Pre Historic and Proto Historic Era | Punjab State (PPSC) PSC: Preparation - PPSC PCS (Punjab) PDF Download

Introduction

Punjab has a rich and ancient history that goes back thousands of years. It is known as the birthplace of the earliest Stone Ages, the Indus Valley Civilization, and Vedic culture. This region is mentioned in ancient texts like the Ramayana, the Mahabharata, and the Rigveda.

Archaeologists have found significant evidence of the three stages of the Stone Age and proto-historic culture in Punjab, which includes the Copper and Bronze Ages. As economic activities advanced, human settlements in Punjab grew larger and more numerous. The Rigveda confirms the presence of Urban Harappan culture in a large area of Punjab.

Throughout its ancient history, Punjab was ruled by various empires and cultures, including the Persians, Greeks, Mauryans, Sungas, Shakas, Parthians, Kushans, Guptas, Huns, Vardhanas, Palas, and many others.

Pre-Historic Era

In the pre-historic era, early humans relied on nature for their survival and used stone for their initial creative activities. This era is characterized by the use of stone tools for various purposes, such as cutting meat, bones, or fruits. The history of Punjab during this period is divided into three stages:

Palaeolithic Age (The Early Stone Age)

• This age spans a significant part of the Ice Age and is marked by the use of crude stone tools.
• It began around 2,50,000 years ago when people were hunters and gatherers, unaware of metal usage.
• Early Stone Age sites were primarily located in the valley of the Soan River in Punjab (now in Pakistan) and various other places such as Daulatpur, Hoshiarpur, and Dholbaha.

Mesolithic Age (The Middle Stone Age)

• The term ‘Meso’ refers to the middle, indicating that this period was a progression from the Palaeolithic Age.
• During the Mesolithic Age, people became more skilled in using stone tools.
• They began hunting animals and fishing using implements made of bone and flint.
• However, no sites from this age have been discovered in Punjab so far.

Neolithic Age (The New Stone Age)

• Human settlements from the Neolithic Age began to emerge in Punjab around 4000 BCE.
• In certain areas, such as the Bahawalpur district, these settlements appeared between 3800 to 3200 BCE, particularly in the delta of the Hakra River.
• These early settlements were likely temporary camps of semi-nomadic people engaged primarily in pastoralism and secondarily in shifting cultivation.
• Significant advancements in agriculture were observed during this period.
• People learned to produce fire, construct houses using clay, straw, and caves, and utilize two-wheeled ox-carts.
• The production of cloth from plant fibers and animal hair, along with the creation of ornaments from shells, semi-precious stones, and metals, also began.
• In 1963, polished stones related to Neolithic culture were discovered at Ror and Dibbar in the Beas-Banganga valley, further evidencing this period's cultural practices.

Proto-Historic Punjab

Proto-history refers to a time when metals were used alongside stone, marking a later period in history. This era is characterized by the Chalcolithic Age and Bronze Age cultures. In Northern India, the Stone Age was followed by the Copper and Bronze Ages, with copper being the first metal discovered by humans. Punjab also reflects these proto-historic cultures.

The proto-historic people in Punjab were agricultural communities who used copper and bronze, along with stone, to make their tools. They invented important agricultural implements like the plough and the wheeled cart, and they used hand-made pottery. These communities also adorned themselves with ornaments made of bronze and copper, and they domesticated animals like oxen. Wheat and barley were the primary crops cultivated during this period. Archaeological evidence of settlements from this time has been found in areas near Chandigarh.