The Lower Palaeolithic cultures	Middle Palaeolithic cultures
The Lower Palaeolithic cultural phase, human ancestor species of Homo erectus is believed to have lived in India.	The Middle Palaeolithic culture in India is dated between 3,85,000 and 40,000 BCE.
Human ancestors made large stone blocks and pebbles and chipped tools out of them, using another strong stone.	The tools became smaller. The decrease in the use of hand axes in relation to other tools.
Use Hand axes, cleavers, choppers and the like were designed in this way by flaking off the chips.	Use of core preparation techniques in stone tool production.
They hunted animals and gathered roots, nuts and fruits.	Use of chert, jasper, chalcedony and quartz as raw materials.

The period before the development of script is called the pre-historic times. It is also referred to as the Stone Age.
1. Human ancestors are likely to have first evolved in Africa and later migrated to different parts of the world.
2. The earliest human ancestor species to migrate out of Africa was the Homo erectus.
3. Generally, the period before the invention of script is broadly divided into Stone Age, Bronze Age and Iron Age.
4. The earliest age in history is called Old Stone Age or Palaeolithic.
5. This period is divided into
6. Lower Palaeolithic culture
7. Middle Palaeolithic culture
8. Upper Palaeolithic culture.
9. The period after the Old Stone Age (Palaeolithic) is called the Mesolithic Age.
10. The period that followed the Mesolithic is called the Neolithic Age.
11. This is the age in which animal and plant domestication developed, leading to food production.

(i) Pottery
1. The Harappans used diverse varieties of pottery for daily use.
2. They use well-fired pottery.
3. Their potteries have a deep red slip and black paintings.
4. The pottery are shaped like dish-on-stands, storage jars, perforated jars, goblets, S-shaped jars,plates, dishes, bowls and pots.
(ii) Trade and exchange
1. Harappans had close trade contacts with the Mesopotamians and also with various, cultures of India.
2. The Harappan seals and materials have been found in the Sumerian sites in Oman, Bahrain, and Iraq and Iran.
3. Carnelian, lapis lazuli, copper, gold and varieties of wood were exported to
4. Mesopotamia. Harappans also interacted with various regions of India and acquired raw materials and processed them.
(iii) Weights and measures
1. Harappans had developed proper weights and measures.
2. Cubical chert weights have been unearthed from Harappan sites.
3. The weights exhibit a binary system.
4. The ratio of weight is doubled as 1:2:4:8:16:32.
5. The small weight measure of 16th ratio weighs 13.63 grams.
6. They also used a measuring scale in which one inch was around 1.75 cm.
7. Weights made of chert were cubical.
8. They might have been used for weighing jewellery and metal.
(iv) Seals, sealing and scripts:
1. The seals from various media such as steatite, copper, terracotta and ivory are frequently found in the Harappan sites.
2. The longest text has about twenty six signs.
3. Some scholars are of the view that it is Dravidian.
4. Seals might have been used as an identity marker on the materials that were transported.

The planned towns of Harappa
1. A civic authority perhaps controlled the planning of the towns.
2. The Harappans used baked and unbaked bricks, and stones for construction.
3. The towns had a grid pattern and drainages were systematically built.
4. The houses were built of mud bricks while the drainages were built with burnt bricks.
5. Houses had more than one floor.
The planned towns of Mohenjo-Daro
1. The site of Mohenjo-Daro had a planned town, built on a platform.
2. It has two distinct areas.
3. One is identified as a citadel and another as the lower town.
4. The houses had bathrooms paved with burnt bricks and proper drains.
5. Some houses had stairs indicating the existence of an upper floor.
6. The houses had multiple rooms. 
7. Many of the houses had a central courtyard with rooms all around.

1. The cultural phase that followed the Middle Palaeolithic is called Upper Palaeolithic.
2. This period is marked by innovation in tool technology and increased cognitive capability of humans.
3. Microliths (tiny stone tools) were introduced in the Upper Palaeolithic Period
4. The tools were made using different varieties of silica-rich raw materials.
5. The lithic blade industry advanced in this period.