The Chalcolithic Age, also known as the Copper Age, marks a transitional phase between the Neolithic (Stone Age) and the Bronze Age, mainly observed between 2000 BCE and 700 BCE in India. This era witnessed the early use of metal (primarily copper), emergence of farming settlements, and development in art, pottery, and burial customs.

BulletsIn

• Period: 2000–700 BCE in India, also called Copper Age
• First use of metal: copper, mixed use with stone tools
• Early rural settlements near rivers/hills; farming key occupation
• Major cultures: Ahar-Banas, Kayatha, Malwa, Jorwe
• Pottery: black-and-red ware, ochre-colored, wheel-made, painted
• Crops: wheat, rice, barley, lentils, bajra, jowar; cotton, flax cultivated
• Artifacts: copper tools, terracotta, ornaments from semi-precious stones
• Rock art: found in Chhattisgarh, motifs show settled life
• Housing: mud homes, lime plaster; multi-roomed in some sites like Inamgaon
• Limitations: lacked iron tools; no milk use; signs of malnutrition & epidemics