Prehistory, Protohistory & Sources of Ancient Indian History

What should you study in Prehistory, Protohistory & Sources of Ancient Indian History?

• Palaeolithic, Mesolithic, Neolithic phases
• Chalcolithic cultures (Jorwe, Malwa, Ahar)
• Literary sources — Vedas, Epics, foreign accounts
• Archaeological sources — epigraphy, numismatics, monuments

How often is Prehistory, Protohistory & Sources of Ancient Indian History asked in UPSC Prelims?

Asked in 5 of 10 years, including 3 of the last 5. Highlighted years below are the ones it appeared in.

1. 2016: not asked
2. 2017: asked
3. 2018: not asked
4. 2019: asked
5. 2020: not asked
6. 2021: asked
7. 2022: not asked
8. 2023: asked
9. 2024: not asked
10. 2025: asked

About the Prelims GS Paper I paper

General Studies Paper I is the Prelims paper that decides the cut-off: 100 multiple-choice questions for 200 marks, with negative marking for wrong answers. See all 88 Prelims GS Paper I topics.

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