Prehistoric & Proto-Historic Archaeology of India – Exam Review

These flashcards cover key facts, sites, cultures, and scholars from Indian prehistory through the Chalcolithic period, based on the provided lecture notes.

Who coined the three-age system (Stone, Bronze, Iron)?

Christian Jurgensen Thomsen, Danish archaeologist, c. 1818–1836.

During which prehistoric period did animal domestication begin in India?

Mesolithic period.

Name two Indian Mesolithic sites that show early animal domestication.

Adamgarh (Hoshangabad, M.P.) and Bagor (Bhilwara, Rajasthan).

Which Mesolithic site in Rajasthan provides clear evidence of animal domestication?

Bagor.

At which Mesolithic sites in U.P. have numerous bone implements been found?

Mahadaha and Sarai Nahar Rai (Pratapgarh district).

From which Mesolithic sites have bone ornaments been recovered?

Sarai Nahar Rai and Mahadaha.

Where were three human skeletons uncovered in a single grave?

Damdama (Pratapgarh district, Uttar Pradesh).

In which prehistoric age did cereal cultivation start?

Neolithic Age.

Which north-western site yields the earliest evidence of agriculture in the sub-continent?

Mehrgarh (Balochistan, Pakistan).

Where in India has the earliest evidence of rice cultivation (c. 7000–9000 B.C.) been found?

Lahuradeva, Sant Kabir Nagar district, Uttar Pradesh.

Which valley produced the earliest fossil evidence of humans in India?

Narmada Valley, Madhya Pradesh (discovered 1982).

What was the first cereal cultivated by humans?

Barley (about 8000 B.C.).

Which site offers the earliest evidence of settled village life in South Asia?

Mehrgarh.

The Chalcolithic Age is also known as what?

Copper Age.

Which site preserves cultural remains spanning Stone Age to Harappan civilisation?

Mehrgarh.

Who led the excavation of the Chalcolithic site Navdatoli?

H. D. Sankalia of Deccan College, Pune.

In which state is Navdatoli located?

Madhya Pradesh (near Indore).

The Harappan site Mandi lies in which Indian state?

Uttar Pradesh (Muzaffarnagar district).

Which distinctive pottery with white geometric designs characterises Ahar culture?

Black-and-Red ware decorated with white motifs.

Name two key economic activities of the Ahar people.

Copper smelting/metal work and agriculture (including rice).

What was the primary function of megaliths in prehistoric India?

Burial or post-burial memorial sites.

Ash mounds are characteristic of which Neolithic site in Karnataka?

Sangana Kallu (also found at Piklihal and Utnur).

For what prehistoric feature is Bhimbetka internationally renowned?

Rock-shelter paintings.

Who recognised the archaeological importance of Bhimbetka in 1957?

V. S. Wakankar.

Bhimbetka rock shelters are located in which district?

Raisen district, Madhya Pradesh (45 km west of Bhopal).

Which pottery culture was first identified at Hastinapur by B. B. Lal in 1951?

Ochre-Coloured Pottery (OCP).

In Jorwe-culture burials of Maharashtra, how were adult bodies oriented?

Supine, head toward the north (north-to-south).

Which Neolithic site in Kashmir shows dog burials with human skeletons?

Burzahom.

Which site provides evidence of pit‐dwelling houses?

Burzahom (Kashmir Valley).

Match the site with its craft: Chandraketugarh – ? , Ganeshwar – ?

Chandraketugarh – Terracotta art; Ganeshwar – Copper artefacts.

Which Vindhyan rock shelter has yielded the maximum human skeletons?

Lekhahia.

Why did Stone Age people migrate from the Vindhyas to the Ganga valley in the terminal Pleistocene?

Dry climatic phase made the Vindhyan region less habitable.

The Archaeological Survey of India operates under which ministry?

Ministry of Culture, Government of India.

Who was the first Director-General of the Archaeological Survey of India?

Alexander Cunningham (appointed 1871).

Which Director-General reorganised the ASI in 1902 and led major excavations?

John Marshall.

What are megalithic stone circles commonly called?

Cromlechs.

Name two other Karnataka sites with ash mounds besides Sangana Kallu.

Piklihal and Utnur.

Describe the typical shape of Navdatoli Chalcolithic houses.

Round huts (~3 m diameter) and small rectangular rooms (~2 m × 2.2 m) with mud-plastered bamboo walls.

What colour and texture describe Ochre-Coloured Pottery?

Reddish-ochre, porous ware with worn edges, appears poorly fired.

Between which years does the Navdatoli Chalcolithic occupation date?

Approximately 1600 B.C. – 1300 B.C.