This Presentation is Prepared for the Graduate Students. A presentation consisting of basic information regarding the primitive economy of India. Students are advised to get more information from recommended books and articles.

1. Primitive Economy
Dr. Virag Sontakke
Assistant Professor
Department of A.I.H.C. & Archaeology,
Banaras Hindu University

2. Primitive Economy

3. What is Economy?
• Economy denotes:
1. An area of production,
2. Distribution,
3. Consumptions of goods and
4. Trade.
• As long as someone is making, supplying and
distributing goods or services, there has been some
sort of economy.
• Economies grew larger as societies grew and became
more complex.

4. Prehistoric Period
Paleolithic
Mesolithic
Neolithic

5. Episode of Prehistory
Prehistoric
Period
Prehistory
Before Writing
Lower
Palaeolithic
Mesolithic
Middle
Palaeolithic
Neolithic
Upper
Palaeolithic
Metal

6. Paleolithic Period
• Pleistocene Epoch (16,00,000 to 11,700
BP)
• Beginning of Stone Age
• Origin and Evolution of Human beings
• Longest period of Human History
• Invention of Fire
• Use of Stone tools
• Hunting-Gathering

7. Lower Paleolithic : Tools
• Early Stage of development
• Pebbles: Quartzite
• Primary tools: crude
• Type: Handaxe
• Type: Cleaver
• Type: Scrapers

8. Example of
Pressure Flaking

9. Reconstruction illustration of 400,000-year-old shelter from Terra Amata, France

11. Middle Paleolithic
• Gradual changes
• Between about 250,000 BP and 40,000 years ago,
• Slight innovation in stone technology
• Flake tools rather than larger core tools.
• Hand-axes were made with exquisite craftsmanship,
• Smaller more diverse tool
• Earliest evidence of mortuary practice

12. Scarpers

14. Natural Habitat

16. Mortuary
Practices

17. Upper Paleolithic
• Slight advanced Period
• Flake Technically
• Parallel side blade: Multipurpose use
• Trend of smaller tools
• Adaptations to Environmental Changes

18. Upper Paleolithic:
Tools

19. Upper Palaeolithic Art and Cults
• Beginning of the history of arts.
• Mainly included Cave paintings.
• Examples: Bhimbetka.
• Evidence of artistic cum cultic activity come from Cave
III F-24 at Bhimbetka, known as 'auditorium cave’.

22. Economy of the Paleolithic period
• Source: Tools, Paintings
• Society: not evolved
• Way of life: primitive
• No division of labor
• No category of work division identified
• Economy: Hunting-Gathering & Tool Making

23. Mesolithic
• Transition between
Paleolithic and Neolithic
• Environment Change
• Extinction of big mammals
• New variety of flora-fauna
• Tool-typology changes
• Food habits changes
• Population increases
• Burial process increases
• Permanent settlement
started
• Rock/cave Painting
increases

24. Microlithic Tools

26. House Structure: Reconstruction

28. Economy of Mesolithic Period
• Source:
a. Tools (Stone-bones),
b. animal bones,
c. paleo-botanical remains
• Vivid Economy
i. Fishing
ii. Bird-hunting
iii. Honey Collection
iv. Stone making
Division of Labor?

29. Economy of Mesolithic Period
• Archaeological Evidence
1. Bhimbetka: Honey collection evidence in paintings
2. Middle Ganga Plain: Absence of Raw Material:
Borrowed from Vindhyan area
3. Middle Ganga Plain : Burials with goods
4. Hunting- gathering Economy

30. Neolithic
A remarkable chapter in Human History
1. Beginning of Agriculture
2. Domestication of large scale animals.
3. Established permanent settlements
4. Set-up of villages.
5. Pottery was used for food storage.
6. Evidence of Cotton
7. Evidence of ornamentation
8. Usage of animals in various purpose
9. Time 10000-2000 BCE

31. Neolithic
Invention of
Wheels

33. Agriculture and
Domestication

34. New mode of Subsistence

35. Tools of
Neolithic period

39. Pottery Making
• Variety of pottery
• Hand Made:
• Wheel Made:
• Plain, Painted, Slipped,
engraved etc.
• Various colored
• Various shapes and size:
• Bowls, dishes, vase, jar etc

40. Bead Making
1. Lahuradeva: Steatite beads, Stones
from Himalaya and Vindhyan
2. Tokwa: Use of Basalt for tools
3. Taradih: Stone Beads
4. Senuvar: beads 0f Stone + antler
5. Chirand: Stone Beads
6. Burjhom: Carenelian + Agate beads

41. Tool Industry
• Stone Tools: Axe, Adze,
Blade etc.
• Bone Tools: Borer,
Arrowhead, needle,
hammers, Chizels,
spade
• Chirand: mix economy
• Agricultural tools

42. Animal Husbandry
• Middle Ganga Plain: Decreases of
wild animals
• Koldihawa, Tokwa & Mahagada:
bones of domesticated animals
• Pikhlihal: Humped bull depiction
on Terracotta figurine and
paintings
• Burjhom: Dog
• Ash mounds
• Utnur: Cattle pen

43. Trade
• Lahuradeva: Stone from Vindhay
• Tokwa: Basalt
• Burjhom: Carnelians bead= IVC ?
• Mehargarh: Turquoise =
Turkmenistan
• Mehargarh : Shell= Arabian Sea
• Mehargarh : Laips Lazuli=
Badakshan, Afganistan

44. Neolithic Economy
• Source:
a) Tools
(hunting)
b) Tools
(Agriculture)
• Advent of
various Crafts
• Settled Life
• Forming of
Village
• Trade: internal
&
external
• Mix Economy

45. Any
Questions?