| Paleolithic Period (Old Stone Age) | 500,000 BCE | 10,000 BCE | • Oldest prehistoric phase
• Use of rough stone tools (hand axes, choppers)
• Humans were hunter–gatherers
• Lived in caves & rock shelters
• Fire discovered in later phase
• Important sites: Bhimbetka Rock Shelters, Hunsgi Valley |
| Mesolithic Period (Middle Stone Age) | 10,000 BCE | 6000 BCE | • Transition phase between Paleolithic & Neolithic
• Use of microliths (small stone tools)
• Beginning of domestication of animals
• Early semi-permanent settlements
• Rock paintings widely found at Bhimbetka Rock Shelters |
| Neolithic Period (New Stone Age) | 6000 BCE | 1000 BCE | • Beginning of agriculture & food production
• Domestication of animals (cattle, sheep, goat)
• Use of polished stone tools
• Development of pottery & weaving
• People lived in permanent villages
• Important sites: Mehrgarh, Burzahom, Chirand |
| Chalcolithic Period (Stone-Copper Age) | 3000 BCE | 500 BCE | • Use of copper along with stone tools
• Development of rural settlements
• Growth of agriculture & trade
• Painted pottery common
• Important cultures: Ahar Culture, Malwa Culture |
| Iron Age | 1500 BCE | 200 BCE | • Use of iron tools & weapons
• Expansion of agriculture and settlements
• Rise of large villages and early towns
• Development of megalithic burials in South India
• Associated with Painted Grey Ware Culture |