The correct answer is: a) An ancient urban settlement.
Keeladi is an archaeological site located in Tamil Nadu, India. It is dated to the Iron Age, between 2000 and 1000 BCE. The site has revealed evidence of an ancient urban settlement, with well-planned streets, houses, and a large public square. The settlement was also home to a number of workshops, where copper and iron were smelted.
The discovery of Keeladi has provided important new insights into the history of early urbanism in India. The site is one of the earliest known urban settlements in the country, and it provides evidence of a sophisticated and well-organized society. The discovery of Keeladi also challenges the traditional view that India was a backwater during the Iron Age. The site shows that India was home to a number of advanced civilizations at this time.
The other options are incorrect because:
- Option b) is incorrect because Paleolithic cave paintings are found in caves, not in urban settlements.
- Option c) is incorrect because Chalcolithic copper smelting is a technology that was developed in the Chalcolithic period, which is earlier than the Iron Age.
- Option d) is incorrect because trade links with the Roman Empire did not exist until the 1st century CE, which is much later than the Iron Age.