ABSTRACT
In recent decades, the Indian Subcontinent has acquired a growing role in palaeoanthropological research and associated human evolutionary scenarios in Asia. Most of the interpretations, from the multidisciplinary data generated, have been variably linked with various Out-of-Africa dispersal hypotheses. The current paper provides a brief historical review on the concept of prehistoric dispersals and colonisations and changing perceptions, defining criteria and new terminologies over time. Recent palaeoanthropological discoveries within and near the Subcontinent are also discussed in the context of their respective regional implications for the evolution of Homo sapiens in Asia. Different prehistoric periods have been addressed by different Indian and Western researchers, however research related to the appearance of prehistoric Homo sapiens in the region has been largely dominated by specific Western researchers belonging to the same working group. The growing body of diverse evidence suggests that the Indian Palaeolithic and microlithic records reflect highly complex human evolutionary and dispersal histories, interpretations for which are currently hampered or challenged by the lack of absolute dates, hominin fossil evidence, detailed lithic technological studies and a marked disconnect between the genetic, archaeological and fossil datasets.
