History Of India The roots of
Indian civilisation stretch back in time to
pre-recorded history. The earliest human activity
in the Indian sub-continent can be traced back to
the Early, Middle and Late Stone Ages
(400,000-200,000 BC). Implements from all three
periods have been found from Rajasthan, Gujarat,
Bihar, parts of what is now Pakistan and the
southern most tip of the Indian Peninsula.
These Paleolithic people were semi-nomadic
hunters and gatherers for many millennia. Five
main races of people were in existence when the
move to an agricultural lifestyle took place, in
the middle of the 9th millennium BC. These were
the Negrito race, the Proto-Australoid; the
Mediterranean race, the Mongloids and the Alpine
people.
The first evidence of agricultural settlements
on the western plains of the Indus is roughly
contemporaneous with similar developments in
Egypt, Mesopotamia and Persia. These settlements
gradually grew and the inhabitants started to use
copper and bronze, domesticated animals, made
pottery and began trade activities.
The following links give a brief description
of India's history.
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