In which of the following Palaeolithic sites, were tools made of limestone…
2023
In which of the following Palaeolithic sites, were tools made of limestone found?
- A.
Koldihwa
- B.
Inamgaon
- C.
Brahmagiri
- D.
Hunsgi
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: D
Palaeolithic toolmaking communities used whatever workable stone was locally available; where quartzite (the material used at most Palaeolithic sites) was scarce, other rock types such as limestone were shaped into tools instead. This raw-material choice is one of the key markers archaeologists use to identify and distinguish specific excavated sites.
Excavations in the Hunsgi valley (present-day Yadgir district, earlier part of the undivided Gulbarga district, Karnataka) recovered a large Lower Palaeolithic tool assemblage worked predominantly on local limestone slabs rather than quartzite, because limestone was abundantly available in the valley while quartzite was comparatively scarce there. This limestone-based toolkit is what distinguishes Hunsgi among Palaeolithic sites.
The other sites belong to entirely different periods and cultural contexts:
Koldihwa's cultural sequence belongs to the Neolithic period, known chiefly for early rice-cultivation evidence in the Belan valley.
Inamgaon is a Chalcolithic Deccan settlement known for its irrigation channels and burial customs.
Brahmagiri is significant for its Megalithic burials and a Neolithic-to-Megalithic cultural sequence.
Hunsgi is therefore the site where tools made of limestone were found.