The book takes back the antiquity of Delhi and neighbouring areas, located on the contours of the Aravallis, to several hundred thousand years back. It gives a first hand account of one of the biggest palaeolithic sites in the Indian sub-continent, discovered and excavated by the author, where stone age tools were recovered from different palaeo-channel areas in developmental sequence. The palaeo-channels were formed as a result of shifting of Yamuna which in turn was caused due to massive tectonic movements. The richness of the site in variety and quality of tools makes it a text book site for the students of pre-history and also for the common man. The book gives a glimpse of life of early men who roamed, prepared tools and hunted animals in an entirely different environmental and climatic conditions that prevailed around Delhi more than two hundred thousand years back. Profusely illustrated with maps, line drawings and rare photographs, the volume paints a vivid picture of life in Delhi and surrounding territories from earliest times to the beginning of the historical period.The results of the excavations conducted by the author in 1991 and 1992, opens a vast area for further investigations in preshistoric archaeology and palaeo-anthropology as the palaeo-channels also hold promise for the possible discovery of fossil remains of stone age man in India.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR A K Sharma
Shri A.K. Sharma is an archaeologist of repute. He is internationally known for his original contributions in the field of archaeology and anthropology. During thirty three years of his hectic career, in different capacities in the Archaeological Survey of India he explored and excavated a number of sites throughout the length and breadth of the country, particularly in remote and inaccessible areas of North-East India, Jammu Kashmir and Lakshadweep. To his credit goes the discovery and excavation of the biggest Stone Age site Anangpur, near Delhi, the biggest prehistoric cave of Kachagad in Maharashtra, the sprawling nucleus megalithic site in Chhattisgarh, unique Neolithic site of Gufkral in Kashmir Valley, early historic sites of Sekta in Manipur and Vadagokugiri in Garo Hills of Meghalaya. He is also known for the discovery of horse bones of domesticated horse in Harappan context which have been internationally acknowledged and has changed the whole theory about Aryans and Vaidic period. He worked at Kalibangan excavation from 1961 to 1969. He has to his credit more than 50 published research papers on anthropology, archaeozoology, prehistory and other aspects of archaeology. Presently he is working as Senior Fellow of Indian Council of Historical Research on his project “Megaliths of Chhattisgarh including Bastar:. He is also directing the excavations at Mansar near Nagpur.
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