State PCS
The Mesolithic site where three human skeletons were found buried together in the same grave is:
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Answer: Option D — Damdama
Detailed Solution
At Damdama, a Mesolithic site in the Pratapgarh district of Uttar Pradesh, a grave containing three human skeletons buried together has been found.
About Damdama:
- It is located in the middle Ganga plain, near a lake formed in an old river channel.
- It was excavated by the University of Allahabad and the Uttar Pradesh State Archaeology Department in the 1980s.
- It is one of the three major Mesolithic sites of the Pratapgarh region, along with Sarai Nahar Rai and Mahadaha.
Burials at Damdama:
- About 40 or more human burials have been found.
- Most burials are single, but some contain two persons, and one grave contains three individuals buried together.
- The dead were usually buried lying on their backs, in an extended position, with heads towards the west.
- Some burials contain grave goods, such as bone ornaments and animal bones.
Other finds:
- Microliths and bone tools.
- Hearths (fireplaces) used for cooking and roasting meat.
- Bones of animals such as wild cattle, deer, wild boar, tortoise and fish, which show that the people were hunters, fishers and food gatherers.
- Grinding stones, which suggest that they also collected wild plants and grains.
About Mesolithic sites of the Ganga plain:
- Sarai Nahar Rai: burials and microliths.
- Mahadaha: burials, and evidence of a lake-side camp.
- The people of these sites were tall and strong, according to studies of their skeletons.
- These sites are among the earliest burials in India.
Why not the other options?
- ✗Bagor is a Mesolithic site in Rajasthan.
- ✗Langhnaj is a Mesolithic site in Gujarat.
- ✗Adamgarh is a Mesolithic site in Madhya Pradesh.
Quick tip
Remember: triple burial = Damdama (Pratapgarh district, UP; Mesolithic); Sarai Nahar Rai and Mahadaha = other Mesolithic burial sites of the Ganga plain.
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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.