Neolithic And Post-Neolithic Cultures

The same basic principles of environment, methods of dating, tool typo-technology and methods of study along with the ethno-archaeological methods used in the reconstruction of the Paleolithic and mesolithic cultures of different time levels in different parts of the world, are also employed in the study of the neolithic and post-neolithic cultures, which constitute the subject matter of the present book. The book comprises four chapters followed by bibliography and provided by ten figures of line drawing of illustrations. The first chapter on the food producing cultures deals with the concept of neolithic revolution followed by the evidence from the Near East, Europe and India. The evidence from India has been discussed at great length considering the evidence from the explorations and excavations carried out by different workers in the southern, eastern and northern parts of the subcontinent. The southern neolithic cultures have been discussed in minute detail covering the different dimensions of the cultural life of the people. The second chapter has been devoted to the chalcolithic cultures of India with reference to different geographical regions such as the Northern Deccan, Central India and Banas Valley. The third chapter on the advent of civilisation and the Indus Valley civilisation examines the concept of civilisation as such as states the different centres of civilisation followed by the study of the Indus Valley civilisation in depth. In the fourth and final chapter, the Indian megaliths, their distribution, general features and significance have been succinctly documented from the stand point of extict megaliths and the living megalithism. The bibliography includes many important works for further reading.