The Vedas by Roshen Dalal

Author:Roshen Dalal
Language: eng
Format: azw3, epub
ISBN: 9788184757637
Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd
Published: 2014-04-15T04:00:00+00:00

NEOLITHIC

Many of these Mesolithic sites continued into the Neolithic era. The characteristics of Neolithic sites are that they are settled village-type sites with evidence of agriculture, animal husbandry, and different crafts. Epineolithic is a term used for the transition stage between Mesolithic and Neolithic. Sites of the latter exist across India–Pakistan. Dates for the Neolithic in India vary from between 7000 BCE and 2000 BCE. In the north-west, as we have already seen, Neolithic sites evolved into the urban Harappan culture. Here we will look at some key sites and areas of Neolithic occupation in the rest of India. There was interaction between different types of sites.

In Kangra district of Himachal Pradesh, there are Neolithic tools at several sites but the dates are uncertain. In Ladakh, the Neolithic site Giak has a radiocarbon date of the 6th millennium BCE.

In Kashmir’s Jhelum valley, Burzahom and other sites had a Neolithic culture dating to before 2900 BCE. The characteristics were pit dwellings, bone and stone tools, and mat-impressed pottery. Pit dwellings have also been found in Gufkral in Kashmir and in Loebanr III and Kalako-deray in the Swat valley. (For more on Swat valley settlements, see Chapter 5.) It is not clear if people actually lived in the pits, and if they did so all year round. They may have been seasonal dwellings, or could have been used for storage. In a later Neolithic phase, there were houses at the ground level and burials. Along with humans, wild and domestic animals were sometimes buried. Wild animals included the deer, wolf, ibex, snow leopard, and pig. There is also evidence of the hedgehog, beaver, and hare. Among domestic animals were cattle, buffaloes, dogs, sheep, and goats. Animals were also buried separately; in one case, there were five dogs buried together. Crops grown included wheat, barley, and lentils.

At least twenty-five similar sites are known. Burzahom had some remains that indicate contacts with Kot Diji, including a painted pot and several carnelian beads. A few copper arrowheads and fragments indicate that Harappans may have come here to search for mineral wealth. It has been suggested that Burzahom represents the southernmost region of a widespread north Asian complex. According to Possehl, it represents a movement that may have started in the Mesolithic of Europe and survived in the fertile valleys of Kashmir, and possibly Nepal, Tibet, Hunza, Baltistan, and Ladakh. The American linguist F.C. Southworth found evidence of languages of the Sino-Tibetan family in ancient South Asia, and these northern Neolithic sites may represent these.

In southern Uttar Pradesh, over forty Neolithic sites have been identified along the Ganga, and the Belan, Adwa, Son, Rihand, Lapari, and Paisuni rivers. Some of them continue from the Mesolithic and date back to 7000 BCE. The sites have simple structures of mud and thatch, and evidence of the use of stone and bone implements and pottery. Cattle, sheep, and goats were domesticated. Horse bones were found but it is not clear if these were wild or domestic. There were also bones of wild animals such as deer and boar, who may have been hunted for food.

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