Before the Indus Valley Civilisation: 5000 BC to 2999 BC

This chapter maps the evolution of economy, international trade and culture during the Stone Age period, due to changes in human settlement patterns by referencing archaeological findings and historical records. The author discusses evidence for the earliest human inhabitation in the Indian sub-continent before the emergence of the Indus Valley Civilisation (IVC) and explores the role of stone tool advancements, farming and hunting practices in enabling early colonisers to transition from hunter-gatherers in the Palaeolithic and Mesolithic periods to farming and animation husbandry in the later Neolithic periods. The earliest known Homo Erectus cultures during the Upper Palaeolithic periods such as the Sohanian culture, in present-day Pakistan and northwest India, and later larger more geographically spread Acheulian culture are discussed. Factors such as the presence of natural resources, technological advancement and human evolution that contributed to the development and spread of early settlements are explored. The expansion of knowledge during the early Stone Age and its linkages to the establishment of the largest most technologically advanced IVC are referenced throughout the chapter. The IVC is introduced as a highly developed and planned civilisation comprising Homo sapiens present in the Neolithic period (and concurrently running Chalcolithic period or Copper Age) in the sub-continent. Phases of development of the IVC such as the Ravi Phase (3000 BC and 3500 BC) and Early Harappan (3000 BC and 2600 BC), Harappan (2600 BC and 1900 BC) and Late Harappan Phases (900 BC and 1500 BC) are highlighted. Possible reasons for its decline and disappearance such as the drying up of the Saraswati River and reduced economic productivity leading to de-urbanisation are mentioned. The IVC development and eventual de-urbanisation are expanded and discussed in more detail in Chap. 2 .