RAS question
Balathal is notable for being the earliest fortified settlement of which culture?
Correct answer: (A) Ahar-Banas.
Balathal in Udaipur district is the earliest known fortified settlement of the Ahar-Banas Chalcolithic culture.
Explanation
Balathal, in Vallabhnagar tehsil of Udaipur district, is identified as the earliest known fortified settlement of the Ahar-Banas Chalcolithic culture. The point that makes the site exam-worthy is not merely that it belongs to the Ahar-Banas horizon, but that it had a massive stone fortification wall, a feature that distinguishes it from other Ahar-Banas sites. e-Acharya, INFLIBNET places Ahar-Banas among the Chalcolithic cultures of India and notes the importance of Balathal for early developments in this cultural context. For RAS, the safest association is therefore: Balathal equals Ahar-Banas, with fortification as its distinctive archaeological marker.
Why the other options are wrong
- (B) Indus Valley is wrong because Balathal belongs to the Ahar-Banas Chalcolithic context, not the Harappan or Indus Valley tradition.
- (C) OCP Culture is wrong because OCP is located in the Ganga-Yamuna doab, whereas Balathal is in Udaipur district of Rajasthan.
- (D) Ganeshwar is wrong because it refers to a separate copper-age culture, while Balathal is specifically tied to the Ahar-Banas Chalcolithic culture.
Concept
This tests the Rajasthan archaeology segment of the RAS syllabus, especially the mapping of Chalcolithic sites to their cultures. It recurs because questions often turn on one distinctive marker, such as Balathal's fortification.