Neolithic (New Stone Age)

Neolithic (New Stone Age or Nava Pashana Yugam) : c. 3,000 BC - c. 2000 BC 

The Neolithic Age, or New Stone Age, marked a major revolution in human history. It began after the Paleolithic (Old Stone Age) and is defined by the invention of agriculture. During this period, humans learned to farm, domesticate animals (train wild animals to be useful to humans), and make polished stone tools. This shift from hunting-gathering to food production led to a more settled life, ending the nomadic lifestyle.

A lot of Neolithic people began to live in the fertile crescent. The fertile crescent was a place where the land was fertile (good for growing plants). Trade began during Neolithic Era. Trade is buying and selling/exchanging goods.

Characteristics of Neolithic Culture:
The Neolithic culture in Telangana was a hybrid culture, brought together by common features:

Agriculture: Cultivation of crops.
Animal Domestication: Rearing animals like cattle, sheep, and goats.
Pottery-Making: Creating handmade pottery, often burnished (polished) to a smooth finish.
Polished Stone Tools: Manufacturing and sharpening tools like stone axes by grinding and polishing.
Beginning of Metallurgy: In the later Neolithic period, humans began developing early techniques of metalworking.

Material Culture and Tools:
The most common Neolithic tools found in Telangana are polished stone axes, made from hard igneous or metamorphic rocks like dolerite, diorite, and basalt. Other tools include chisels, picks, hammer-stones, and sling stones. Important factory sites where these tools were made have been discovered across the state.

Major Neolithic Sites in Telangana:

Thogarrai (Nalgonda District): A major factory site located near a dolerite dyke (rock source). A large number of stone axes in various stages of manufacture were found here. The tool-making technique shows similarities to the older Acheulian (Paleolithic) method of alternate flaking to create sharp, zig-zag edges.

Kadambapur (Karimnagar District): Located near the Maneru river, this site had many rock shelters and grinding grooves on granite rocks. While no permanent settlements were found, pieces of handmade grey pottery suggest a settlement that may have been eroded by the river.

Kolakonda (Warangal District): An important settlement located on the banks of the Peddavagu river, spread over approximately 200 square metres between granitic hills.

Devaruppala (Warangal District): A Neolithic settlement found on the black cotton soil plains near granite hills, about 2 km south of the village.

Polakonda (Warangal District): Discoveries here include polished stone axes and a trench revealing a hearth made of burnt clay, associated with handmade Neolithic pots, a broken axe, and a granite rubber used for burnishing pottery.

Peddabankur (Karimnagar District): A unique site located on flat plains instead of hills. The absence of local stone sources suggests that the Neolithic people here imported their stone tools from places like Thogarrai and Kadambapur, indicating early trade or movement.

Budigapalli (Karimnagar District): Excavations revealed a Neolithic-Chalcolithic settlement. Findings included Neolithic celts (polished axes), microliths (small stone tools), steatite beads, and handmade grey pottery.

Art and Rock Paintings:
The Neolithic people of Telangana had a deep appreciation for art and nature, as seen in their rock paintings dating back to 10,000 BCE. These paintings provide a glimpse into their minds and their environment.

They are found on cave walls, rock shelters, and boulders across the state.

They depict a variety of wild animals, suggesting Telangana was once home to a rich diversity of wildlife.

A famous painting of a giraffe at Pandavulagutta (Warangal) is particularly interesting, as giraffes are now found only in Africa. This indicates a very different climate and ecosystem in prehistoric Telangana.

Other important rock painting sites are found in Regonda, Budigapalli (Karimnagar), Kokapet (Hyderabad), and Mundamala (Mahabubnagar).

Trade:
The Neolithic era saw the beginning of trade—the buying, selling, and exchanging of goods. Evidence from sites like Peddabankur, where tools were imported, shows that Neolithic communities in Telangana were engaged in exchange networks.