Hunter—gatherers of the Terminal Pleistocene in Uttar Pradesh, India

Stone-Age studies carried out in Uttar Pradesh in the past two decades have not only brought to light positive evidence for the existence of the Upper Palaeolithic stage in India, but have also provided a reliable geochronological base to the lithic cultural-sequence. The evidence for a complete and continuous history of the various Stone-Age cultures is remarkably well preserved in this area, a feature rarely found in other parts of the Indian subcontinent. Moreover, a good amount of data are also known with regard to the mode of Palaeolithic habitation and workshops. The region thus provides an excellent opportunity for the study of some basic issues relating to the settlement pattern and behaviour of early humans in general and those of the Terminal Pleistocene in particular. This chapter discusses the evidence for human cultures in the period between c. 22 000 and 14 000 BP, which coincides with the Upper Palaeolithic phase of our area.