9. Mesolithic Age

The second phase of the Stone Age is referred to as the Mesolithic Age, or the Middle Stone Age. The invention of Microliths, or small-bladed stone tools, is what sets this era apart. Between the Paleolithic and Neolithic Ages, there was a transitional period known as the Mesolithic Age. During this time, people mostly relied on hunting, fishing, and gathering food; later, they also domesticated animals.

Key Points about the Mesolithic Age

• The Paleolithic and Neolithic eras were separated by a transitional period known as the Mesolithic Age. It was accompanied by an increase in temperature, which made the weather warmer and drier. Compared to the Pleistocene era that came before it, the Mesolithic era was noticeably shorter.
• As time went on, early Mesolithic communities started domesticating animals in addition to hunting, fishing, and gathering food.
• Small-bladed stone tools known as microliths are typical of this era. Carlleyle discovered the earliest examples of Mesolithic tools.
• Painting constituted a noteworthy creative pursuit in the Mesolithic era. The artwork featured a variety of themes, such as humans, animals, and birds. Many painted rock shelters have been found; one well-known location is Bhimbetka in Madhya Pradesh.

Mesolithic Age Tools

1. The main tools of the Mesolithic era were microliths, which had a length of 1 to 8 cm. They fall into two categories: geometric and non-geometric.
2. Tools with geometric shapes included lunates, trapezes, cores, points, and backed blades.
3. Certain tools, like choppers, burins, blades, and scrapers, were still in use. Paleolithic tools were not as sophisticated as microliths.
4. Usually, chert and flint were used to make these implements.
5. The technique used to construct the tools was the primary difference. Mesolithic tools were made by painstakingly flaking off chips to form individual tools, whereas Paleolithic tools involved flaking rocks to achieve the desired shape.

Mesolithic Age Art

The Mesolithic people left behind a rich artistic legacy, producing thousands of paintings and engravings that reveal their taste for different styles of art and their capacity for inventiveness. Their advancements in technology, economic methods, material culture, social structures, and religious beliefs are all illuminated by this artwork. The Indian subcontinent is home to about 150 Mesolithic art sites, the most important of which is Bhimbetka.

Though the majority of the evidence for prehistoric paintings dates to the Mesolithic era, the earliest examples date to the Upper Paleolithic.

Prominent Mesolithic Art Sites

• The most famous location for Mesolithic art is Bhimbetka, which was first made public by V.S. Wakankar in 1957.
• Yashodhara Mathpal and Erwin Newmayer carried out further investigation and analysis on Bhimbetka.
• Other notable Mesolithic art sites in Madhya Pradesh include Adamgarh, Kharwar, Jaora, and Lakhajour.
• While Odisha is home to places like Sambhalpur and Sundargarh, Uttar Pradesh is the home of Morhana Pahar.
• Ehuthu Guha is located in Kerala, and Kupgallu is another important location in Karnataka.

Characteristics of Mesolithic Age Art

1. The most common colors and shades used by Mesolithic artists were red and white, with about 16 other hues included.
2. Animals and hunting were a recurring theme in these pieces of art.
3. The themes broadened during this period, but the size of the artwork shrank.
4. Scenes of hunting were especially prevalent, showing people in groups armed with bows, arrows, pointed sticks, and barbed spears.
5. A few paintings showed primitive people setting up snares and traps, probably to catch animals.
6. These pieces of art featured hunters dressed simply and without jewelry. There were some men wearing painted masks and ornate headdresses.
7. Elephants, bison, tigers, bears, deer, antelope, leopards, panthers, rhinoceroses, fish, frogs, lizards, squirrels, and birds were among the creatures depicted in these paintings.
8. While some artworks showed men pursuing and hunting animals, others showed animals pursuing humans. Both fear and affection for these creatures were expressed in many of the animal paintings.
9. The artworks also depicted people gathering fruit or honey from trees and women engaged in grinding and food preparation.
10. Men and women of different ages were also portrayed in the artwork, with some paintings showing the division of labor by gender. Internal organs were depicted in certain cases in a distinctive “X-ray style.”
11. There were also engravings, mostly featuring animals. Notably, animals were rendered in a more naturalistic style whereas humans were stylized.
12. People of various ages were featured in the artwork, and women were shown both clothed and bare.
13. Images of children playing, leaping, and running, as well as scenes of fishing and mask-wearing dancers, were depicted in paintings. One recurring theme in this Mesolithic artwork was community dances.

Mesolithic Age Lifestyle and Subsistence

The pattern of subsistence during the Mesolithic era was shaped by shifting weather patterns. Fishing was done even though hunting and gathering were still essential.

During this time, there was evidence of animal domestication, which signaled a change to a more settled way of life.

In contrast to later eras, Mesolithic communities practiced burial rather than house construction.

They ate a varied diet that included both plant- and meat-based foods. They collected honey, tubers, and wild roots in addition to hunting.

Although pottery was not typically found in Mesolithic sites, some examples have been found in recent excavations, particularly in Mirzapur (Uttar Pradesh) and Langhnaj (Gujarat).

Mesolithic sites

Mesolithic sites in Rajasthan

1. Bagor : Bagor on the river Kothari is the largest Mesolithic site in India.
2. Chandravati

Mesolithic sites in Gujrat

1. Langhnaj : An extensive amount of research has been done in Langhnaj, Gujarat, illuminating the history of the area. The remains of several Mesolithic-era animals have been discovered by archaeologists in the village of Langhnaj, which is located in the Mehsana region of Gujarat. The bones of wolves, rhinoceroses, bears, deer, and numerous other animals that date back to 2,500 BC have been discovered. During this archaeological dig, which took place at the University of London’s Department of Environmental Archaeology from 1944 to 1963, seven human skeletons and a sizable collection of microliths were found.
2. Loteshwar: Loteshwar is a village and an archaeological site belonging to the Indus Valley civilization located in Patan district, Gujarat, India.
3. Ratanpur

Mesolithic sites in Madhya Pradesh

• Adamgarh: The Adamgarh Hills are well known for their ancient rock paintings and rock shelters. Stone age artifacts and tools from the lower Paleolithic and Mesolithic periods have been discovered during archeological excavations in the hills.
• Bhimbetaka: Situated in Madhya Pradesh, Bhimbetka is a site renowned for its abundant discoveries of prehistoric paintings and microliths. An archaeological site in central India, these rock shelters at Bhimbetka date from the Paleolithic and Mesolithic eras to the historic period. They offer the earliest proof of human habitation in ancient India and shed light on the history of the area during the Stone Age.
• Baghor

Mesolithic sites in Oddisa

• Sundargarh
• Sambhalpur
• Kuchai

Mesolithic sites in West Bengal

• Veerbhanpur

Mesolithic sites in Uttar Pradesh

• Mahagara: Known for its historic relics and artifacts, Mahagara is an archaeological site in Uttar Pradesh, India’s Sonbhadra district. These discoveries provide insightful vistas into the earliest human settlements in this region.
• Chopani-mando: Chopani-mando is an important archaeological site that represents the transition of human societies from largely being grazers to producers of food. It offers insights into this pivotal period in human history and is situated in the Belan River valley in the modern-day Prayagraj district of Uttar Pradesh, India.
• Sarai Nahar Rai: Sarai Nahar Rai, in Uttar Pradesh, is a well-researched site in the Allahabad-Pratapgarh region.
• Mahadaha
• Damdama
• Lekhahia(Mirzapur): Lekhahia is a Mesolithic site in Uttar Pradesh, India. It yielded skeletons which are not studied much yet. Some of its findings are pre-microlithic. It is situated in the Mirzapur district of UP.

Mesolithic sites in Kerala

• Tenmalai

Mesolithic sites in Tamil Nadu

• Teri sites

Mesolithic sites in Bihar

Munger: Mesolithic habitation remnants discovered in Munger provide the earliest proof of human presence in Bihar. Prehistoric rock paintings have also been discovered in the hilly areas of Jamui, Nawada, and Kaimur.

---

Affiliate :-

Pre & Mains : Buy History NCERT 11^th class by R.S.Sharma for UPSC

History Optional : Buy A History of Ancient And Early Medieval India : From the Stone Age to the 12th Century By Upinder Singh

---

---

Featured Image Credits :- wikimedia commons

Inline Image credits :- wikimedia commons