Robert Bruce Foote
Topic: Prehistory: Human Origins and Stone Age Cultures · NCERT: Beyond NCERT
Meaning
Robert Bruce Foote was a British geologist (a scientist who studies rocks) who worked for the Geological Survey of India. In 1863 he found a Palaeolithic (Old Stone Age) handaxe at Pallavaram, near Chennai. It was the first such tool identified in India. Over the next decades he collected stone tools from many sites across south India. For this pioneering work he is called the "father of Indian prehistory".
Example
In 1863, Foote picked up a stone handaxe at Pallavaram in present-day Tamil Nadu. This find proved that people had lived in India in the Old Stone Age, long before any written records.
Don't confuse with
- Archaeological Survey of India: Foote worked for the Geological Survey of India, which studies rocks and minerals. The Archaeological Survey of India studies and protects ancient sites and monuments.