CHAPTER 1

BRICKS, BEADS AND BONES

(The Harappan Civilisations)
Q1. How can you say that the Harappan culture was an urban one.
Ans. The following examples show that the Harappan culture was an urban one:
a) The cities were well planned and thickly populated.
b) The road were straight and wide.
c) The houses were made of burnt bricks and contained more than one
storey.
d) Every house had a well and a bathroom.
e) The drainage system was excellent with house drains emptying into
street drains.
f) The citadel of Harappa had public buildings.
g) Lothal had a dockyard and was an important trading centre.
h) After the decline of the Harappan culture, town planning was forgotten
and there was absence of city life for about a thousand years.
Q2. “Our knowledge about the Indus Valley Civilization is poorer than that of
the other Civilizations”. Explain it by your arguments?
Ans.i) The major reason behind our poorer knowledge about the Indus Valley
Civilization than that of the other Civilizations is that the script of that age
has hitherto not been deciphered. Hence, we have only know about the
period and development of this Civilization on the basis of more
speculation.
ii) The easy method behind seeking knowledge about other Civilizations such
as that of Egypt, Mesopatamia, China etc. was the deciphering of their
scripts. Scripts is that sole basis through which we can gather through
knowledge about the art, literature, customs, dresses, function and religion
etc. of any Civilizations
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Q3. Discuss the functions that may have been performed by rulers in Harappan
society
Ans. Some archaeologists are of the opinion that Harappan society had no
rulers and that everybody enjoyed equal status. Others feel there was no
single ruler but several that Mohenjodaro had a separate ruler, Harappa
another and so forth yet others argue that there was a single state given the
similarity in artefacts, the evidence for planned settlements the
standardized ratio of brick size and the establishments of settlements near
sources of raw material. As of now, the last theory seems the most
plausible as it is unlikely that entire communities could have collectively
made and implemented such complex decisions.
i) There are indications of complex decisions being taken and implemented
in Harappan society. Take for instance the extraordinary uniformity of
Harappan artefacts as evident in pottery seals weights and bricks.
ii) Notably bricks though obviously not produced in any single centre, were
of a uniform ratio throughout the region, from Jammu to Gujarat. We have
also seen that settlements were strategically set up in specific locations for
various reasons.
iii) Besides, labour was mobilised for making bricks and for the construction
of massive walls and platforms.
Who organized these activities ? I think the rulers might have performed
all these works.
Under the guidance and supervision of the rulers plans and layouts of the
city were prepared. Big buildings palaces forts, tanks wells, canals,
Granaries were constructed. Roads lanes and drains were also constructed
and cleanliness was maintained under the over all supervision of the ruler.
The ruler might have taken interest in economy of the state or city states.
He use to inspire the farmer to increase agricultural production. He use to
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 motivate the craftman to promote different handicrafts. Internal as well as
external trade was promoted by the ruler. He use to issue common
exceptable coins or seals, weights and measurements.
During the natural calamity such as flood earthquake, epidemic etc. the
ruler use to provide grains and other eatables to the affected people. He use
to play active role to defend cities or state from foreign attack.
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1- uxj lqfu;ksftr vkSj ?kuh vkcknh okys FksA
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4- izR;sd ?kj esa dqavk o Luku?kj FksA
5- ty fudklh dh mRre O;oLFkk Fkh tks eq[; ty fudklh ls tqM+h FkhA
6- gM+Iik uxj esa lkoZtfud Hkou ns[kus dks feys gSA
7- yksFky esa Mksd;kMZ feys gS ftlls irk pyrk gS fd eq[; O;kikfjd dsUnz jgs FksA
8- gM+Iik laLd`fr ds iru ds ckn uxj fu;kstu yxHkx Hkwy x;s vkSj uxj thou yxHkx
gtkj o"kZ rd ns[kus dks ugha feykA
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lH;rk ds fo"k; esa ¼lH;rk dk le; o fodkl vkfn dk½ Kku izkIr dj ik, gS

4
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m0 fo}kuksa dh jk; gS &
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