Prehistoric — Set 4
Indian History · प्रागैतिहासिक काल · Questions 31–40 of 40
The earliest evidence of rice cultivation in the world comes from which valley?
Correct Answer: C. Belan Valley
• **Belan Valley** (Uttar Pradesh, Vindhyan foothills) = **Koldihwa** site provides world's earliest rice cultivation evidence. • Rice grain impressions in pottery dated ~**6000 BCE** — predates most other rice-growing civilizations globally. • Belan Valley has **continuous cultural sequence**: Lower Paleolithic → Mesolithic → Neolithic — unique in India. • 💡 Ganga Valley = broad region; Indus Valley = wheat/barley (no early rice); Narmada Valley = Narmada Man fossil — earliest rice = Belan Valley (Koldihwa).
The Soan Valley culture is associated with which phase?
Correct Answer: B. Lower Paleolithic
• **Soan Valley culture** = present-day **Pakistan** (Potwar Plateau, Indus region); **Lower Paleolithic** phase. • Tools: **pebble tools — choppers and chopping tools** (not hand axes) — distinct from Acheulian Peninsular India. • Soan Valley = India's equivalent of the **Clactonian/Oldowan** tradition — oldest tool-making in South Asia. • 💡 Neolithic = polished stone + agriculture; Mesolithic = microliths; Chalcolithic = copper tools — Soan = Lower Paleolithic pebble choppers.
What is the literal meaning of 'Paleolithic'?
Correct Answer: D. Old Stone
• **Paleolithic** = Greek: **'Palaios' (Old) + 'Lithos' (Stone)** = Old Stone Age (~2.5 million – 10,000 BCE). • Longest period of human history — covers ~99% of human existence; ended with last Ice Age. • Three sub-phases: **Lower** (hand axes/Acheulian), **Middle** (flakes/Mousterian), **Upper** (blades/Homo sapiens). • 💡 Middle Stone = Mesolithic (Meso + Lithos); New Stone = Neolithic (Neos + Lithos); Copper Stone = Chalcolithic — Old Stone = Paleolithic.
According to scientific consensus, where did the human species originate?
Correct Answer: B. Africa
• **Africa** = origin of human species; '**Out of Africa**' theory — earliest Homo sapiens from East Africa (~300,000 BCE). • **'Lucy' (Australopithecus)** fossils found in Ethiopia (~3.2 million BCE) — among earliest hominid ancestors. • India was settled during the **'Southern Dispersal'** migration route — along Arabian peninsula and South Asian coast. • 💡 Europe = Neanderthals evolved there but Homo sapiens came later; Asia = secondary settlement; Australia = last major migration — Africa = original human homeland.
What was the primary tool used during the Lower Paleolithic period?
Correct Answer: A. Hand axe
• **Hand axe** = primary tool of **Lower Paleolithic** (~2.5 million – 200,000 BCE); teardrop/almond-shaped stone tool. • Associated with **Acheulian culture** — heavy, bifacially flaked; used for **chopping, digging, scraping, butchering**. • Found widely in India: **Pallavaram, Hunsgi, Attirampakkam, Bhimbetka, Narmada Valley**. • 💡 Copper Celt = Chalcolithic metal tool; Polished Celt = Neolithic stone tool; Microlith = Mesolithic — Hand axe = Lower Paleolithic Acheulian.
Polished stone tools are the distinct feature of which age?
Correct Answer: C. Neolithic
• **Polished stone tools (Celts)** = defining feature of **Neolithic Age** (New Stone Age); ground and polished smooth. • Polishing = **sharper edge, more durable, better for chopping trees and farming** vs. chipped Paleolithic tools. • Neolithic also saw: **agriculture, pottery, animal domestication, weaving** — a total lifestyle revolution. • 💡 Paleolithic = chipped crude tools; Chalcolithic = copper added to stone tools; Mesolithic = microliths (tiny chips) — Polished = Neolithic only.
Who excavated the Chalcolithic site of Navdatoli?
Correct Answer: B. H.D. Sankalia
• **H.D. Sankalia** (Hasmukh Dhirajlal Sankalia) = excavated **Navdatoli** on Narmada River (Madhya Pradesh). • Navdatoli = one of the most **extensive Chalcolithic settlements** in India; yielded **17+ varieties of food grains**. • Sankalia also excavated **Nevasa, Maheshwar, Inamgaon** — a pioneering figure in Indian prehistoric archaeology. • 💡 R.D. Banerji = Mohenjo-Daro; D.R. Sahni = Harappa; B.B. Lal = Kalibangan/Ayodhya — Navdatoli = H.D. Sankalia.
Which river valley shows a continuous sequence from Paleolithic to Neolithic?
Correct Answer: B. Belan
• **Belan Valley** (UP) = unique **continuous cultural sequence** from **Lower Paleolithic → Mesolithic → Neolithic**. • Sites: **Koldihwa** (rice, Neolithic), **Mahagara** (Neolithic cattle), along with Paleolithic and Mesolithic layers below. • This unbroken sequence is invaluable for understanding how one cultural phase evolved into the next. • 💡 Krishna = South Indian river, different prehistory; Indus = IVC river; Ganga = broader region — Belan Valley = the one valley with complete Paleo→Neo sequence.
The name of the site 'Gufkral' in Kashmir literally means:
Correct Answer: B. Cave of the Potter
• **Gufkral** = Kashmiri for **'Cave of the Potter'** (Guf = cave, Kral = potter); Neolithic site near Srinagar. • Like **Burzahom**, features **pit dwellings** + early agriculture + bone tools + polished stone tools. • Occupied from ~2920–1525 BCE; shows evolution from pit dwellings to above-ground structures. • 💡 Mound of Ash = describes South Indian Neolithic sites; Hill of the Dead = fictional; River of Stones = not the meaning — Gufkral = 'Cave of the Potter'.
Which site provides early evidence of human skeletons and warfare in the Mesolithic?
Correct Answer: C. Sarai Nahar Rai
• **Sarai Nahar Rai** = Allahabad district, **Uttar Pradesh**; **Mesolithic burial site** with human skeletal remains. • One skull had **a stone tool embedded in it** — earliest evidence of **interpersonal violence/warfare** in India. • Multiple burials found; some with **grave goods (microliths, animal bones)** — afterlife belief evident. • 💡 Bhimbetka = rock paintings (MP); Lothal = IVC dockyard + burials; Mehrgarh = food production — Mesolithic warfare evidence = Sarai Nahar Rai (UP).