Paleolithic age 2500k-10k BC:-

Was marked by evolution of Homo habilis, which evolved in Sub-

Saharan Africa ca. 2,500,000 BC. maker of stone tools. Lower and Middle
Paleolithic exhibited primitive behaviour. Control fire.

Mesolithic age 10,000 and 5,000 BC: -

Microlith:A small stone tool. Megalith:A construction involving one or

several roughly hewn stone slabs of great size. Some Mesolithic settlements
were villages of huts , others walled cities. Mesolithic tools were generally
composite devices manufactured with small chipped stone tools called
microliths and retouched bladelets. The Paleolithic utilized more primitive
stone treatments, and the Neolithic mainly used polished rather than
chipped stone tools. Art from this period reflects the change to a warmer
climate and adaptation to a relatively sedentary lifestyle, population size,
and consumption of plants—all evidence of the transition to agriculture and
eventually the Neolithic period. ART SITES - Mediterranean coast of Spain,
Cuevas de la Araña en Bicorp (gathering honey). EXCAVATION of some
megalithic monuments in Britain, Ireland, Scandinavia, and France has
revealed evidence of ritual activity

The Paleolithic was an age of purely hunting and gathering, but toward the
Mesolithic period the development of agriculture contributed to the rise of
permanent settlements. The later Neolithic period is distinguished by the
domestication of plants and animals.

Neolithic age 12k-10k BC:-

Typically lived in small bands that followed an annual migration

pattern. Developmentent of settled agriculture and the use of tools(axes,
adzes, chisels, and celts) and weapons made of polished stones. The major
crops grown during this period were ragi, horse gram, cotton, rice, wheat,
and barley. Pottery first appeared in this age (grey ware, black burnished
ware, and mat-impressed ware).

The oldest Neolithic settlement in the Indian Subcontinent was Mehrgarh

which is located in Baluchistan, a province of Pakistan. Jarf el Ahmar and
Tell Abu Hureyra (both in Syria) were the major Neolithic sites in Asia.

Chalcolithic Period 4500k:-

With the end of the Neolithic Age, several cultures started using
metal, mostly copper and low grade bronze. The culture based on the use
of copper and stone was termed as Chalcolithic meaning stone-copper
Phase. In India, it spanned around 2000 BC to 700 BC. This culture was
mainly seen in Pre-Harappan phase, but at many places it extended to Post-
Harappan phase too. The people were mostly rural and lived near hills and
rivers. The Chalcolithic culture corresponds to the farming communities,
namely Kayatha, Ahar or Banas, Malwa, and Jorwe. Traces of rice cultivation
are also found. The major crops cultivated were barley and wheat, lentil,
bajra, jowar, ragi millets, green pea, green and black gram. Make knives,
axes, fishing hooks, chisels, pins, and rods. People buried the dead in the
floors of their houses in the North-South direction along with pots and
copper objects. wheel made pottery. People had knowledge of spinning and
weaving. Flax, cotton, and silk thread is found from sites in Maharashtra.
Knew art of smelting. Chalcolithic people were colonizers.

Human evolution Cronology:-

The Lower Paleolithic was the age of human evolution. Various

species of Homo emerged, with a trend toward increasing brain and body
size.43 The evolution of modern humans, Homo sapiens, finally took place
ca. 200,000 BC, in Sub-Saharan Africa. next giant leap for our species was
behavioural modernity (aka "modern behaviour"), which emerged ca.
50,000 BC -complex ideas and creativity.

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY:-

- Egyptians 3k BC:- Evidence of overgrazing of cattle, on the land which is

now the Sahara Desert, has been dated to about 8,000 BCE(Badari Culture
began to flourish alongside the river). Astronomy -the Egyptians studied the
night sky, taking measurements from the stars to accurately align their
pyramids and sun temples with the earth's four cardinal points. Taking
sightings of the Great Bear and Orion with an instrument called a merkhet
(similar to an astrolabe), astronomer-priests marked out the foundations of
buildings with astonishing accuracy. -The Great Pyramid at Giza provides an
example. Calendar The Egyptian calendar was based of a year of 365 days,
with twelve months and three seasons. Each month had three ten-day
weeks, for a total of 30 days. The last five days of the year corresponded to
the birthdays of five deities: Osiris, Isis, Horus, Seth and Nephthys. The
three seasons corresponded to the cycle of the Nile and agriculture.
Mathematics Although the Egyptians lacked the symbol for zero, they
calculated numbers based on the decimal and the repetitive (numbers
based on the power of 10). The following signs were used to represent
numbers in the decimal system. Medicine The doctors of ancient Egypt
combined magic spells with remedies. Mummification The ancient
Egyptians believed in the resurrection of the body and life everlasting
( linen, sawdust, lichen, beeswax, resin, natron, onion, Nile mud, linen pads,
frankincense). he city grew to become the largest in the known world at the
time, attracting scholars, scientists, philosophers, mathematicians, artists,
and historians.

- Mesotonian:-

Writing - Sumerian writing (recorded lar called Hammurabi's Code as well

as the first major piece of literature called the Epic Tale of Gilgamesh).
Wheel -It is likely the Sumer first used the wheel in making pottery in
3500BC and then used it for their chariots in around 3200 BC. Mathematics
- number system with the base 60, divided time up by 60s including a 60
second minute and a 60 minute hour, which we still use today. They also
divided up the circle into 360 degrees. including addition, subtraction,
multiplication, division, quadratic and cubic equations, and fractions. This
was important in keeping track of records as well as in some of their large
building projects. had formulas for figuring out the circumference and area
for different geometric shapes like rectangles, circles, and triangles. Some
evidence suggests that they even knew the Pythagorean Theorem long
before Pythagoras wrote it down. They may have even discovered the
number for pi in figuring the circumference of a circle. Astronomy - follow
the movements of the stars, planets, and the Moon. One major
achievement was the ability to predict the movements of several planets.
This took logic, mathematics, and a scientific process. studying the phases
of the Moon, the Mesopotamians created the first calendar. It had 12 lunar
months and was the predecessor for both the Jewish and Greek calendars.
Medicine - They used logic and recorded medical history to be able to
diagnose and treat illnesses with various creams and pills. Technology -
Irrigation, Potter wheels, hey used bronze metal (and later iron metal) to
make strong tools and weapons, and used looms to weave cloth from wool.
The Walls of Babylon were once considered one of the Seven Ancient
Wonders of the World. There were actually two massive walls that
surrounded the entire city. Archimedes Screw(would have helped to raise
water to the heights needed for the plants in the famous Hanging Gardens
of Babylon). The Assyrians developed glasswork as well as glazes for pottery
and art to help it last longer. Water canals.

INDUS VALLEY 3k-1.5k BC :- Largest of all(12M sq. Km), unique building

strategies throughout their survival in history, Housing in the Valley was
adequate and architecturally simple, yet outstanding. The sewers were
brick-lined and found under the streets of the town. Mohenjo-Daro had the
best sewerage system, which has remained intact for us to analyse today.
The Great Granary is a mystery to today’s historians as to what its function
was(found in Mojenjo_Daro, along with the Great Bath-religious bathing
rituals). Tools -discovered new techniques of building with metals that were
mined or imported, and from this successfully produced lead, copper, tin
and bronze. From these metals, they constructed some tools (mostly made
of flint – a type of rock) that helped them build other things. Clay was used
in the process of toolmaking and became the substance that many pieces of
cookware, pottery and sculptures. Some tools that were made with the
metals are hammers, knives, needles, axes, razors, saws and others used for
agriculture. Measuring system - They had accurate methods of measuring
length, mass and time by developing their own system of weights and rulers
that were all identical. They were very intelligent and knowledgeable
people who had a good understanding in mathematics and science. All their
measurements were based on multiples of 16, like our metric system is
based on multiples of 10. Having this sort of standard system across the
whole civilisation prove how their specifically measured structures could
withstand the years and not have faulted due to poor construction
techniques. Along with constructing buildings and tools, they built boats
and carts from imported wood to aid in their transport and trade.

When the Indus River flooded the city, the mud brick structures would
begin to soften and crumble. Archaeologists have discovered that when this
happened, another whole city was just rebuilt on top of the previous.

CHINESE (3k BC) -