[Solved] Mehrgarh: Earliest Evidence of Settled Life in India

Name the site which has revealed the earliest evidence of settled life?

[U.P.P.C.S. (Spl) Mains 2008]

Detailed Solution & Historical Context

Concept

'Settled life' implies permanent architecture (mud bricks), organized food production, and a departure from nomadic wandering.

Authentic Source Evidence

Mehrgarh (7000 BCE) shows multi-room mud-brick houses and storage granaries, predating the urban Harappan phase by thousands of years.

Analytical Breakdown

Mehrgarh (D): The transition from wandering to permanent village life is documented here more clearly and earlier than any other site in the subcontinent.

Dholavira/Kalibangan: These are much later urban settlements of the mature Harappan period.

Conceptual Deep Dive & Logic

"What kind of housing did early settlers at Mehrgarh use?"

They built small, rectangular houses made of sun-dried mud bricks, often divided into four internal compartments for living and storage.

Examiner's Mindset & Pro-Tip

"Mehrgarh represents the 'Cradle of Indus Civilization,' where humans first established stable, enduring communities in South Asia."

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