Why in the News?
A recent archaeological survey has confirmed that Daojali Hading, located in Assam’s Dima Hasao district, was a Neolithic habitation zone over 2,700 years ago.
About Daojali Hading Neolithic Site:
- Location: It is an important Neolithic archaeological site located in Dima Hasao district, Assam, within the Langting-Mupa Reserve Forest.
- How old is it: Recent surveys by a multidisciplinary team have confirmed the site as a settled Neolithic habitation zone, over 2,700 years old.
- Key discoveries:
- Furnace remains and iron slag, indicating early metallurgical activity.
- Cord-marked pottery, grinding stones, mortars and pestles, and polished stone tools such as arrowheads, celts, and adzes.
- Significance: These findings suggest that Daojali Hading was not just a tool-making site, but a functioning settlement where people lived, cooked, crafted tools, and worked with metals.
Back2Basics: Neolithic Period in India
- The Neolithic Age in India began around 7,000 B.C. and lasted until 1,000 B.C. It is the final phase of the Stone Age, following the Palaeolithic and Mesolithic Ages.
- This period is marked by:
- The beginning of settled agriculture andthe domestication of animals.
- Use of polished stone tools like axes, celts, and chisels.
- Construction of mud and reed houses, sometimes using mud bricks.
- Introduction of pottery in forms like grey ware, black burnished ware, and mat-impressed ware.
- A community lifestyle with shared ownership of land and tools.
- Neolithic people in India grew wheat, barley, rice, cotton, horse gram, and ragi, and domesticated cattle, goats, and sheep.
- They lived in circular or rectangular houses, near rivers and lakes, and relied on hunting, fishing, and early farming.
Major Neolithic Sites in India:
| Region | Site | Key Features |
| North-Western India | Burzahom (Kashmir) | Pit dwellings, stone tools, and animal domestication |
| Gufkral (Kashmir) | Early agriculture and handmade pottery | |
| North India | Chirand (Bihar) | Polished tools, fishing economy |
| North-East India | Daojali Hading (Assam) | Discussed above. |
| South India | Utnur (Andhra Pradesh) | Large stone structures, farming tools |
| Pakistan (Indian Subcontinent) | Mehrgarh (Balochistan) | Earliest Neolithic site, settled farming, and granaries |
| [UPSC 2021] Question: Consider the following pairs:
Historical place: Well known for 1. Burzahom : Rock cut shrines 2. Chandraketugarh : Terracotta art 3. Ganeshwar: Copper artefacts Which of the pairs given above is/are correctly matched? Options: (a) 1 only (b) 1 and 2 (c) 3 only (d) 2 and 3* |
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