Human social evolution has been divided into different ages, those are Paleolithic age, Mesolithic age, Neolithic age, Chalcolithic age and later bronze Age. This categorisation is based on human occupation, tools and social structure. Time frame for each ages defer with respect to spatial differentiation. In India's perspective, Paleolithic age range between 5,00,000 and 10,000 BCE. First Paleolithic tool was discovered by the Robert Bruce Foote in India, who later did the intensive research and discovered number of prehistoric sites in Indian subcontinent.
Paleolithic age is further divided into Early or Lower, Middle and Late or Upper Paleolithic age. Earlier Paleolithic age was in the Pleistocene period which was the Ice age of the Earth. It is evident that hinterland of most of the Indian subcontinent would be freezed with ice. A number of habitation is being found throughout the coastal and nearby area. Dominant species in this age was the Homo erectus. Main occupation of human species of this age was hunting and food gathering. Tools used by human of this age were made of stone, mostly of Quartzite and were rough and heavy. In Middle Paleolithic age, these heavy tools got replaced by scrapers and blades, made of stone flakes. Middle Paleolithic age witnessed a large number of habitation in hinterland too. One of the important sites of this age was Nevasa in Maharashtra which is considered an industrial habitation of that age by Archaeologist H.D. Sankalia.
Lower Paleolithic age witnesses not only refinement in stone tool but also extensive use of bone tools too. Technology had been improved in this age and parallel side blades had replaced rough tools of upper and middle Ages. First time appearance of modern human, human sapiens, occurred in the last phases of lower middle age. This age coincided with the last phase of Ice age and witnessed a warmer climate than earlier.
Human increased his cognitive ability in this phase and lead the first step for further revolution. It must be noted that this phase brought the cognitive revolution for human and which caused exponential growth in human development. Although the social structure was not too strong till Paleolithic age but it was the beginning of the rise of humans and within myria-annum, human became the most powerful habitant of the earth.
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