History of Ancient India

Lecture-10
By Manikant Singh
 Neolithic Age (after 6000 BCE)
 Defining Characteristics of Neolithic Age:
1. Humans graduated from the ‘food gathering’
stage to the ‘food producing’ stage.
‘Agriculture’ and ‘Animal Husbandry’ are two
definitive features for the beginning of this
age in any particular geographical area.
2. The sense of community was strengthened
further as the permanent settlements came to
the fore.
3. Pottery was developed for the preservation of
food grains.
4. Though stone tools continued to be used but
they underwent a significant qualitative shift.
Sophisticated polished Celts became widely
available.
• Gordon Childe coined the term
“Neolithic Revolution” in 1935 CE
to describe the radical and important
period of change in which humans
began cultivating plants, breeding
animals for food and forming
permanent settlements.
How far is it correct to term the
‘beginning of agriculture’ as the
‘Neolithic Revolution’?
 In Favour:
1. The mutual relationship between man, animal
and land was transformed forever.
2. The amount of change that took place within a
span of 3000 years (c. 7000 BCE to 3800
BCE) had not taken place in previous 30000
years.
3. Humans entered the stage of ‘food
production’. This was the proverbial ‘first step’
on the threshold of civilisation.
 End
Lecture-10

-Manikant Singh