Which phase of the Palaeolithic period is characterized by the dominance of 'flake tools'?
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: D
Explanation
Solution: The correct answer is Middle Palaeolithic.
Explanation:
☛ The Palaeolithic Age in India is divided into three distinct phases based on stone tool typology and climate: Lower, Middle, and Upper Palaeolithic.
☛ The Middle Palaeolithic period is primarily characterized by the dominance of flake tools.
☛ During this phase, tools were manufactured by striking flakes off larger core stones, leading archaeologists to call it a flake tool industry.
☛ Common implements of this period include scrapers, points, borers, and crude blades.
☛ In India, the Middle Palaeolithic culture is also referred to as the Nevasan culture, named after the prominent site of Nevasa in Maharashtra.
Extra Exam-Relevant Facts:
☛ Lower Palaeolithic: Characterized by heavy core tools such as handaxes, cleavers, and pebble choppers.
☛ Upper Palaeolithic: Marked by the dominance of blades and burins and the emergence of modern humans (Homo sapiens).
☛ Neolithic: Characterized by polished and ground stone tools, the invention of agriculture, pottery, and permanent settlements.
☛ Bhimbetka (Madhya Pradesh): Famous for rock art shelters that exhibit continuous occupation from Lower Palaeolithic to Mesolithic periods.
Important One-Liners for Upcoming Exams:
☛ Who is regarded as the 'Father of Indian Prehistory' for discovering the first Palaeolithic tool in India in 1863? → Robert Bruce Foote
☛ Which specialized stone knapping method was widely developed during the Middle Palaeolithic? → Levallois technique
☛ Tiny stone tools known as 'microliths' are characteristic of which period? → Mesolithic period
☛ Which prehistoric site in Jammu and Kashmir is well known for pit-dwellings? → Burzahom
☛ Which archaeologist extensively excavated the Middle Palaeolithic site at Nevasa? → H.D. Sankalia