Earliest Evidence of Agriculture Transition in Indian Subcontinent
The shift from hunting and food gathering to systematic agriculture and animal domestication signifies the beginning of settled life and the Neolithic period in human history.
The Indian subcontinent shows its earliest signs of this major transition at the archaeological site of Mehrgarh.
Mehrgarh Site Details
Located in the Kacchi Plain of Balochistan, Pakistan, Mehrgarh is recognized for its early evidence of farming and animal husbandry.
- Established around 7000 BCE.
- Cultivation of crops such as wheat and barley.
- Domestication of animals like sheep, goats, and cattle.
- Represents one of the earliest known agricultural communities in the wider region.
Evaluating Site Evidence
When considering the options provided:
- Anjira: Evidence suggests a later period.
- Damb Sadat: Primarily known for its Chalcolithic and Bronze Age settlements.
- Kile Gul Mohammad: Shows early settlement evidence, but Mehrgarh provides earlier and more definitive evidence for the transition to agriculture and domestication.
- Mehrgarh: Widely accepted by archaeologists as the site with the earliest evidence of this transition in the Indian subcontinent.
Important Questions from Prehistoric period
At which among the following Harappan sites are fire altars found?
Which one of the following Harappan sites was a specialised centre for making shell objects?
Consider the following statements:
1. Terracotta models of the plough have been found at sites in Cholistan and at Banawali (Haryana).
2. There is evidence of a ploughed field at Kalibangan associated with the mature phase of the Harappan civilization.
3. The ploughed field at Kalibangan had two sets of furrows crossing at right angles to each other suggesting two different crops were grown together in it.
Which of the statements given above are correct?
The cylindrical stone seals were used in which civilization?
Harappan crafts display an amazing degree of standardization. According to Kenoyer, what was the possible reason for such an achievement?
