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Question 56 of 63 · Indus Valley Civilisation
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Robert Bruce Foote discovered the first Palaeolithic stone tool (a handaxe) in India, at Pallavaram near Chennai, in the year:

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Answer: Option B — 1863

Detailed Solution

Robert Bruce Foote, a British geologist, discovered a Palaeolithic handaxe at Pallavaram, near Madras (now Chennai), on 30 May 1863.

About the discovery:

  • It was the first stone tool in India to be identified as belonging to the Palaeolithic (Old Stone Age).
  • The tool was a handaxe of the Acheulian type, made of quartzite.
  • This discovery marked the beginning of the study of prehistory in India.
  • Soon after, Foote and his colleague William King found more tools at Attirampakkam and other sites near Chennai.
  • The handaxe industry of the Chennai region came to be called the "Madras handaxe industry" or "Madrasian culture".

About Robert Bruce Foote:

  • He was born in 1834 in England and died in 1912.
  • He joined the Geological Survey of India (GSI) in 1858.
  • He worked in south India for many years, mapping the geology of the region.
  • He discovered hundreds of prehistoric sites in south India, including Palaeolithic, Neolithic and Iron Age sites.
  • He is called the "Father of Indian Prehistory".
  • His large collection of prehistoric artefacts is kept in the Government Museum, Chennai.
  • His books include "The Foote Collection of Indian Prehistoric and Protohistoric Antiquities".

Other pioneers of Indian prehistory:

  • N. Misra: studied Mesolithic sites in Rajasthan.

About the Geological Survey of India:

  • It was founded in 1851, mainly to find coal deposits for the railways.
  • It is one of the oldest scientific organisations in India.
  • Its headquarters is in Kolkata.

Why not the other options?

  • ✗1828, 1901 and 1921 are not the year of Foote's discovery; 1921 is when Harappa was excavated.

Quick tip

Remember: first Palaeolithic tool in India = Robert Bruce Foote, Pallavaram (near Chennai), 1863; Foote = "Father of Indian Prehistory"; GSI = 1851.

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Indus Valley Civilisation — Preparation

This question tests your understanding of Indus Valley Civilisation, a key topic in the General Knowledge section. The detailed solution above uses a step-by-step approach to show the reasoning, and where available, a shortcut that helps you solve similar questions in under 90 seconds during the actual exam.

The Indus Valley (Harappan) Civilisation was one of the world's earliest urban civilisations, flourishing around 2500-1900 BCE. This topic covers its major sites, town planning, drainage, seals, script, trade, crafts, religious beliefs and the theories about its decline. Questions mostly link a site to its feature or its present-day location: the Great Bath at Mohenjo-daro, the dockyard at Lothal (Gujarat), the ploughed field at Kalibangan (Rajasthan) and the water reservoirs at Dholavira. Remember that Harappa was the first site excavated, by Daya Ram Sahni in 1921, and that the Harappan script has still not been deciphered. Practise the Indus Valley Civilisation questions below, written in the style of the general awareness sections of exams such as SSC, banking, railways, CUET GAT, MAH CET and CLAT. Each question comes with a detailed explanation that adds related facts, so every question helps you revise more than one point.

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