The Indian subcontinent has been inhabited by humans for over 200,000 years. The corpus contains studies on early human colonisation, prehistoric migration routes, and the transition to agriculture.

Early Human Presence

Paleolithic

  • Lower Paleolithic: Acheulean handaxes at Attirampakkam (Tamil Nadu, ~1.5 mya), Bhimbetka, Hunsgi
  • Middle Paleolithic: Widespread across the subcontinent
  • Upper Paleolithic: Blade industries, cave paintings

The Soanian Tradition

A distinct Paleolithic tradition in the Soan Valley (Pakistan), with pebble tools and choppers, possibly representing a different technological tradition.

Routes of Entry

The Southern Route

The coastal migration hypothesis proposes that modern humans left Africa ~70,000 years ago and followed the coastline of Arabia, Iran, India, and Southeast Asia. Evidence:

  • Genetic evidence of early coastal migration
  • Microlithic industries in Sri Lanka and India (~35,000–40,000 BCE)
  • Shell middens and coastal settlements

The Northern Route

  • Through Central Asia and the Hindu Kush into northwest India
  • Associated with later migrations, including Indo-European speakers

The Himalayan Corridor

  • Eastern Himalayan corridor: Route for plant and animal exchange between India and China
  • Himalayan passes: Trans-Himalayan movement of populations
  • Evidence of Mongoloid populations in the Eastern Himalayas

Mesolithic Period

  • Transitional hunter-gatherer-fisher communities
  • Key sites: Bagor (Rajasthan), Sarai Nahar Rai (Uttar Pradesh), Bhimbetka rock shelters
  • Mesolithic cultures in the middle Ganga valley
  • Microlithic technologies

Neolithic Transition

The transition to agriculture occurred at different times across India:

  • Mehrgarh (Balochistan): 8th–7th millennium BCE — earliest agriculture (wheat, barley, sheep, goats)
  • Bhirrana (Haryana): 8th millennium BCE — early farming community
  • Ganga Plain: Rice cultivation emerging from 6th millennium BCE
  • South India: Neolithic (ashmounds) from 3rd millennium BCE
  • Eastern India: Early rice cultivation

Prehistoric Seafaring

  • Worldwide Early Holocene Seafaring Migrations: Evidence of early maritime movement
  • Mesolithic/Neolithic seafaring: Coastal migration and island colonization
  • The Shompen of Great Nicobar: Indigenous Andamanese populations as relicts of early migrations

Regional Studies

  • Prehistory of Balochistan
  • Neolithic culture in East India
  • Mesolithic culture in the middle Ganga plain
  • Early agriculture in Sri Lanka
  • Prehistoric axe factories (Sanganakallu)
  • Worked bone industry