Eternal India Encyclopedia

CHRONOLOGY

Date

Scientific and Technological Developments

Remarks

150000-

25000 B.C.

Early Palaeolithic or Early Stone Age:

Chopper-chopping tool culture. Hand-axe culture.

The Punjab, Peninsular India, barring

extreme south India

25000-

5000 B.C.

Middle Palaeolithic or the Middle Stone Age:

predominance of flake tools, scrappers, borers, points etc.

--do--

5000-

3000 B.C.

Mesolithic or the Late Stone Age

: Predominance of microliths, flakes,

blades, lunates, borers, scrappers, chisels, trapezoids, triangles, drills,etc.

Gujarat, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh,

Mysore,Tirunelvelly, (Tamil Nadu), Bir-

banpur (West Bengal), etc.

3500 B.C.

Neolithic Age

Baluchistan

2300-

1750 B.C.

Flourishing Period of Harappan Culture

: copper-bronze technology,

cire perdue

process; wheel-made decorated and glazed pottery; settled

agriculture, wheat and barley; domestication of animals; drainage and public

bath, burnt brick and mortar constructions;' grid system of town planning;

spinning and weaving; measurement and computational techniques

Sindh, Baluchistan, Punjab, Rajaputana

and Saurashtra; influenced later settle-

ments also

2000 B.C.

Some

Neolithic

settlements ; agriculture; cave-drawings and paintings,

depicting mainly animals; hand-made and later wheel-made pottery.

Andhra, Karnatak, Kashmir and Bengal

regions

1800B.C.

Some

Chalcolithic

settlements; use of copper tools;

Black-and-Red ware

;

Malwa ware

and

Jorwe ware

; spouted vessels.

Saurashtra , Rajputana, central, Southern

and eastern India

1700-

1000 B.C.

Ochre-colourecd ware

: copper-hoards.

Closed casting of the alloyed and

unalloyed metal

1500 B.C.

The

Rigveda:

concept of natural law (rta); monistic idea concerning water;

’lunar mansions' or the

naksatra

system of marking the ecliptic, beginnings

calendar system; knowledge of diseases and cure; agricultural practices, use

of plough, wheat and barley; fermentation methods; use of horse of superior

breed.

The Punjab and Kashmir regions; earliest

literary composition of its type

1000B.C.

The

Yajurveda

the whole series of 27 or 28

naksatras

headed by

Krttika,

number-names on the decimal scale up to 10

; agricultural practices, mentions

mentions rice.

Western U.P; mentions rice

lOOOB.C.

The

Atharvaveda;

astronomical knowledge; details of

naksatras,

method of

intercalation; more detailed medical knowledge and associated practices; lists

different plants and animals.

Some parts of the

Atharvaveda

seem to

be earlier, Concept of prana as the

sustainer of life

1000-

600 B.C.

The

Brahmanas, Aranyakas

and

Upanishads;

astronomical ideas, cosmic

cycle; beginnings of mathematical series (both A.P. and G.P); more physio-

logical and anatomical knowledge; doctrine of the

pancabhutas',

further

elucidation of the world of the living and non-living.

The idea of cosmic cycle possibly

influenced the Greek thinking later

Painted-Grey ware,

in association with iron.

de luxe

pottery mainly in northern and

north-western parts of India.

Production and use of iron.

In small open-hearth furnaces

Agricultural practices-rotation fallowing method to increase the soil

fertility.

6th-5th

CB.C

Northern Black-Polished ware,

associated with the use of iron: making of

steel.

Mainly in eastern parts; later spread to

central and other parts of India

Glass objects at Taxila.

Bhir mound at Taxila

Codification of medical knowledge into Ayurveda:

Vedanga Jyotisa

: five-year cycle; further elaboration of calendarical science

Naksatra

system continued to be the

basis

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