Bricks, Beads and Bones Questions

Bricks, Beads and Bones Multiple Choice Type Questions 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Which of these is the other name of Harappa Civilization? (a) Aryan Civilization (b) Indus Valley Civilization (c) Vedic Civilization (d) All of these Which of these sites of Harappa Civilization belong to Haryana? (a) Kalibangan (b) Lothal (c) Banawali (d) Shortugai Which of these is the feature of Harappan Civilization? (a) Urban planning (b) Drainage system (c) Citadel and Lower town (d) All of these From where did Harappa’s get gold? (a) South India (b) Central India (c) Himalayan Region (d) Chotta Nagpur region Which of these was the source of copper for Harappa’s? (a) Karnataka (b) Rajasthan (c) Andhra Pradesh (d) Gujarat Answer 1. (B) 2. (C) 3. (D) 4. (A) 5. (B) SHORT ANSWER QUESTIONS 1. Discuss the terms, places and times of Harappan culture. Answer: The Indus Valley Civilization is also known as the Harappan culture. According to archaeologists, the term ‘Culture’ is used for a group of objects which are distinctive in style and are generally found together within a particular geographical area and time period. In the case of Harappan culture, these distinctive objects include beads, seals, stone blades, weights, baked bricks, etc. They were found from the areas of Jammu, Afghanistan, Gujarat and Baluchistan (Pakistan). Term and Times. This civilization was named after the place called Harappa as the first site of this culture was discovered over there. This civilization is dated between C. 2600 and 1900 B.C.E. There exist earlier and later cultures, generally called early Harappan and late Harappan culture. This civilisation is sometimes called as the Mature Harappan culture to distinguish it from these cultures. 2. What were the main subsistence methods of the Harappa people? Answer: 1. The Harappan people got food from a wide range of plants and animal products. Fish was their main food. 2. Their food included grains like wheat, barley, lentil, chickpea and sesame. From many Harappan sites, charred grains and seeds have also been found. 3. The people also ate rice and millet. The grains of millet have been found from many sites in Gujarat. Rice was perhaps not used much because the grains of rice are relatively found rare. 4. Bones of deer and gharial have also been found. From this, one can imagine that the people of Harappan civilization also ate flesh and meat. But it is not known whether the people of Harappan culture themselves hunted or they got meat from other hunting communities. They also ate a few birds. 5. They also got food from many animals like sheep, goat, buffalo and pig. All these animals were domesticated by them. 3. Explain, while describing the spread and centres of Harappan culture, why is it known as Harappan culture? Answer: Harappan culture spread in a great deal and in a larger area. It was spread in 12,99,600s question km. area. Punjab, Sind, Rajasthan, Gujarat, some parts of Baluchistan and bordering areas of western Uttar Pradesh were included in it. In this way, it was spread from Jammu in the North, up to banks of river Narmada in the South, from Makran Seashore of Baluchistan in the West and till Meerut in the North-East. Its main centres were Harappa, Mohenjo-Daro, Lothal, Kot Diji, Chanhudaro, Azamgarh, etc. None of the cultures of that age had spread to such a large extent. This culture has been given the name of Harappan culture because Harappa was the first site where this unquestioned culture was discovered. Now this place is situated in Pakistan. 4. Describe the economy (economic life) of the Harappan people. Answer: The economic life of the people of Indus Valley (Harappa) was based on many trades and professions. They earned their livelihood through these professions. The description of these professions is as under: 1. Agriculture: The main profession of the Indus Valley people was agriculture. They cultivated land to grow wheat, barley, rice and cotton. They used wooden ploughs for agriculture. They had a good system of irrigation for their fields. 2. Cattle-Rearing: The second main profession of the Indus Valley people was cattle-rearing. They mainly reared cow, ox, elephant, goats, sheep and dogs. 3. Trade: Trade was the main profession of the Indus Valley people. The towns traded among themselves. They also had trade relations with Afghanistan and Iran. 4. Industry: Most of the people were engaged in small business. The craftsmen were quite efficient in making utensils of mud, copper and brass. They also made beautiful ornaments of gold and silver. 5. Give few features of the religion of Harappan culture which are still prevalent. Answer: The following characteristics of the religion of Harappan civilization are still prevalent:       Lord Shiva was worshipped by most of the people during the Harappan civilization. He is still worshipped by millions of people. The people of the Indus Valley worshipped Mother Goddess. Even today, the Mother Goddess is worshipped all over India with utter devotion and dedication. Even today many people find the abode of Gods and Goddesses in peepal and other such trees. The people of the Harappan times worshipped an ox and many such animals. These days all such animals are considered as the carriers of different Gods and Goddesses. The worship of lingam is still prevalent in the Hindu religion. The people of the Harappan civilisation considered water as pious and sacred. They took bath in the Great Bath on all special religious occasions. This glory and piety of the water still find a prominent place in all the religions. LONG ANSWER QUESTION 1. Describe briefly how the centres of craft production are identified. (Delhi 2009) Answer: In order to identify centres of craft production, archaeologists usually look for the raw materials, like stone modules, whole shells, copper ore, unfinished objects, rejected and waste materials. Actually waste products indicate craft work. For example, if shell or stone is used to make any object, then pieces of shell or stone will be discarded as waste at the place of production. These can be understood through following points:     Both Nageshwar and Balakot are near coast and shell objects are found here. These areas were specialized centre for making shell objects, including bangles, ladles and inlay, which were taken to other settlement. Similarly, some finished products like different pots and beads are found in Lothal and Chanhudaro, which were taken to the large urban centres such as Mohenjo-Daro and Harappa. For making beads, stones like carnelian, jasper, crystal, quartz, steatite and metals like copper, bronze, gold, and other materials like shell, faience, and terracotta were used. For making beads, grinding, polishing and drilling were dome. Specialized drills have found at Chanhudaro, Lothal and Dholavira. In order to identify the craft production centre, archaeologists look for raw materials and tools. Large- waste pieces of raw materials indicated the specialized craft production centres. But sometimes minuscule bits suggest that craft production was also undertaken in large cities like Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro. 2. Explain the exclusive features of the craft production in Chanhudaro. Answer: Chanhudaro was a tiny settlement as compared to Mohenjo-Daro. This area was exclusively devoted to craft production. Its features are: 1. The main craft productions included bead-making, shell-cutting, metal-working, sealmaking and weight-making. 2. Here variety of materials was used to make beads. Stones like carnelian jasper, crystal, quartz, steatite; metals like copper, bronze and gold, moreover shell, faience and terracotta or burnt clay were used. 3. Some beads were made of two or more stones, these were cemented together and some were made of stones with beautiful gold caps. The shapes were of different types, e.g. dice cylindrical, spherical, barrel- shaped, etc. Some beads were decorated by incising or painting and some had designs etched (engraved) on to them. 4. Different techniques were applied in making beads. Steatite was a very soft stone and could be easily moulded. But how the steatite micro bead was made remains a surprise for the archaeologists. The red colour of carnelian was obtained by firing the raw material. Grinding, polishing and drilling completed the full process. Specialized drills have been found at Chanhudaro, Lothal and Dholavira. 3. Mention any three features of Harappan cities. Answer: Historians suggest that the most unique feature of the Harappan Civilization was the development of urban centres, i.e., cities. The main features of Harappan cities were:   The Harappan cities were well planned. The cities were divided into two sections which are one smaller and higher, i.e. the Citadel and other much larger but lower, i.e. the Lower Town. Both these sections were walled and physically separated from each other. One of the most distinctive features of Harappan cities was the carefully planned drainage system. If we look at the plan of the Lower Town, the roads and streets were laid out along  an approximate ‘grid’ ‘pattern, intersecting at right angles. At burials in Harappan areas, the dead were generally laid in pits. Some graves contained pottery and ornament, which indicated the belief that these materials could be used in the afterlife. But the Harappan did not believe in burying precious things with the dead. 4. Explain the strategies used by the archaeologists to understand socio-economic differences among the Harappa’s. Answer: The archaeologists have tried to find out socio-economic differences among the Hardpans through two types of evidences.  These were: Burials Burials have been significant evidence to establish social differences within the Harappan society’. The dead were generally laid in pits. There were differences in the way the burial pit was made. In some cases, the hallowed out spaces were lined with bricks.  However, whether these variations were an indication of social differences or not, it is not yet established. Pottery ornaments, jewelers of both men and women have been found in some burials. But the Hardpans did not believe in burying precious things with the dead.  Artifacts Two types of artifacts have been found, i.e. luxuries’ and ‘utilitarian’. Luxuries artifacts were made from costly and rare, non-local material with complicated technology e.g. little faience pots. Utilitarian objects included objects of daily use made of stone clay, e.g. querns, pottery, needles, flesh-rubbers (body scrubbers), etc. As far as distribution of such artifacts is concerned, we find that rare objects made of valuable materials were generally concentrated in large settlements like Mohenjo-Daro and Harappa and are rarely found in smaller settlements. Thus, the findings of the above artifacts prove that there were social and economic differences in Harappan culture.