Which one of the following periods has provided the evidence of a ploughed field at Kalibangan in Rajasthan?
- A.Early Harappan
- B.Mature Harappan
- C.Late Harappan
- D.Chalcolithic
Correct answer
Explanation
The correct answer is A, Early Harappan. The ploughed field at Kalibangan lies below the Harappan city and belongs to the Early Harappan (pre-Harappan) phase, about 2800 BCE.
Kalibangan, on the dried bed of the Ghaggar in Hanumangarh district of Rajasthan, was excavated by B.B. Lal and B.K. Thapar. Outside the walls of the early settlement they found a field marked with furrows in a criss-cross grid, one set running north-south and another east-west. This pattern suggests two crops were grown together in the same field, a practice still followed in the region with mustard and gram. The site also gave fire altars, a citadel and evidence of an ancient earthquake.
B is wrong because the field lies under the levels of the mature Harappan city, so it is older. C is wrong because the Late Harappan phase came after the decline of the cities, long after the field was ploughed. D is wrong because Chalcolithic is a broad term for copper-stone cultures, and the excavators dated this field to the Early Harappan level.
Exam tip: Kalibangan, meaning 'black bangles', gives the ploughed field (Early Harappan) and fire altars; it lies on the Ghaggar.
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