RAS question
Ahar (Tambavati) is called 'place of copper' because:
Correct answer: (B) Large quantities of copper objects were found there.
Ahar, also called Tambavati, is known as a place of copper because large quantities of copper objects were found there.
Explanation
Ahar, near Udaipur, is a Chalcolithic site in the Banas valley of south-eastern Rajasthan and belongs to the Ahar-Gilund group. In India's Ancient Past, R. S. Sharma notes that settlements of this group, especially Ahar and Gilund, yielded a large number of copper objects. Finds at Ahar included flat copper axes, bangles and sheets. Copper was available locally, and the people of Ahar practised smelting and metallurgy from the outset. Tambavati therefore means a place that has copper. The name rests on the many copper objects found at the site, not on the first minting of copper coins, the presence of copper mines there or the first smelting of copper. Black-and-red ware pottery and the site's rural Chalcolithic setting further establish its identity.
Why the other options are wrong
- (A) Ahar's Tambavati name is linked to copper objects found there, not to the first minting of copper coins.
- (C) Copper was locally available, but the Tambavati name is explained by the copper objects found there, not by copper mines at the site.
- (D) Although Ahar's people practised smelting and metallurgy from the outset, copper was not first smelted there.
Concept
This question tests understanding of Rajasthan's Chalcolithic cultures, particularly the Ahar-Banas tradition, and the ability to identify sites such as Ahar from archaeological remains. RAS often asks questions that connect Rajasthan's prehistoric sites with objects found there, pottery and regional cultures.