Paleolithic Age (Old Stone Age or Pura Pashana Yugam) : c. 2.5 Million BCE – 10,000 BCE
The Paleolithic Era marks the beginning of human tool use. The people of this age were nomadic hunter-gatherers who lived in small groups, moving from place to place in search of food and shelter. They lived in temporary shelters like caves or simple huts.
Key Characteristics:
Lifestyle: Nomadic, based on hunting animals and gathering wild plants.
Tools: Made of stone, primarily quartzite, and occasionally chert. Tools were large and crude, made by chipping stones to create a cutting edge.
Tool Types: Hand-axes, cleavers, choppers, scrapers, and flakes. These are characteristic of the Acheulian industry.
Evidence in Telangana:
Paleolithic sites are found extensively in the river valleys of the Godavari, Krishna, and their tributaries. Important sites include:
Karimnagar District: Areas around Ramagundam, Godavarikhani, Medipalli, Malkapur, and a 35 km stretch from Anthergaon to Manthani along the Godavari river.
Mahabubnagar District: Amarabad (near Srisailam), Bhimavaram village on the banks of the Krishna river.
Adilabad District: Naspur in Luxettipet taluk, the Pranahita river valley, Pochera waterfalls, and Chittialapalli on the Suvarna river.
Significance of Sites:
Amarabad (Mahabubnagar): Considered an important factory site, where tools were made. A large number of Acheulian tools, especially cleavers, have been found here.
Karimnagar & Adilabad Regions: Findings suggest a long sequence of habitation from Lower to Upper Paleolithic periods. The discovery of blade and burin tools in Godavarikhani and Chittialapalli indicates advanced tool-making techniques in the Upper Paleolithic period.
Climate & Geography: Studies of tool deposits in laterite soil (which forms in heavy rainfall) suggest that Telangana experienced alternating cycles of very wet (pluvial) and dry periods during the Pleistocene epoch, which influenced where early humans lived and how their tools were deposited.
The Paleolithic Era marks the beginning of human tool use. The people of this age were nomadic hunter-gatherers who lived in small groups, moving from place to place in search of food and shelter. They lived in temporary shelters like caves or simple huts.
Key Characteristics:
Lifestyle: Nomadic, based on hunting animals and gathering wild plants.
Tools: Made of stone, primarily quartzite, and occasionally chert. Tools were large and crude, made by chipping stones to create a cutting edge.
Tool Types: Hand-axes, cleavers, choppers, scrapers, and flakes. These are characteristic of the Acheulian industry.
Evidence in Telangana:
Paleolithic sites are found extensively in the river valleys of the Godavari, Krishna, and their tributaries. Important sites include:
Karimnagar District: Areas around Ramagundam, Godavarikhani, Medipalli, Malkapur, and a 35 km stretch from Anthergaon to Manthani along the Godavari river.
Mahabubnagar District: Amarabad (near Srisailam), Bhimavaram village on the banks of the Krishna river.
Adilabad District: Naspur in Luxettipet taluk, the Pranahita river valley, Pochera waterfalls, and Chittialapalli on the Suvarna river.
Significance of Sites:
Amarabad (Mahabubnagar): Considered an important factory site, where tools were made. A large number of Acheulian tools, especially cleavers, have been found here.
Karimnagar & Adilabad Regions: Findings suggest a long sequence of habitation from Lower to Upper Paleolithic periods. The discovery of blade and burin tools in Godavarikhani and Chittialapalli indicates advanced tool-making techniques in the Upper Paleolithic period.
Climate & Geography: Studies of tool deposits in laterite soil (which forms in heavy rainfall) suggest that Telangana experienced alternating cycles of very wet (pluvial) and dry periods during the Pleistocene epoch, which influenced where early humans lived and how their tools were deposited.
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