The study of the pre-history of South India involves the study of man, his environment and the use he made of it in times not lighted by written records or other documents consciously left behind by him. The pre-historic people of South India from the racial point of view cannot be said to have clear cut ethnic features.
They were clearly the product of many ethnic varieties commingling. It is neither possible nor safe to make categorical statements regarding their ethnic character. There are three ways of determining the racial nature of pre-historic man in South India.
In the first place there are certain physical characteristics like colour, stature and cranial index, with the help of which the present inhabitants of different cross-sections of society can be compared to similar factors elsewhere and the possible relationship between the South Indian types and those outside could be determined.
Secondly, if it is a fact that each large group of people belonged to unique cultures using particular instruments, tools, implements, etc., then it can be argued back from the available tools Used by the people in South India that they were used by a particular people who can be definitely related to those elsewhere who used, similar tools.
ADVERTISEMENTS:
Thirdly if linguistic groups tend to form culturally homogeneous communities which are likely to belong to particular ethnic stocks then the Dravidian speaking people may be related to others elsewhere also speaking Dravidian.
All these methods are still unsatisfactory when we are dealing with people at present very heterogeneous in their racial characteristics and having only the common elements of basic linguistic stock among them. It is also well settled that ethnic identities must not be concluded on the basis of linguistic affinities.