It took millions of years for Primitive humans to become civilized. It took man about 3,00,000 years to reach the stage from food gatherer to food producer.
Once the crust became a food producer, a man advanced rapidly. The more control a man has over the environment around him, the faster he progresses.
In the beginning, men were nomadic, that is, they used to move from place to place in flocks in search of food and shelter. Usually there were some men, women and children in a herd. From the point of view of security, it was better to live in a group than to live alone.
Primitive Humans to Become Civilized
Life in those days was indeed very difficult because people ate the fruits of trees and hunted the animals they could find. Didn’t know how to produce grains.
So when they had finished eating everything that nomadic humans could find in one place, they had to move to another place in search of food. Similarly, when they hunted most of the animals found in one place, they had to go to another place in search of prey.
If there were caves somewhere, people used to live in them only. Otherwise, they would make a shelter for themselves among the leafy branches of big trees. He was afraid of two things – the weather and wild animals.
Primitive man did not know why clouds thunder or why lightning flashes. And, when the reason for something is not understood, man is afraid of it. Ferocious animals like tigers, lions, leopards, dwathi and rhinoceros used to roam in the forests (and India had a lot of forests in those days).
The man was weak in comparison to these animals, so he had to either protect himself by hiding in caves and trees or kill them with his crude weapons. But the best way to protect these animals was a fire.
At night when all the animals gathered in the cave, a fire was lit at the mouth of the cave. The animals did not come inside the cave for fear of fire. Fire provided them comfort and protection in winter and stormy nights. The discovery of the fire happened by accident.
Equipment and Weaponry
Some such things have been found in the valley of the Sohan river in Punjab. In some places, such as in the valley of Kashmir. Tools and weapons were also made from the bones of animals. from large chunks of stone that could fit into a man’s stomach Hammers, axes and axes were made. In the beginning, the branches of trees, etc. were cut with the axes of the monastery.
Later it was tied to a pole, so its power increased and it was put to better use. The use of tools greatly benefited man.
These enabled him to cut branches of trees, kill animals, dig the ground and shape wood and stone. Small pieces of stone, often shavings and shavings from larger pieces, were carefully cut to a fine edge, and then used as flails or scrapers for fine work, or by turning them into serfs. Used to tie with arrows or spears.
Stone Age of Primitive Man
For the convenience of water, primitive humans often lived on the banks of rivers or streams. If you look carefully in the parts of the rivers of the foothills of the Himalayas or in some parts of the Deccan Plateau, such as in the valley of the Narmada, you can sometimes get hold of such a tool of primitive value. Archaeologists call these tools Ashshoffkaran.
The only remnants of thousands of years of early human history are crude stone tools used for hunting and other purposes. These tools are often found along river banks where ancient humans roamed in search of prey for wild animals, or in caves and rock shelters where humans lived. Stone tools were widely used in this age, hence it is called the Stone Age.
On the basis of the nature of the stone tools used, the Stone Age is divided into three phases: Early (Pura), Middle, and Uttara.
The man was almost completely dependent on nature for his food. With his primitive tools, he used to do many things, such as skinning dead animals, cutting their flesh and tearing their bones etc.
Through experience, he learned how to chip away at the stones and what kind of tools were made for special needs. There are three different categories of tools corresponding to the three stages of human development.
Beginning of Still life and Clothes
Primitive men did not have much difficulty regarding clothes. In the summer season, he used to walk in spent clothes. On rainy or cold days, the skins of killed animals, barks of trees, or large leaves were used as clothes. wrapped around the body One or two mug charms were enough to keep the body warm.
As man became more aware of things around him, his longing to lead a life of more convenience increased.
With some new discoveries, the living conditions of man also changed. Among these, the most important discovery of man was to grow plants and produce food. He found out that plants grow by putting seeds in the soil and watering them. This was the beginning of agriculture.
This was an important discovery because humans no longer needed to move from place to place in search of food. His nomadic life was over, and he started life as a settled farmer. These changes in the way of life of human beings took place in different parts of India during different periods. In most places of our country, these changes took place about four to five thousand years ago.
Animal Husbandry
Manayya made another amazing discovery. He came to know that wild animals can be domesticated, that is, he can use them for his work. For example, wild goats could only be killed and their meat is eaten. But domesticated goats could be milked every day, more goats could be produced from them, and some of them could even be eaten.
Thus there was no need to go out hunting. Adopting a dog proved to be very beneficial for humans. Other animals mentioned as domesticated were sheep and cattle. Cattle had a great advantage, as they not only provided food but could also be used for plowing and pulling carts.
Metal Exploration Starting Producing
When man settled permanently at a place and started producing food, he first had to clear the land by cutting or burning trees and bushes.
The two earlier inventions proved very useful in this work. Stone axes were used to cut trees and shrubs, and later the stubble was burnt to clear the land and make it ready for cultivation. Cutting trees with stone axes was a laborious task.
But now he could create a vehicle pulled by an animal and in which more than one person could sit and move from one place to another.
The wheel helped in carrying heavy things from one place to another, which was not possible earlier. In addition, the use of chalk contributed to the making of better pottery.
Early village of Ancient Live
Many families used to live in a village, so each other got protection and help. Now they made huts for themselves; Started growing barley, rice or wheat and rearing goats, sheep, cattle and other animals.
Such villages have been found all over India, but the Neolithic age of rivers or the ‘food-production’ stage was a time when the way of life of man changed completely.
Other changes took place when human life became stable. As long as people had to move from place to place, many times they had to live in large groups of men, women and children. Within the group, each other got protection and help.
When people settled permanently in one place and began to produce food for themselves, their large groups remained, but they became family units in terms of work.
Before this man used to hunt animals and collect wild plants. In their new way of life, he started domesticating animals and cultivating plants. Dogs, goats and sheep were probably the first to be domesticated.
With the passage of time some small villages became bigger. The number of people living in them increased. New needs arose and new businesses started. The affluent inhabitants of these large villages produced more grain than they needed.
That’s why they could have given this leftover food in exchange for things like clothes, pottery and jewelry – so that each family would work in the fields and grow food for themselves. Jalah potters or carpenters were used to exchange the things they made with the grain produced by other families.
Development of Craftsmanship and Control
Gradually the trade increased, then the artisans started living together and in this way, the villages became towns, which is considered the beginning of civilization.
Civilization is the stage of development of human culture when man lives for something other than fulfilling his physical needs.
Some people specialize in crafts when there is enough grain available. Different types of products are exchanged between cities and villages.
This transaction enabled the development of craftsmanship and control over the means of production. So people got more time to think and improve their standard of living.
The discovery of writing at this time was a great achievement. This meant that knowledge could be easily transmitted from one generation to the next and that knowledge could be made available to a large number of people. The spread of writing often coincided with the growth