Discovery of paleolithic quartzite tools - Daily Current Affairs for UPSC

The recent floods in the Mulugu district of Telangana has led to a fresh discovery of paleolithic quartzite tools.

The tools or hand axes were found in the sand bed of a stream that dried up after the flood.
Large parts of Mulugu, Jayashankar Bhupalpally districts in the north-eastern parts of Telangana were flooded in July, 2023 leading to large-scale destruction.
The hand axes were found in the stream between Gurrevula and Bhupatipuram villages in Mulugu district.

The stone axe measuring 15.5cm in length, 11cm in width and 5.5cm in thickness was found.
According to paleontologist, the stone axe belongs to the Lower Paleolithic period and is about 30 lakh years ago.
The tools based on chipping style, the material and the size of tools.

Uses: Palaeolithic hunter gatherers used heavy quartzite and large tools. Similar hand axes as these have been discovered worldwide.

The tools were used for cutting wood and killing animals for food.
The new discovery pushes back the understanding about human habitations in Telangana and central India.

In 1863, the East India Company’s Geological Survey team found a paleolithic site at Attirampakkam near Madras (present-day Chennai) with bifacial hand-axes made of stone by early humans.
The tools are about 15 lakh years old.
Paleolithic culture has been labelled as Madras Hand-Axe Industry or Madrasian Culture.

Paleolithic Age is also known as or Old Stone Age or Early Stone Age.
It dates back to about 33 lakh years BC. It lasted for 10,000 years.
The name Paleolithic was coined by the famous archeologist John Lubbock in the year 1865.
It began with the first use of stone tools by hominins (human-like creatures) and ended with the onset of the Mesolithic Period around 11,650 years ago.
It has been classified into upper, middle, and lower Paleolithic periods due to the growth that was experienced by the human species over time.
Lower or Early Palaeolithic: From 2.6 million-250,000 years ago, simple pebble tools and crude stone choppers were made by the earliest humans.
Middle Palaeolithic: From 250,000 years ago, with a new focus on flake-tools, which continued to be popular in certain areas until as late as c. 30,000 years ago.
Upper or Late Palaeolithic (40,000–10,000 BC): It saw a huge proliferation with regard to both tool shapes and source materials (now also a lot of bone, antler, and ivory).