India experienced an early development of cultures and civilisations. Since the Old Stone Age, several groups migrated into India many times and adapted to diverse eco-zones, which led to pluralistic beliefs and systems. From foraging, through nomadic pastoralism, the settlers in the Indus region reached a matured stage of living in the Bronze Age. This chapter traces Indian history from the first human settlement in the Stone Age, through the Neolithic cultures, to the decline of the Indus Civilisation.
1. Sources for the Study of Early India
- Archaeological sources form the bedrock; there is no written evidence for this period.
- Floral evidence – charred seeds, pollens and phytoliths (plant stones) – tells us about farming.
- Human genes: mitochondrial DNA (mt-DNA) studies give information on pre-historic migrations.
- Language: four language families – Indo-Aryan, Dravidian, Austro-Asiatic and Tibeto-Burman – have flourished in India.