Q. Consider the following statements:
- Ash mounds are characteristic of the Neolithic sites from Southern India.
- Neolithic people lived in more or less permanent habitations.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Answer:
Both 1 and 2
Notes: Earliest Neolithic settlers in the Southern India were mostly cattle herders that domesticated cattle, sheep and goats, etc. Some of the important Neolithic sites include Maski, Piklihal, T. Narsipur, Hallur and Bramhagiri etc. Their seasonal camps were surrounded with cow pens where they accumulated cow dung and the entire camping ground was put to fire to clear the area for the next season. Such fire episodes over a longer period gave birth to the ash mounds that are typical features of many of the Neolithic settlements. So, statement 1 is correct. One of the defining feature of a Neolithic settlement is the existence of permanent village settlement. Other features include use of polished tools, potteries, agriculture and animal husbandry etc. So, statement 2 is also correct.