Timeline of Indian history

This is a timeline of Indian history, comprising important legal and territorial changes and political events in India and its predecessor states. To read about the background to these events, see History of India. Also see the list of governors-general of India, list of prime ministers of India and list of years in India.

Pre-historic India

Year	Date	Event
4,000,000 – 100,000 BCE		Tools crafted by proto-humans that have been dated back two million years have been discovered in the northwestern subcontinent. The earliest archaeological site in the subcontinent is the palaeolithic hominid site in the Soan River valley. Soanian sites are found in the Sivalik region across what are now India, Pakistan, and Nepal. Some of the Bhimbetka rock shelters were inhabited by Homo erectus more than 100,000 years ago. Evidence suggested that occupation of the Indian subcontinent by hominins was sporadic until circa 700,000 years ago, and was geographically widespread by around 250,000 years ago. Madrasian culture sites have been found in Attirampakkam, which is located near Chennai, Tamil Nadu. Thereafter, tools related to this culture have been found at various other locations in this region. Bifacial handaxes and cleavers are typical assemblages recovered of this culture. Flake tools, microliths and other chopping tools have also been found. Most of these tools were composed of the metamorphic rock quartzite. The stone tool artifacts in this assemblage have been identified as a part of the second inter-pluvial period in India. Evidence for presence of Hominins with Acheulean technology 150,000–100,000 BCE in Tamil Nadu.
74,000 – 30,000 BCE		Technology similar to contemporary artifacts found used by Homo sapiens in Africa found in Jwalapuram around 74,000 BCE. Paleolithic industries in South India Tamil Nadu 30,000 BCE.