Quaternary Period: The Human Story (2.6 Mya - Present)

The Quaternary Period marks the Age of Humans, tracing the journey from nomadic hunter-gatherers to settled agricultural communities, and eventually to the first use of metals. In Telangana, this era witnessed Paleolithic hand axes along the Godavari, Krishna, and Manjeera valleys, Mesolithic microliths and rock art at Pandavulagutta, Neolithic farming communities at Utnur, Thogarrai, Kadambapur, and Budigapalli, and early metal use during the Chalcolithic and Iron Ages at Nandipet, Tellapur, and Guttipeta. These developments laid the foundation for social organization, cultural expression, and the rich heritage that continues in the region today.

1. Stone Age (2.6 Mya – 3,000 BCE)

Paleolithic Age (2.6 Mya - 10,000 BCE)

Early nomadic hunter-gatherers.
Stone tools: hand axes, cleavers, flakes.
Telangana sites: Godavari, Krishna, Manjeera valleys.

Mesolithic Age (10,000 - 3,000 BCE)

Advanced microlithic tools of quartz, chalcedony, jasper.
Pandavulagutta rock art (Warangal): animals, hunters, even a giraffe.
Main subsistence: hunting, fishing, gathering.

Neolithic Age (3,000 – 2,000 BCE)

Agriculture and domestication of animals introduced.
Settled communities with ground stone tools.
Telangana sites: Utnur, Thogarrai, Kadambapur, Budigapalli, Decerappula, Polakonda.

2. Chalcolithic / Copper Age (3,000 – 1,500 BCE)

Introduction of metals alongside stone tools.
Early village settlements.
Telangana site: Rock art panels at Nandipet (Mahabubnagar).

3. Megalithic / Iron Age (1,500 - 700 BCE)

Iron technology becomes widespread.
Large stone burials (dolmens, cairns, menhirs).
Telangana sites:
Mudumal (Narayanpet, UNESCO tentative)
Iron tools at Tellapur & Guttipeta (~2200 BCE), possibly India’s earliest.