Aspirant Academy
ENHI

RAS question

The Ahar civilization is dated to approximately which period?

Correct answer: (D) 3000-1500 BCE.

The Ahar civilisation is dated approximately to 3000-1500 BCE, the period of the Chalcolithic Ahar-Banas culture in south-eastern Rajasthan.

  1. (A)

    1500-500 BCE

  2. (B)

    500 BCE-300 CE

  3. (C)

    5000-3000 BCE

  4. (D)

    3000-1500 BCE

Explanation

The date range fits the Ahar-Banas Chalcolithic culture, not a later historic phase. Rajasthan Foundation, District - Udaipur places the Ahar civilisation near the Berach River and dates the Chalcolithic Ahar-Banas culture from 3000 BCE to 1500 BCE. This matches option D. The culture is also placed around c. 2300-1500 BCE, contemporary with the Indus Valley Civilisation, and was one of south-eastern Rajasthan's early agricultural and metal-using communities. In exam terms, the key is to recognise Ahar as a Chalcolithic culture: copper-stone age, pre-iron, and much earlier than the Vedic or early historic ranges.

Why the other options are wrong

  • (A) 1500-500 BCE is too late because it corresponds to the Vedic period, while the Ahar-Banas range begins much earlier and ends around 1500 BCE.
  • (B) 500 BCE-300 CE is an early historic range, far later than the Chalcolithic Ahar-Banas culture dated to 3000-1500 BCE.
  • (C) 5000-3000 BCE is too early because the Chalcolithic Ahar-Banas culture is placed from 3000 BCE to 1500 BCE, not before 3000 BCE.

Concept

This tests the chronology of Rajasthan's protohistoric cultures, especially the placement of Ahar-Banas within the Chalcolithic period. It recurs in RAS because Rajasthan history questions often ask candidates to distinguish ancient cultural phases by date, region and material culture.

Source

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