PALAEOLITHIC PERIOD

Archaeological Survey of Kashmir was strated in 1882 A.D. by Mr.Garrik but his work did not receive wide recognition. The Yale- Cambridge Expedition of 1935 A.D. under Dr. Helmut De Terra in association with Dr. Teilhard De Chardin and Dr.Patterson conducted investigation about glacial sequence and lake sediments in the Kashmir valley but the investigation led them to the conclusion that traces of Old Stone Age or Palaeolithic were as good as absent, in and beyond Kashmir. This is inspite of the fact, that the team found the fossil  remains of elephant from Sombur and a well fossilized tusk fragment near Shrine of Baba Rafi-ud-din (Badgam District). The recent investigation and discoveries by Dr. H.D. Sankalia and his team of the Deccan College including experts from the Archaeological Survey of India disproved this conclusion when, in 1969 A.D., they discovered a massive flake and a crude hand-axe from well stratified deposits dating to the second glacial and second inter-glacial period respectively, in the Lidder valley near Pagalgam. Some more tools which include a pointed tool, six choppers and three scrappers, attributed to the middle Pelistocene age, were also discovered in the same area. It is claimed that the lithic industry represented by the above flakes is the earliest human industry not only in the Indian sub-continent but also in Asia.

The existence of the lithic industry during Palaeolithic period period of Kashmir is further substantiated by the discovery of about 100 artifacts from Somber, 18 kms. South-east of Srinagar. The main tool types collected from the site include burins,points and bores. More lithic tools of Palaeolitic period like backed knives, double scrappers, waisted tools, grinders and pounders were also excavated from newly discovered sites of Kalladur, Bhatchak, Tapriballa, Huin ( Baramulla District), Khan Sahib and Hab-Shah Sahib (Badgam District). At Balapur in Shopian tehsil, some more palaeolithis have been discovered by archaeologists. They have also picked up a well worked chopper tool with distinct flank scars from the upper reaches of Suknag.

           But progress during those remote times should not be studied in isolation of the geographic background of the valley of Kashmir.Recurrent geo-climatic changes, during Paleolithic period must have compelled the early man to abandon the valley for long intervals  till conditions became favourable fro human settlements.During the intervening period , he roamed  as food seeker in the  neighbouring countries, particularly in Central Asia, for he had not yet learned to produce food by means of agriculture or cattle-rearing. But at the same time,he carried with him the idea and inventions of his predecessors, and in course of his association with the people outside the valley, showed signal improvement on the skill developed by the men of preceeding periods. On the basis of this advancement the archaeologists have succeeded in drawing up a sequence of Cultures-Palaeolithic and Neolithic.”Civilization”, it has been well observed” is a contract between the great dead, the living and the unborn”.