Introduction:
The Mesolithic culture otherwise known as Middle Stone Age, Late Stone Age, EpiPalaeolithc and Early Neolithic culture , was a transitional stage between the Upper Palaeolithic and the Neolithic in India. Its geographical distribution was wide extending across the states of Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, Orissa, Bihar and West Bengal. Evidence of Indian Mesolithic has yet to come from Assam, Ganges and Punjab plains and deltaic Bengal and Kerala.
The first discoverer of Mesolithic in India was A.C.L. Carileyle (I 866-67). He unearthed thousands of Microliths In the caves and rock-shelters of Vidhyan Hills in Uttar Pradesh. Since 1867, the hunt for Mesolithic cultures in India continued for almost seven decades through the efforts of administrators, scholars, amateurs and professionals. As a result hundreds of Mesolithic sites in South India, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and West Bengal came to light.
However, systematic excavations of Indian Mesolithic began with the entry of Sankalia (1940-1965). He discovered about one hundred sites in northern and central Gujarat. Stimulated by that research, a number of archaeologists and archaeological anthropologists conducted systematic excavations in different states in India between 1946 and 1974. The most important of these excavations are those carried out at Teri sites in Tinnel Valley District of Tamil Nadu (Ayyappan 1946; Zeuner and Allchin 1956), Langhnaj in Mehasana District of Gujarat (Sankalia 1941-1964), Bagor in Bhilwara District and Tilwaha in Banner District of Rajasthan (Misra 1964,1971), Bangaltota in Bellary District (Sankalia 1968) of Karnataka, Bhimbetka in Raisen District of Madhya Pradesh (Sankalia 1974), Birbhanpur in Burdwan District of West Bengal (Lai 1958), and Sarai Nahar Rai in Pratapgarh District in Uttar Pradesh (Dutta 1971).
Environment:
The environment of the Mesolithic people in India was almost similar to that existing today. Those living in Rajasthan and Gujarat had an environment characterized by dry climate, open thorn forest and sand dunes (Misra 1973). Those living in Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh experienced arid to semi-arid climate suitable for the growth of thorn and scrub forest with thick grass-cover suggesting prevalence of more rainfall than at present (Majumdar and Rajaguru 1966). Those residing at Birbhanpur in West Bengal v/ere coping with an environment with dry and mild climate, scrub forests and several wild animals.
Chronology:
The archaeological , geological and palaeontological evidences and radiocarbon dates reveal that:
(i). The Mesolithic eveiywhere succeeded the Upper Palaeolithic.
(ii). The. Mesolithic culture in Lekhania, Baripada, Kupgal, Bangaltota, Sanganakallu, Palavoy, Birbhanpur and Sarai Nahar Rai with non-geometric tools probably existed prior to 10000 years B.C
(iii). The Mesolithic culture in Langhnaj with crude-geometric tools probably existed around 3000 B.C.
(iv). The Mesolithic culture in Bagor and Tilwara with highly evolved geometric tools probably existed between 5000-100 B.C,
Materials:
The Mesolithic people most commonly used various siliceous rocks such as chert of different hues, chalcedony, five-grained quartzite, quartz, rock crystal, agate and carnelian for making Microliths, They also employed silicified shale, limestone, basalt and epidiorite. At Birbhanpur they utilized even fossil wood. Everywhere people usually depended on locally available raw materials for making tools and weapons and seldom brought them from far off places. The Mesolithic folk prepared fluted as well as irregular cores with one to many platforms and employing blade, pressure and percussion techniques manufactured the tools. The Mesolithic folk used microliths and devised compound tools such as sickles, knives, harpoons, arrow-heads, and digging sticks with ring-stones as weights. Two or more materials went into the production of compound tools. Further, people adopted the processes of hafting, tethering or gluing for making compound tools,