The South Indian Palaeolithic has yielded evidence of Early Acheulian sites which may date back to as old as 1 myr BP. Evolution within the Acheulian is noted from stratified sites, as well as from surface collections. Regional variability in raw material usage, site location and hominin behavior is also clear. Sites such as Attirampakkam display a stratified sequence of industries in well-preserved contexts, with the potential for informing on long-term adaptations to changing environments. Excavations at Isampur have revealed the first Acheulian quarry site in South Asia (see Asia, South: Paleolithic Cultures). The place of non-biface Acheulian industries requires further study. Industries transitional with the Middle Palaeolithic have been documented from numerous surface sites, as also from excavations at Lakhmapur and Attirampakkam. Regional variability in terms of raw material and tool types is seen in this phase. The origins of the Upper Palaeolithic are relatively less clear, although distinct trends in blade and burin industries are seen, with the best-documented sites located in the karstic cave complexes of Kurnool district. Recent multidisciplinary efforts in the Kortallaiyar basin and in the Hunsgi-Baichbal and Lakhmapur complexes, point to new approaches toward understanding these cultures. Future studies need to focus on generating more chronometric dates and on multidisciplinary studies for palaeoenvironmental reconstruction. Questions related to hominin dispersals, evolution of the Acheulian, position of the pebble industries, transitional industries, and origins of the Middle and Upper Palaeolithic require to be addressed and placed within a global perspective.
See also: Asia, East: China, Paleolithic Cultures; Asia, South: India, Deccan and Central Plateau; Paleolithic Cultures; Asia, Southeast: Pre-agricultural Peoples.
World History
