Consider the following statements with reference to Paleolithic tools: 1. Isampur was a well-known center of stone tool manufacture located in Gulbarga district of Karnataka and was situated along a small seasonal stream known as Kamta Halla. 2. A Paleolithic blade is a flake tool, the length of which is more than twice its width. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

Statement 1 is correct as Isampur, located in the Hunsgi-Baichbal valley of the Gulbarga district in Karnataka, is a significant Lower Paleolithic site [2]. It is recognized as an Acheulian stone tool manufacturing center or quarry, situated along the Kamta Halla, a small seasonal stream [1]. Excavations at Isampur revealed it was a primary workshop where hominids utilized local limestone for tool production [1]. Statement 2 is also correct; in lithic analysis, a blade is technically defined as a specialized flake tool that is at least twice as long as it is wide. These parallel-sided tools became the hallmark of the Upper Paleolithic period, representing an advancement in stone-working technology where multiple blades could be struck from a prepared core [1]. Therefore, both statements accurately describe Paleolithic archaeological findings and tool morphology.

Sources

1. [2] History , class XI (Tamilnadu state board 2024 ed.) > Chapter 1: Early India: From the Beginnings to the Indus Civilisation > Acheulian and Sohanian > p. 3
2. [1] https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/210820737.pdf