MCQs Based On Ancient History – (06)

Correct Option: 3. Hand axes and cleavers
Explanation: The Lower Palaeolithic Age (approximately 5,00,000 – 1,00,000 BCE) marks the earliest phase of human cultural development in India.
• During this period, early humans (Homo erectus) lived primarily by hunting and gathering.
• Their tools were made from quartzite, a hard rock, and were rudimentary, unpolished, and roughly shaped. This gave rise to the term “Quartzite Man”.
• Hand axes were multi-purpose tools used for chopping, hunting, and cutting, while cleavers had a broad cutting edge for butchering animals.
• These tools reflect the early humans’ basic survival strategies and lack of refined technology.
• Sites associated: Sohan Valley, Narmada Valley, Bhimbetka, Belan Valley, and Didwana.

Correct Option: 2. Use of microliths
Explanation: The Mesolithic Age (approximately 10,000 – 4,000 BCE) is an intermediate stage between the Paleolithic and Neolithic periods and is marked by technological advancement.
• The most significant development in this period is the use of microliths — tiny, sharp stone tools, often geometric in shape, made of chalcedony or chert.
• These tools were not only used individually but also hafted into wooden or bone shafts to make more complex tools like sickles, arrows, or spears.
• Their small size made them more versatile and efficient for hunting smaller animals, cutting wood, and processing plant materials.
• The Mesolithic people also began domesticating animals, fishing, and practicing semi-permanent settlement, representing a transitional lifestyle.
• Key sites: Bagor (Rajasthan), Bhimbetka, Langhnaj, Sarai Nahar Rai.

Correct Option: 2. Koldihwa
Explanation: Koldihwa, located in the Belan Valley of Uttar Pradesh, is an important Neolithic site.
• Excavations have uncovered charred rice grains, which provide the oldest known evidence of rice cultivation in the world, dating to around 7000 BCE.
• This is crucial as it suggests that people here had begun agriculture far earlier than in many other parts of the world.
• The site also revealed circular huts, stone tools, and handmade pottery, indicating a semi-sedentary lifestyle.
• Rice, being a staple crop in many parts of modern India, has its roots in prehistoric cultivation practices that began here.
• This development was part of the broader Neolithic Revolution, where communities shifted from foraging to food production.

Correct Option: 1. Burzahom
Explanation: Burzahom, located near Srinagar in Jammu and Kashmir, is one of the most important Neolithic archaeological sites in India.
• The site is particularly known for its pit dwellings — underground homes likely constructed to provide thermal insulation against the cold climate of the region.
• Another unique feature at Burzahom is the discovery of human burials along with dogs, indicating that dogs were domesticated and had social or ritual importance.
• The presence of bone and stone tools, including rectangular choppers, and evidence of hunting and animal domestication, show a developing society.
• These burial practices offer insights into religious beliefs, afterlife concepts, and human-animal relationships during this period.

Correct Option: 3. Upper Palaeolithic
Explanation: The Upper Palaeolithic Age (around 40,000 – 10,000 BCE) is when Homo sapiens, or modern humans, appeared in the Indian subcontinent.
• This period is marked by improved tool-making techniques, including blades, burins, and scrapers made from stone flakes.
• There is also the beginning of symbolic expression, evidenced by rock art and cave paintings at sites like Bhimbetka.
• Paintings depict animals (bison, elephants, deer), hunting scenes, and possibly religious rituals, often in red and green pigments.
• These developments reflect cognitive evolution, including abstract thinking, planning, and artistic expression.
• Lifestyle remained largely hunter-gatherer, but with more sophisticated tools and social structures.