Over 1.5L years old stone tools found near Hyd

Hyderabad: Lower Palaeolithic stone tools have been identified on the banks of a water channel along the Manchirevula forest track in Gandipet mandal of Ranga Reddy district, adding to the growing record of prehistoric finds on Hyderabad's outskirts. The discovery was made by Climate Front Telangana vice-president Mir Omar Ali Khan and Kotha Telangana Charitrabrundam convener Sriramoju Haragopal.

Five artefacts found near streamside excavation area

The finds include three hand axes, one flake tool, and one core prepared for making stone tools. According to the field observers, the artefacts were found in sand excavated beside a small stream and a water channel dug to collect water in the forest stretch.

One quartz hand axe measured 24 cm in length and 27 cm in circumference and weighed 130 grams. A second hand axe was 15 cm long, had a circumference of 21 cm, and weighed 45 grams. A third hand axe was 9 cm long, had a circumference of 17 cm, and weighed 30 grams.

Expert links first tool to Lower Palaeolithic phase

Retired professor Ravi Korisettar, an archaeologist associated with Dharwad and known for his work on the South Asian Lower Palaeolithic, identified the first tool as belonging to the Lower Palaeolithic period. He expressed surprise at the successive discovery of such ancient tools in the area.

In the Indian prehistoric sequence, the Lower Palaeolithic is generally placed from about six lakh years ago to 1.5 lakh years ago. The Middle Palaeolithic is dated roughly from 1,50,000 BCE to 35,000 BCE, and the Upper Palaeolithic from about 35,000 BCE to 10,000 BCE.

Earlier finds point to long human presence

The latest find gains significance because Middle Palaeolithic-era rock art and stone tools were earlier reported from the same Manchirevula forest track. Hyderabad has also yielded prehistoric evidence at BNR Hills, where reports in 2023 noted Neolithic stone axes and a prehistoric rock shelter.

Haragopal said the spread of prehistoric evidence across the city and its outskirts underlined the need to protect such remains from urban expansion and preserve them for future generations.