He Who Hesitates Is Last Trivia Quiz

Answer: Narmada Man

One of the oldest hominid, Paleolithic fossils found in India was the calvaria of the Narmada Man. It was found in 1982 by Arun Sonakia, a geologist, on the banks of the Narmada River. This discovery gave evidence that the ancestors of man lived in the Indian subcontinent around half a million years ago. The calvaria of the skull was later proven to be that of a young female. Other fossils have been discovered in the Narmada Valley and some of them are estimated to belong to the species Homo heidelbergensis.

It is estimated that hominins expanded to the Indian subcontinent around 2 million years back. Some scholars believe it may have been even before that the subcontinent was occupied.

Answer: Stone tool assemblages

Most of representation and supportive evidence of the presence of humans in the Indian subcontinent during the Paleolithic Age comes from stone tool assemblages. Flakes and core tools are included in the some of the oldest stone tools found. They have been found in regions that are in present day India and Pakistan. Tools that are similar to hand axes and cleavers have also been found.

The material used for these tools differed from region to region, not just in the Indian subcontinent but all over the world, during that time.

Answer: Sivalik Hills

The Sohanian or Soanian culture was present in the Indian subcontinent during the Lower Paleolithic. This culture is distinct in the technology and traditions that were used compared to the other cultures present at that time. Archeological evidence for this culture was found on many sites along the Sivalik Hills in what is present day northwestern India and Pakistan.

This culture gets its name from the Sohan River. Many stone tool assemblages like pebbled tools, hand axes, and cleavers have been found in these Sohanian sites.

There have been fossilised remains of animals like elephants, horses, and hippopotamus that have also been found here. The Sohanian tradition is estimated to have lasted from the Mindel-Riss interglacial (300 - 400,000 B.C.) to the end of the Pleistocene.

Answer: Northeast India

There is no evidence of Acheulean occupation in many parts of India like the Western Ghats, the western coastline, the Ganga plains and the northeastern part of India. This is speculated to be because of many reasons, like the presence of heavy rainfall and/or dense forests or the lack of stone.

This culture spread to many regions of the Deccan plateau, Eastern Ghats, Chota Nagpur plateau, and western Rajasthan. The remnants of this culture have also been found scattered around the Sivalik Hills in India, alongside the remnants of the Sohanian culture.

The Acheulean culture is named after the French site of St. Acheul.

Answer: Madhya Pradesh

The Bhimbetka rock shelters are present in the Raisen District of Madhya Pradesh. They are present in the Vindhya Hills. A lot of evidence of Paleolithic life has been obtained from this site. The Acheulean people used rock shelters in many places in India.

There have been tool assemblages that have been found in and around these shelters that contribute to the study of human life in Paleolithic India. The Bhimbetka rock shelters have been assigned as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. There are paintings and art on the walls of these rock shelters that can be dated back to prehistoric times, although some of them have been traced to medieval times as well.

Answer: False

There has been evidence of Acheulean occupation in the open as well, not just in rock shelters. It has been said that these rock shelters and open-air places were used by the people in different seasons. The remains and other evidence in these areas seem to say that the flora and fauna were rich and the Acheulian people lived in thriving circumstances, as they mostly chose to inhabit areas close to perennial streams. Artefacts of this time in prehistory have obtained from Acheulian open-air sites such as Putlikarar, Madhya Pradesh.

Answer: Quartzite

Quartzite was most commonly preferred to make tools in the Acheulean culture in India. In Maharashtra, since quartzite was not present, basalt or dolerite was used. In places like Hangsi valley in Karnataka, limestone was used. The making of Acheulean tools largely depend on the material present in abundance in the region. Basalt and mudstone were used in Africa and flint was used in western Europe to make tools.

Answer: Madrasian culture

The Madrasian culture is part of the Acheulean culture that occurred in the Lower Paleolithic. It was named so because the type site for this culture, Attirampakkam, was located in close proximity to Madras, Tamil Nadu. This type site was found by Robert Bruce Foote. There have been many tool assemblages found in this site that have been dated back to the Paleolithic.

The capital of Tamil Nadu is Chennai, which was earlier known as Madras.

Answer: Designs engraved on ostrich eggs

Ostrich eggshells with designs engraved on them were discovered in Patne, Maharashtra, India, in one of the sites where humans are considered to have lived in the Upper Paleolithic era. There were also other tool assemblages found in Patne that could be dated back to the Upper Paleolithic. Patne is found on the banks of a tributary of the Tapti river called Ad Nala.

Answer: Religion

Tribals in the areas near to the Baghor sites have been reported to worship structures representing the mother goddess, that are similar to the one found at Baghor II. This shrine that was found was dated back to the Upper Paleolithic age and seems to indicate that the ancestors of humans may have practiced religion or had some sort of faith.

The shrine that was found was a rectangular stone platform with a natural stony protrusion on it, which had concentric circles etched in the centre. Tools like blades and bladelets, which could be dated back to the prehistoric era, have also been found at Baghor sites.