Essay on the main pre-historic cultures (India)

Prehistoric cultures have been classified into the following main parts in order of age.

1. Stone Age.

In the Stone Age, as is clear from its name, people used things made of stone. Stone Age itself is divided into the following

Classification of the Cultures of Paleolithic Period

Cultures of Paleolithic period are classified as under:

1. Early or lower paleolithic period

This includes the following three cultures:

(a) Pre-chellean culture

(b) Chellean or Abbevillian culture

(c) Acheulian culture

2. Middle paleolithic period

It includes the following cultures:

(a) Lavalloisian culture

(b) Mousterian culture

3. Late or upper paleolithic period

It includes the following cultures:

(a) Aurignacian culture

(b) Solutrean culture

(c) Megdalenian culture

(d) Azilian culture

A brief description of the above cultures will explain the special features of the old or the paleolithic period.

1. Pre-chellean Culture

All those apparatus are counted in per- Chellean culture which were found before the Chellean culture. The period of 540,000 to 480,000 years hence is regarded as the period of pre-chellean or Chellean culture. In this period such flakes in stones are found as were formed on breakage.

2. Chellean Culture

Chellean culture is traced from the apparatus found at a place called Chelles at a distance of eight miles from Paris in France. Some scholars call it by the name of Abbevillion. Pre-chellean and Chellean cultures existed for 60,000years.

Hand-axe was invented in Chellean culture and the flakes were removed from stones. The remains of pre- Chellean and Chellean cultures have been found in almost all the place in the world. In this period, hunting and collecting of fruits were the means of man’s livelihood. Chellean man put on clothes made of hides. The climate was not so cold in the period. Men lived in the open in Europe.

3. Acheulian Culture

This culture lived for about 300,000 years from 430,000 to 130,000 years hence. Hand-axe in this culture had evolved to the extent that it could be used for pealing, slicing, cutting, scratching and boring and for all other work of the kind. In this culture, flakes were made by cutting stones. In this culture men put on clothes made of animal hides, fire had already been invented, women killed fish, men gathered fruit and went hunting. When no food was found, man was sometimes killed and eaten. Ropes and baskets were made.

4-5. Levalloisian and Mousterian Cultures

Very few apparatus of Levalloisian culture are available. Only Mousterian culture therefore has been described in the middle paleolithic period. In this culture men had begun to live in caves. In this culture, stone flakes were made through percussion method. The apparatus of this culture are small and can generally be used on one side.

The main apparatus are – stone leveller, saw, knife, lance and spear points, slicing instruments and sculptural instrument, etc. Some ornaments also are found. There are proofs of both the systems of laying the dead and of binding it with creeper trunks. Along with the dead his apparatus were also buried with it. Dead bodies are found buried so carefully that it appears that they believed in the afterward. They were hunters and wanderers. They worshipped almost every thing and believed in witchcraft.

6. Aurignacian Culture

The period of this culture is 100,000 to 50,000 years back from today. The work of marking flakes went on during this period. Apparatuses of bones were made along with those of stone. Beads, necklaces, hair-clips and many other ornaments had come into vogue.

People lived in caves, on the walls of which pictures of bulls, deer and horses etc, have been found painted, sculpture was also in vogue along with painting. The chief apparatus of this period are – flake knife, flake leveller, core leveller, boring instruments, piercing instruments, pointed flakes, double sided fish hooks, bone needles, bone lancets, hair pins, horn spoons, beads of bone shells, stone beads, horn beads, stone axes, lances, earthen lamps, necklaces, head of female statue and painting of wild goats.

7. Salutrean culture

Among the remains of this culture, beautifully cut apparatus are found. Main examples of the same are – heads of elephant tusks, bone-needles, horn lances, beads with holes, saw, engraving instrument, piercing instruments, lancepoints, arrow-points, willow leaf-like lance or knife, plural leaf-like knife.

8. Megdalenian culture

The period of this culture, 50,000 to 20,000 years back from to-day. Most of its apparatus were made of bone and horns. Elephant tusk was extensively used. Painting was much improved in this culture. Among the remains big lances with different kinds of paintings are found. Paintings of hunting and dancing are also found in caves.

These people were skilful sculptors as is clear from animal-models engraved on stones. They used to bind and bury dead bodies. Among the main instruments of this period, pointed lances made of bone and horms, single and double sided forked lances made of horns, pointed sticks of horns and elephant tusks and edgeless sticks of bones have been found.

Besides these, are other instruments, such as those made of bone, shell with a hole and beads with holes and made of stone, mortars made of stones and lamps, etc?

9. Azilian culture

Many paintings on stones have been found in Azilian culture. Men and the use of bows and arrows while hunting have been shown in paintings on the walls of caves. Strange pebbles have been found.

Pointed lance with a hole, lance made of bones, loop used in catching fish, arrow point made of stone and many other things are found among the weapons. In other apparatus, a stone leveller, many kinds of piercing tools and stones used in grinding, rubbing and polishing, etc, have been found.

A grinding mill used in this period has also been found at a place called Caspigni in France. In a French cave known by the name of ‘Masde Ajil’ the name which was later given to this culture heapes of burnt corn was found. This made people to believe that cultivation was one of the occupations in this culture.