The Archaeology of India

This book covers a vast time span- from the Lower Palaeolithic (early Stone Age) to the beginning of the Iron Age. As one proceeds from the Paleolithic period to the Iron Age, there is a progressive increase in the archaeological data. For the Stone Age these are mostly limited to tool descriptions. But for the Chalcolithic period (Copper Age) considerable evidence is available, thanks to the extensive excavations of different sites both of the Indus and the non-Indus varieties. With the advent of the Iron Age, the available data take a sudden leap. Therefore, the author has presented a detailed survey and synthesis only of the evidence on the Palaeolithic and Chalcolithic periods, leaving the study at the threshold of the Iron Age. D.P. Agrawal is an archaeologist and a historian of Indian science and technology. He has published works on Indian archaeology, mettalurgy, the history of science, and palaeclimate.