Prehistory and Human Evolution

Course Type	Course Code	No. Of Credits
Foundation Core

Semester and Year offered:

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Prerequisites: None

Brief Description of Course

The time period, when no writing existed, has been assigned to prehistory. As a matter of fact, the entire span of human activity having written records represents less than 1% of the total human existence on the earth. In this situation of a vast span of time period with no written records, the task of anthropologists, prehistorians, environmentologists and archaeologists become more challenging to reconstruct the past life-ways. The recent discoveries and identification of prehistoric fossils by scientists persuaded them to propose that the human like creature or the hominids surfaced in Africa in about 7 million years ago. With the passage of time due to evolution and development in humans, the first species of ‘homo’ emerged in about 2.5 to 3 million years ago. The people of the homo species were genius when compared to the other creatures of land and water. They applied their mind to make tools for survival and better life. But the emergence and evolution of human life on earth cannot be explained in isolation until and unless the process—of formation of earth and its subsequent development, origin of life on the earth and its subsequent development and geomorphology and landscapes which are the signature of certain environmental condition—is understood in holistic way. The aims and objectives of this course are to make students aware of the circumstances on earth which provided suitable environment to begin life in water and land initially to finally develop into modern ‘Humans’. How this journey by HUMAN passed through different technological stages will be an important aspect of present study. Various socio-economic and religious activities of people from the beginning up to the Neolithic stage will also be taken into consideration while studying this course.

Course Objectives

Develop understanding about researches towards the origin of earth and evolution of life, taking in to consideration various tangible geographical features on earth so as to reconstruct the past environment.
Provide basic facts about physical and biological anthropology so that the evolution of humans, their variability and adaptation to environmental stress is understood properly. Discuss the progress journey from Hominoids to Hominines up to the modern man, one of the important aspects of study, so that the beginning of human culture in global context is understood.
Develop basic understanding of different raw materials and various tool techniques. Create awareness about the Palaeolithic cultures of India. The technological skills, socio-economic and religious life of the people which led them to usher in to the stage from food-gathering to food-production.
Discuss the details of environment at the end of Pleistocene Age and onset of new environment which necessitated developing new stone tool technology in the wake of drastic environmental change and the need of the time.
To provide fair understanding about the stages of food-gathering to food-production along with the domestication of plants and animals and how these important factors transformed the life of people in to civilization stage.

Course Outcome

On successful completion the students will be able to:

Understand the concepts of earth’s origin and the beginning of life in the background of geological time scale.
Gain knowledge about physical anthropology and origin of humans—its early phase, development and evolution of modern humans.
Order and analyse the basic prehistoric tools and technique and suitable raw materials.
Understand the classification of Palaeolithic stages and material cultures in light of evolution of technology.
Getting acquainted with the socio-economic pattern of life of the Upper Palaeolithic people, their technological innovations and skills.
Understand the changing need of the Mesolithic people and their material culture in light of global environmental change.
Discuss the idea and the need of technological change from food gathering to food production through material culture of the Neolithic Period.
Evaluate the process of domestication of plants and animals and its consequence which ushered the human being into the beginning of civilization.

Brief description of modules/ Main modules:

Module 1

Origin of the Earth and its evolution in the different Eras. Emergence of life on the Earth and its subsequent evolution during the different Eras in association with corresponding developments on the Earth. Palaeo-landscapes and their study as the environmental indicators to reconstruct the past environment. (Weeks I & II)

Reading list for this module:

Agrawal, D.P., S.K. Gupta and P. Sharma (Eds.). Palaeoclimatic and Palaeo-environmental Changes in Asia. New Delhi: Indian National Science Academy. 1988.
Butzer, K. W. Environment and Archaeology: an ecological approach to Prehistory. Chicago. 1971.
Kale, V.S (ed.). Landscapes and Landforms of India, World Geomorphological Landscapes. Dordretch: Springer. 2014.
Kennedy, K.A.R. and G. L. Possehl (eds.). Ecological Background of South Asian Prehistory. Cornell. 1973.
Smithson, Peter, Ken Addition & Ken Atkinson. Fundamentals of Physical Environment. Third Edition. London & N.Y. 2002.

Module 2

Anatomical features of primitive species and their evolution up to Primates. The journey of transition from Homonoids to Hominids and their progress journey by the way of struggle for existence, variation and adaptation, etc., up to ‘True Man’. Important evolutionary theories and earliest human cultures in global context. (Weeks III & IV)

Reading list for this module:

Bhattacharya, D.K. Anthropology in Prehistoric Archaeology: The Indian Scene. Published online October 24, 2017.
Campbell, B. G. Human Evolution. Chicago. 1966.
Childe, V. G. Social Evolution. Watts & Co.: London. 1951.
Ghosh, A. (Ed.). An Encyclopaedia of Indian Archaeology, Vols. 1 & 2. New Delhi: 1989.
Leakey, L. S. B. Adam’s Ancestors. Methuen: London. 1968.
Misra, V.N. Prehistoric ‘Human Colonization in India’. Journal of Biosciences. Indian Academy of Sciences. Vol. 26. No.4. Supplement. November 2001: 491-531.
Sophie, A. de Beaune, et. al. Cognitive Archaeology and Human Evolution. CUP. 2009.
Steven, Mithen. ‘Creativity in Human Evolution and Prehistory’. Routledge. 2014.
Wood, Bernard. Human Evolution: A Very Short Introduction. Bookswagon Co. 1978.

Module 3

The origin of tool making. Its use in light of selection of raw materials. Different Lower and Middle Palaeolithic material cultures and evolution of technology. The emergence of Upper Palaeolithic culture, subsistence economy and social life during the period and their changing pattern in accordance with need and innovations. (Weeks V & VI)

Reading list for this module:

Bhattacharya, D.K. Prehistoric Archaeology. Delhi: Hindustan Publishing Corporation (India). 1987.
Clark, J.G.D. World Prehistory – A New Outline, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.
Darwin, Charles. On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection. 1989.
Jayaswal, Vdula. Palaeohistory of India (A Study of Prepared Core Techniques of the Palaeolithic Cultures of India). Delhi: Agam Kala Prakashan. 1978.
Jayaswal, Vidula. Chopper-Chopping Component of Palaeolithic in India. Delhi: Agam Kala Prakashan. 1982.
Lewis, Laura. 2017. Early Microlithic Technologies and Behavioural Variability in Southern Africa and South Asia. BAR International Series 2861. Oxford.
Pappu, R.S. Acheulian Culture in Peninsular India. New Delhi: D.K. Printworld. 2001. Piggot, Stuart. Prehistoric India to 1000 BC. Penguin.1950

Module 4

Drastic change in environmental condition with the end of ‘Ice Age’ and onset of new warmer climate. Transformation of stone tool technology from Upper Palaeolithic to Mesolithic periods. Material cultures of Mesolithic period and its interaction with other developed contemporary communities. Reconstruction of life of Mesolithic people through the socio-economic and religious indicators. Specific case study of important Mesolithic sites in India.

(Weeks VII, VIII & IX)

Reading list for this module:

Allchins, Bridget and Raymond. Origins of A Civilization: The Prehistory and Early Archaeology of South Asia. Viking. 1997..
Korisettar, Ravi. Beyond Stones and More Stones Defining Indian Prehistoric Archaeology. Vols. I & II. Bangaluru. 2017.
Misra, V. N. and M. S. Mate. Indian Prehistory. Poona. 1965.
Rami Reddy. V. Palaeolithic and Mesolithic Cultures. New Delhi: Mittal. 1989. Publications.

Module 5

Causes and consequences of animal and plant domestication. Distribution and material culture of Neolithic periods in India establishing the settled life during the period in different parts of India. Specific case study of important Indian Neolithic sites. (Weeks X, XI & XII)

Reading list for this module:

Allchin, R. Neolithic Cattle Keepers of South India: A Study of Deccan Ash mounds. 1964.
Fonia, R.S. Excavations at Burzhom (1960-1971). Archaeological Survey of India. 2022.
Paddayya, K. (Ed.). Recent Studies in Indian Archaeology (ICHR Monograph Series 6). New Delhi. 2002.
Sharma, G. R, et. al. Beginnings of Agriculture. Allahabad. 1980.
Singh, P. Neolithic Cultures of Western Asia. London & N.Y. 1974.
Zeuner, F. E. A History of Domesticated Animals. New York. 1963.
Student’s Assessments.

Assessment Details with weights:

S. No.	Assessment	Period of Assignment	Waitage
1.	Topic based project work/Field work-based project (Assessment 1)	Week VII - XI	30%
3.	Presentation (Assessment 2)	Week XII	20%
4.	End Semester Exam (Assessment 4)	As per School Examination Calendar	50%

Additional References:

D.P. Agrawal. Archaeology of India, Academic Press, London, New Delhi, 1984.
D.P. Agrawal & A. Ghosh. Radiocarbon and Indian Archaeology. 1973.
D. P. Agrawal. Man & Environment in India Through Ages, New Delhi.
D.P. Agrawal. & S. Kusumgar. Prehistoric Chronology and Radiocarban Dating in India. New Delhi, 1974.
Bridget & Raymond Allchin. The Rise of Civilization in India and Pakistan, Cambridge World Archaeology, New Delhi. 1983
F.R. Allchin. Neolithic Cattle-Keepers of South India, Cambridge, 1963.
V. Gordon Childe. What Happened in History, Pelican Books, Harmondsworth, 1948
V. Gordon Childe. Man Makes Himself, London, 1956.
V. Gordon Childe. The Prehistory of European Society, London, 1962.
J.D. Clark. The Prehistory of Africa, London, 1970.
H.D. Sankalia. Some Aspects of Prehistoric Technology in India. New Delhi. 1970
H. D. Sankalia. Prehistory of India Poona, 1977.
K.P.Ockley. Man the tool Maker, London. 1950.
V.N. Mishra & P. Bellwood (ed.). Prehistory of India and the Pacific, New Delhi.
D. N. Wadia. Geology of India. New Delhi.
R.L. Singh. Geography of India. Varanasi
Mark Lambart. Fossils, London.
F. Clark Howell. Early Man, New Delhi
A. K. Sharma. Prehistoric Delhi and its Neighbourhood. New Delhi.1993.
Vidula Jayaswal. Palaeohistory of India, Delhi. 1978.
R. V. Joshi Acheulian Succession in Central India, Asian Perspectives, Vol. 8, 1964.
V. D. Krishnaswami. ‘Stone Age India’ Ancient India, No. 3. 1974, 11-56.
V.D. Krishnaswami. ‘Progress in Prehistory’ Ancient India No. 9, 1953: 79.
V. D. Krishnaswami. ‘Neolithic Pattern of India, Ancient India No. 16: 25-64.
L.S.B. Leakey. Adam’s Ancestors, London. 1953.
Sankalia, H.D. Stone Age Tools: Their Techniques, Names and Probable Functions, Poona, 1964.