In which of the following regions of the Indian subcontinent did the first signs of prehistoric settled life emerge?

The correct answer is Tiruvallur, Tamil Nadu.

Key Points

• Tiruvallur, Tamil Nadu  regions of the Indian subcontinent did the first signs of prehistoric settled life emerge.
• The story goes that almost 155 years ago in 1863 CE, a young geologist, Robert Bruce Foote, chanced upon a rough stone tool, strewn at the Parade Ground at the British cantonment of Pallavaram near Chennai.
• This chance find turned out to be the most significant one in Bruce’s lifetime.
• Later dubbed the ‘Father of Indian Prehistory’ Bruce would go on to lead extensive excavations across the region.
• These tools were used for a variety of activities such as hunting, scraping meat from bones, splitting bones to extract bone marrow and so included hammers, scrappers, cleavers and choppers and were made of Quartzite rock found in abundance here.