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Q61 (CAPF/2018) History & Culture › Ancient India › Ancient epigraphy and archaeology Answer Verified

Statement I : For early societies, historians retrieve information about elite families mostly from inscriptions. Statement I : Satavahana inscriptions generally end with the term Putra, a Prakrit word meaning ’son’.

Result
Your answer: —  ·  Correct: B
Explanation

Statement I is true as historians rely heavily on inscriptions to reconstruct the history of elite families and ruling dynasties in early societies, where literary evidence may be scarce [3]. Statement II is also true; Satavahana inscriptions frequently use metronymics where the ruler's name is preceded by a term ending in 'puta' (the Prakrit form of the Sanskrit 'putra'), meaning 'son' [1]. For example, 'Gotami-puta' translates to 'son of Gotami' [1]. While both statements are factually correct, Statement II describes a specific linguistic and naming convention of the Satavahana dynasty, which does not serve as a causal explanation for why historians generally use inscriptions to study elite families across all early societies. The use of inscriptions is a broader methodological necessity in historiography due to the durability of epigraphic records compared to other materials.

Sources

  1. [3] THEMES IN INDIAN HISTORY PART I, History CLASS XII (NCERT 2025 ed.) > Chapter 2: Kings, Farmers and Towns > 7.1 Deciphering Brahmi > p. 46
  2. [1] THEMES IN INDIAN HISTORY PART I, History CLASS XII (NCERT 2025 ed.) > Chapter 3: Kinship, Caste and Class > Names of Satavahana kings from inscriptions > p. 59
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