18 ORIGIN AND SPREAD OF THE TAMILS of Coimbatore, Salem, North Arcot, South Arcot, Anantapur, Bellary and Kurnool. Though no habitations of the palaeolithic man have been so far discovered, their artifacts in stone are so many and so varied that it has been inferred that the South Indian palaeolithic men as I have already said were not gross savages unlike palaeolithic men of other countries. The palaeoliths were largely made of quartzite, being the readily accessible material in South India.28 In the centre of the Deccan plateau near Bellary and portions of Mysore, the palaeoliths were of jaspery haematite quartzite, where this was obtainable in plenty. Among the palaeolithic forms recognized, ten are classified. Though these are of varying shapes, the leading shapes were pointed ovals (Plate I, Foote). The ten are axes, spears, digging tools, circular implements, choppers, knives, scrapers, cores and hammer stones. The oblique cutting edge as in No. 220+-7 Plate I "would have made a very handy tool in trimming away charred surfaces, if the old people went in for the manufacture of dug out canoes with the aid of fire, as was so largely done by many of the South Sea islanders." The scrapers which were also a feature of the neolithic people show that the palaeolithic men made use of the skins of the chase. We do not see any traces of fire or pottery, though it is inferred that the use of fire must have been known. But from the finish and workmanship of their implements, Bruce Foote has come to the conclusion that they were a distinctly intelligent people. Though many localities
