals that the number of scrapers are more than 50 %. Only few blades and burins. 5] South Region Andhra Pradesh- separate lithic culture in Kurnool and Chitoor Districts. Nagarjunakonda , rich in stone tools, though absence of stratigraphical evidence. Karnataka- Meralbhavi about 3km south of salvadgi found a large workshop of upper paleolithic tool.

10. About Authors ( Human species) Dispersal : “ Out of the Africa ” India as a land bridge. Sites not all over india ; all sites in india has a lower paleolithic , some level of middle and then microliths. Indigenous development- 2 Question = 1) origin 2) Dispersal Origin = 1) Exogenous 2) Indigenous Exogenous – singi talav , Rajasthan – have Upper paleolithic development. AMHS – where did they go? MP – didn’t go along narmada but crossed and went along Godavari. Bhimbetka – Narmada valley; primary site; does show occupation.

11. OUT OF THE AFRICA – rejected if indigenous development . Bhimbetka – example ; shows gradual development. Late errectus or early sapiend mixed with migrating AMHS. Ethiopian site – development in horn of Africa. Late errectus or early sapiens may have been the ones who entered india . Mixed with the late sapiens in india who didn’t produced blade tools. That’s why upper paleolithic tools not found all over india .

12. Subsistence economy Evidence of animal hunted during Upper Paleolithic is well preserved in Kurnool caves, they consist of Jungle Cat, porcupine, spotted deer, Pangolin. Plant foods - no evidences are yet available. But analogies - can suggest that wild plant foods such as yams,tubers,fruits,nuts have been gathered for subsistence. Mesolihtic rock paintings of central India- some of these subsistence activities are depicted. People Hunting Animal

13. D.R. Raju - He predicted that upper paleolithic hunter-gatherers relied on aquatic food resources as much as on game and wild vegetal foods. All the upper paleolithic sites are located close to perennial water resources . Further , roots and tubers have been important part of the diet.

14. Art Portable art and mural arts Ostrich eggshells – portable art( From Patne in Maharashtra). Caves and rockshelters in bhimbetkar - mural art.

15. In pan Indian context, have to accept that very well demonstrated in terms of ‘content’ but it lacks proper ‘context’ .