Pre History of Bihar

Prehistoric period has been divided into various stages/ages on the basis of nature and types of stone implements used by the primitive men.

In India, the prehistoric period/Stone Age is divided into :

1. Paleolithic (Old Stone Age) – Timeline – 30,00,000 BC to 1,00,000 BC
2. Mesolithic (Middle Stone Age) – Timeline – 1,00,000 BC to 40000 BC
3. Neolithic (New Stone Age) – Timeline – 40,000 BC to 12,000 BC

You can read more about the Prehistoric period in India here : Prehistoric period in India

Let us continue with the study of the prehistoric period in Bihar.

Prehistoric archaeological remains have been unearthed from various sites in Bihar. Some of the worth noting points are mentioned below:

• Paleolithic age ( Old stone age ) evidence has been discovered from Munger and Nalanda.
• Mesolithic age ( Middle stone age ) evidence has been discovered from Hazaribagh, Ranchi, Singhbhum and Santhal Pargana (However all of these places are now in Jharkhand, hence out of scope for now). 
• Neolithic ( New stone age ) evidence has been discovered from Chirand (Saran district) and Chechar (Vaishali). 

The Neolithic period was followed by the Chalcolithic/Metal age.  It was the time when humans began using metals along with stones. 

First metal used by humans was Copper. Hence this age was also called the ‘Copper-Stone’ age. 

A number of Chalcolithic sites have been discovered in various parts of the country including Ganga plains of Bihar. Important Chalcolithic sites in Bihar include:

• Chirand (Saran)
• Muner (Patna), 
• Champa (Bhagalpur), 
• Chechar-Kutubpur (Vaishali), 
• Taradih (Gaya)

Prehistoric rock paintings have been discovered from the Kaimur, Nawada and Jamui region of Bihar. These paintings depict the lifestyle of people during that time. The pictures depict human activities like dancing, hunting, walking etc. 

Out of all the prehistoric sites, Chrirand is the most important site that has evidence of unbroken historical and cultural sequences down to the present day.