Sites of The Neolithic Age
This map shows various Neolithic Age sites in India. They are as follows:
REF: NCERT Textbook
- Burzahom and Gufkral in Jammu & Kashmir
- Mehrgarh in Pakistan
- Chirand in Bihar
- Daojali Hading in the north east
- Koldihwa in Uttar Pradesh
- Hallur and Paiyampalli in south India
| Archaeological Proofs of Farming | |
|---|---|
| Sites | Grains and bones |
| Mehrgarh (present day Pakistan) | Wheat, barley, sheep, goat, cattle |
| Koldihwa (Uttar Pradesh) | Rice, fragmentary animal bones |
| Mahagara (Uttar Pradesh) | Rice, cattle (hoof marks on clay surface) |
| Gufkral (Kashmir) | Wheat and lentil |
| Burzahom (Kashmir) | Wheat and lentil, dog, cattle, sheep, goat, buffalo |
| Chirand (Bihar) | Wheat, green gram, barley, buffalo, ox |
| Hallur (Andhra Pradesh) | Millet, cattle, sheep, goat, pig |
| Paiyampalli (Andhra Pradesh) | Black gram, millet, cattle, sheep, pig |
Beginning of Agriculture
The beginning of farming was the most revolutionary development in the human history. This marked the beginning of progress towards a settled life.
Historians guess that farming was first discovered by women. This was possible because women had to live at a place for a longer duration during pregnancy and raising children. While staying at a place for a long duration; women and children may have observed that seeds develop into plants. They may have learnt growing plants after that observation.
Benefits of Farming:
- Farming meant there was better supply of food. Additionally, there was less reliance on hunting and gathering.
- We know that a plant takes many months to bear fruits and seeds. So people needed to stay at a place for longer duration to take care of the crop. This helped humans to live a settled life.
- Once food was surplus, people could focus intellectual development during their spare time. This helped in developing scientific, linguistic and artistic skills.
- After the beginning of settled life; communities became bigger and eventually took the form of villages. It is important to remember that a village is a place where agriculture is the main occupation of people.