Non-Harappan Chalcolithic Cultures
Chapter – 6
Table of Contents
Introduction
- The end of the Neolithic phase marks the transition to the Protohistoric period, characterized by the use of Chalcolithic tools (copper tools in addition to stone tools).
- The Protohistoric period bridges the gap between the Prehistoric and Historic phases of Indian history.
- In the Indian context, the Protohistoric period includes three copper-using cultures:
- Harappan Culture (chiefly along the Indus River and its tributaries).
- Chalcolithic Cultures (outside the Harappan zone, extending from western to eastern India and the Deccan).
- Copper Hoard Cultures (named for finds primarily in hoards, particularly in western Uttar Pradesh).
- The Harappan Culture was urban in nature, based on surplus agriculture, specialized crafts, inter-regional trade, fortified towns, and the art of writing.
- The Chalcolithic Cultures (non-Harappan) were characterized by farming communities and rural settlements with no urban traits.
- These cultures were marked by limited use of copper implements (except at Ahar in Rajasthan) and an abundance of stone tools.
- The economies of these cultures were more similar to non-metal using Neolithic people, and are sometimes called Neolithic-Chalcolithic Cultures.
- The non-urban nature of these cultures is partly due to geographical constraints:
- Malwa and Maharashtra in western India had semi-arid regions with sticky black-soil.
- Uttar Pradesh and eastern regions had monsoonal forests and kankar-ridden soil.
- These regions were difficult to cultivate effectively with the limited copper tools available, leading people to settle in narrow alluvial strips of rivers.
- The inability to produce surplus crops or create trade and towns due to geographical limitations led to the non-urban nature of these cultures.
- Despite these challenges, these cultures were significant as they represent early farming communities in non-Harappan India.
- These cultures served as the foundation for the growth of surplus agriculture and urbanism in the 6th century BC, when iron tools became crucial for agricultural production in eastern Uttar Pradesh and Bihar.