Stone Age

Q.1 Which among the following sites provides evidence of domestication of animals in the Mesolithic period? (U.P.P.C.S. (Pre) 2018)

(a) Odai

(b) Bori

(c) Bagor

(d) Lakhnia

Ans. (c)

Exp:

1. Bagor is an important Mesolithic archaeological site in Rajasthan, located on the Kothari River near Bhilwara.
2. Archaeological excavations at Bagor provide evidence of animal domestication/early animal husbandry during the Mesolithic phase. The site is particularly important because it shows the transition from a predominantly hunting-gathering economy toward greater reliance on domesticated animals. 
3. Odai is an archaeological site associated with the South Indian prehistoric sequence, but it is not the standard site associated with evidence of animal domestication in the Indian Mesolithic. 
4. Bori, in Maharashtra, is famous for its Lower Palaeolithic archaeological evidence and is associated with very early stone-tool traditions. Therefore, it should be associated primarily with the Palaeolithic, not the Mesolithic evidence of animal domestication asked here.
5. Lakhnia (Lakhaniya) is associated with prehistoric rock shelters and Stone Age remains in Uttar Pradesh, particularly in the Vindhyan region. It is not the standard answer for Mesolithic animal domestication.
6. 👉 Exam trap: Don't select a site merely because it belongs to prehistoric India. The question specifically asks for the site associated with Mesolithic animal domestication.

Hence, the correct answer is (c) Bagor.

Q.2 Three human skeletons in a single grave were recovered at – (U.P.P.C.S. (Pre) 2016)

(a) Sarai Nahar Rai

(b) Damdama

(c) Mahadaha

(d) Langhnaj

Ans. (b)

Exp:

1.  Damdama is an important Mesolithic archaeological site in Uttar Pradesh, located in Pratapgarh district, in the Ganga Valley. Excavations at Damdama revealed multiple human burials, including a triple burial—three human skeletons placed in a single grave. This makes Damdama particularly important for understanding Mesolithic burial practices and social life.
2. Sarai Nahar Rai is also an important Mesolithic site of Uttar Pradesh, located in the Pratapgarh region. It has yielded human burials and skeletal remains, along with microlithic tools. However, the specific evidence of three human skeletons in a single grave is associated with Damdama, not Sarai Nahar Rai.
3.  Mahadaha, also located in Uttar Pradesh, is another significant Mesolithic site. It is particularly important for evidence concerning Mesolithic burials, human skeletal remains and subsistence practices. But the specific three-skeleton single-grave burial tested here is attributed to Damdama.
4. Langhnaj is a well-known Mesolithic site in Gujarat, and is not the site associated with the triple burial. It has yielded:
5.  Microlithic tools
6.  Human skeletal remains
7.  Evidence concerning the life and subsistence of Mesolithic communities

Hence, the correct answer is (b) Damdama.

Q.3 Which one of the following places is famous for prehistoric paintings? (U.P.P.C.S. (Mains) 2011)

(a) Ajanta

(b) Bhimbetka

(c) Bagh

(d) Amravati

Ans. (b)

Exp:

1. Bhimbetka Rock Shelters, located in Raisen district of Madhya Pradesh, are famous for their prehistoric rock paintings and rock shelters.
2. They provide important evidence of the life and activities of prehistoric communities in the Indian subcontinent. 
3. The paintings depict subjects such as: Hunting scenes, Animals, Human figures, Group activities, Dance and daily life. The paintings belong to different periods, extending from the Mesolithic period to later historical periods.
4.   The site was recognized by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site in 2003. UNESCO describes Bhimbetka as containing paintings that reflect a long sequence of human occupation and cultural development.
5. Ajanta Caves are located in Maharashtra and are world-famous for their Buddhist paintings and sculptures. However, Ajanta paintings are not prehistoric. They mainly belong to the Buddhist/early historic period, especially the Satavahana and Vakataka periods, with the most famous paintings associated with the Vakataka phase.
6.  Bagh Caves are located in Madhya Pradesh and are famous for their Buddhist paintings. Their paintings are broadly comparable in artistic tradition to Ajanta and belong to the historic period, not the prehistoric period.
7. Amaravati in Andhra Pradesh is famous for its Buddhist archaeological remains, particularly the Amaravati Stupa and associated sculptural tradition. Its importance lies primarily in Buddhist architecture and sculpture, not prehistoric rock paintings.

  Hence, the correct answer is (b) Bhimbetka.

Q.4 Which of the following Indian Archaeologists first visited 'Bhimbetka Caves' and discovered prehistoric significance of its rock paintings? (U.P.P.C.S. (Pre) 2020)

(a) Madho Swaroop Vatsa

(b) H.D. Sankalia

(c) V.S. Wakankar

(d) V.N. Mishra

Ans. (c)

Exp:

1. Dr. Vishnu Shridhar (V.S.) Wakankar was the archaeologist who discovered the archaeological significance of the Bhimbetka rock shelters and their paintings in 1957. UNESCO's official nomination dossier states that the rock shelters and paintings of Bhimbetka were discovered by V.S. Wakankar in 1957.
2. Bhimbetka is located in the Vindhyan foothills of Madhya Pradesh, and its rock shelters contain paintings extending from the Mesolithic period through historical times.
3. Madho Swaroop Vatsa was an important Indian archaeologist associated primarily with Harappan archaeology, not the discovery of Bhimbetka's prehistoric rock art.
4. H.D. Sankalia (Hasmukh Dhirajlal Sankalia) was one of India's leading archaeologists and is particularly important for Indian prehistoric archaeology.
5. V.N. Mishra was another prominent Indian archaeologist who later participated in excavations at Bhimbetka along with V.S. Wakankar and others. UNESCO's documentation records excavations conducted by Wakankar and V.N. Misra during 1972–77.
6. So this is another deliberate trap: V.N. Mishra worked at Bhimbetka, V.S. Wakankar discovered its archaeological significance.

Hence, the correct answer is (c) V.S. Wakankar.

Q.5 From which rock shelter of Vindhyas, a maximum number of human skeletons have been found? (U.P.P.C.S. (Pre) 2016)

(a) Morahana Pahar

(b) Ghagharia

(c) Baghahi Khor

(d) Lekhahia

Ans. (d)

Exp:

·  Lekhahia (Lekhahiya) is a prehistoric rock-shelter site in the Vindhyan region of Uttar Pradesh. It is particularly significant because Rock Shelter I at Lekhahia yielded a large number of human skeletal remains. According to archaeological references cited for this UPPCS question, 17 human skeletons were recovered according to J.N. Pandey's Puratatva Vimarsh, while John R. Lucas reported remains representing 27 skeletons.

·  Morahana Pahar is another prehistoric rock-shelter complex in the Vindhyan region and is associated with prehistoric archaeological remains and rock art.

·  Ghagharia is also an important prehistoric rock-shelter site in the Vindhyan region and contains prehistoric/Mesolithic rock paintings.

·  Baghahi Khor is another prehistoric rock shelter in the Vindhyan region. It is important for prehistoric remains and rock art, but it is not the site identified with the maximum number of human skeletons.

·  Hence, the correct answer is (d).

Q.6 Consider the following assertion:

In the Pleistocene period, either the Yamuna once flowed into the Indus, or the Sutlej flowed into the Yamuna and one major tributary of either had shifted from the Ganga to the Indus or vice versa.

Which of the following is/are the basis of the above assertion? (UPSC CSE -2026)

1. The Nadi-Sukta of the Rigveda
2. The explorations of the Sutlej and the Yamuna by Robert Bruce Foote
3. The presence of the same species of dolphins in both the Indus and the Ganga river systems

A. 1 only

B. 2 only

C. 1 and 2

D. 3

Ans: (D)

Exp:

·   The Nadi-Sukta is Rigveda 10.75, a hymn praising/listing rivers. It mentions several important rivers, including rivers associated with the northwestern and northern Indian landscape. But this is literary evidence, not geological evidence for what happened during the Pleistocene.

·   The Pleistocene extends from approximately 2.58 million years ago to 11,700 years ago. The Rigvedic textual tradition is vastly later. Therefore, although the Nadi-Sukta tells us about the river geography known to Vedic people, it cannot by itself establish that: Yamuna once flowed into the Indus, or Sutlej once flowed into the Yamuna, or a tributary shifted between the Ganga and Indus systems. So, Statement 1 is incorrect.

·   Robert Bruce Foote was a British geologist and archaeologist who made pioneering contributions to Indian prehistoric archaeology. He is particularly famous for identifying the significance of Palaeolithic stone tools in India, including the famous handaxe discovered at Pallavaram, Tamil Nadu, in 1863. So, Statement 2 is incorrect

·  The river-dolphin populations of the Indus and Ganga systems belong to the genus Platanista and were historically treated as the same species/subspecies complex. Their evolutionary relationship indicates a much older connection between these river systems. This is important because river dolphins are highly specialized freshwater mammals. The Government of India's National Mission for Clean Ganga currently records Platanista gangetica with two subspecies, including P. g. minor in the Indus system, and notes that these populations occur in the Indus and Ganga-Brahmaputra-Meghna systems. So, Statement 3 is Correct.

·  Therefore, option (D) is the correct answer.

Q.7 Archaeological Sites & Their Features

Consider the following information:

Which rows are correctly matched? (UPSC CSE - 2024)

(a) 1 and 2

(b) 2 and 3

(c) 3 and 4

(d) 1 and 4

Ans: (b)

Exp:

·    Chandraketugarh is in West Bengal, specifically in North 24 Parganas district, not Odisha. It was an Early Historic site in West Bengal, was an important trade centre/port settlement in the lower Ganga region and is particularly famous for its terracotta art and evidence of long-distance trade. Therefore, Pair 1 is incorrect.

·   Inamgaon is a major Chalcolithic archaeological site in Maharashtra, located on the Ghod River, a tributary of the Bhima. It is important for understanding the Chalcolithic cultures of the Deccan, particularly settlement patterns, agriculture, animal husbandry and material culture. Therefore, Pair 2 is correctly matched.

·   Mangadu/Mangad is an important archaeological site in Kollam district, Kerala, associated with the Megalithic/Iron Age tradition of South India. Therefore, Pair 3 is correctly matched.

·  Salihundam is in Srikakulam district, Andhra Pradesh. But the description is wrong. Salihundam is famous primarily for its Buddhist archaeological remains, including: Buddhist stupas, Monastic complex, Chaityagriha, Relic caskets, Buddhist sculptures, Evidence of Theravada, Mahayana and Vajrayana traditions. Therefore, Pair 4 is incorrect.

·  Therefore, option (b) is the correct answer.