Class 12 History Long Questions with Answers - Bricks, Beads and Bones

Q1: Describe the agricultural practices and means of irrigation used by the Harappans?
OR
Describe the subsistence strategies of Harappan civilisation?
Ans: 

• The Harappans ate a wide range of plants products. Archaeologists have been reconstructing dietary practices from finds of charred grains, seeds and bones. Factual Confirmation was done by archaeobotanists, who are specialists in ancient plant remains.
• Food grains found at Harappan sites include wheat, barley, lentil, chickpea, sesame, millets and rice.
• The Harappans were dependent on a wide range of animal products. Archaeologists have been able to reconstruct use of animals from finds of charred of cattle, sheep, goat, buffalo and pig. Factual Confirmation was done by Archaeozoologists or Zoo-archaeologists who are specialists in ancient animal remains indicated that these animals were domesticated.
• Bones of wild species such as boar, deer, and alligator were also found. The field had two sets of furrows at right angles to each other, suggesting that two different crops were grown together.
• Traces of canals have been found at the Harappan site.
• Water drawn from wells and water reservoir was used for irrigation. 
  

Q2: Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions that follow:
THE MOST ANCIENT SYSTEM YET DISCOVERED
About the drains, Mackay noted: “It was certainly the most complete ancient system as yet discovered.” Every house was connected to the street drains. The main channels were made of bricks set in mortar and were covered with loose bricks that could be removed for cleaning. In some cases, limestone was used for the covers. House drains first emptied into a sump or cesspit into which solid matter settled while waste water flowed out into the street drains. Very long drainage channels were provided at intervals with sumps for cleaning. It was a wonder of archaeology that “little heaps of material, mostly sand, have frequently been found lying alongside drainage channels, which shows … that the debris was not always carted away when the drain was cleared”.
From Ernest Mackay, Early Indus Civilisation, 1948.
Drainage systems were not unique to the larger cities, but were found in smaller settlements as well. At Lothal, for example, while houses were built of mud bricks, drains were made of burnt bricks.
(i) Why Mackay described this system as complete ancient drainage system?
(ii) Was the drainage system similar in large and small settlements of Harappa? Support your answer with facts.
(iii) What were the features of the drainage system?
Ans: (i) Mackay has described it as a complete because it is well-planned, systematic and unique like its contemporary civilization particularly drainage system. Cleanliness is also a major factor.
(ii) No, in large cities like Mohenjo-Daro and small settlement like Lothal, drainage was unique.
(iii) Features of drainage system

• Every house was connected with the street drain.
• The main channel was made of brick set in mortar and were covered with loose bricks that could be removed for cleaning.
• In some cases, limestone was used for the covers.
• House drains first emptied into a sump or cesspit into which solid matter settled while wastewater flowed out into the street drains.
• Very long drainage channels were provided at intervals with sumps for cleaning.
  

Q3: Explain the strategies for procuring material by the Harappans for craft production.
Ans: Harappans procured the raw material for craft production in the following ways:

• Within the sub-continent trade
•  Beyond the sub-continent

Harappans had trade relations among themselves.
They procured:

•  Lapiz Lazuli: A form of rock used to make ornaments was procured from Gujarat.
• Carnelian : A yellowish rock used for craft making was procured from Gujarat.
• They procured metal, mainly copper from Khetri region of Rajasthan.
• The Harappans went for expeditions and made an agreement with the Khetri locals for trading copper. Khetri follow Gyaneshwar and Jodhpur Culture as per the Historians.
• They got shells from Dholavira, Lothal and Balakot which were located in Coastal region.
  

Beyond the subcontinent trade:

• Harappans had trade relations with Magan, Dilmun and Mesopotamia as this was mentioned in the Mesopotamian text.
• Copper of Oman (that was Magan) had nickel content and was found in Mesopotamian and Meluhha in the Harappan region.
• Black-clay pot of Harappan region was found in Mesopotamia.
• Seals belonging to Harappan region were found in Mesopotamia and vice versa.
• Mesopotamian texts mentioned the Harappans Meluhhans as seafarers.
• Pottery, seals, ornaments, etc. were traded by Harappans. So, through this, we can say that copper came to Harappa from Oman.

Q4: Archaeologist have no concrete response for the central authority of the Harappan. Substantiate.
OR
Describe the opinions of the archaeologists on the central authority of the Harappan civilisation.
OR
Describe the different arguments given by  archaeologists over the central authority of Harappan civilisation.
OR
Archaeologist records provide no immediate answer to the Harappan central authority. Analyse different views given on the same.
Ans: The Archaeological records provide no answer to the Harappa’s central authority:

• A large building found at Mohenjodaro labelled as a palace by archaeologists but no spectacular evidences were associated with it.
• A stone statue was labelled and continues to be known as the “priest-king”
• The ritual practices of the Harappan civilisation were not well-understood yet nor there was any means of knowing whether those who performed them also held political power
• Some archaeologists stated that Harappan society had no rulers, and everybody enjoyed equal status.
• Others feel there was no single ruler but several, Mohenjodaro had a separate ruler, Harappa another, and so forth.
• Yet others argue that there was a single state.
• The last theory seems the most plausible, as it was unlikely that entire communities could have collectively made and implemented such complex decisions.

Detailed Answer:-
Archaeological records provide no immediate answer in regard to centre for power or for depictions of people in power. Though many things have been found, there was a lot of damage because the bricks were used for railway purpose and by the people for their housing needs. Archaeologists were astonished at the drainage system. They found two parts in the town well separated. They found the seal and sealings. They came to know about the scripts. Many inscriptions were short, the largest containing 26 signs. Script was not alphabetical and it is not deciphered till date. Hence they remain in the dark yet about the central authority of the Harappan. It can also be said that since very few weapons have been found, people were peaceloving. Some archaeologists stated that Harappan society had no rulers, and 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. However, the last theory  seems most plausible, as it was unlikely that entire communities could have collectively made and implemented such complex decisions.

Q5: ‘‘There were indications of complex decisions being taken and implemented in the Harappan society.’’ In light of this statement, explain whether there may have been rulers to rule over the Harappan society.
Ans: There were indications of complex decisions being taken and implemented in Harappan society:

• A large building found at Mohenjodaro was labelled as a palace by archaeologists but no spectacular finds were associated with it.
• A stone statue was labelled and continued to be known as the “priest-king”.
• Some archaeologists stated that Harappan society had no rulers, and everybody enjoyed equal status.
• Others feel there was no single ruler but several, Mohenjodaro had a separate ruler, Harappa another, and so forth.
•  Historians argue that there was a single state, given the similarity in artifacts – such as pottery seals, weights and bricks, the evidence for planned settlements such as the standardised ratio of brick size, and the establishment of settlements near sources of raw material.
•  According to some scholars the last theory seems most plausible, as it was unlikely that entire communities could have collectively made and implemented such complex decisions.
• There was extraordinary uniformity of Harappan artifacts.
• The bricks, though obviously not produced in any single centre, were of a uniform ratio throughout the region, from Jammu to Gujarat.
• Settlements were strategically set up in specific locations for various reasons.
• Labour was mobilised for making bricks and for the construction of massive walls and platforms. A planned urban centre with well laid out drainage system.
• Any other relevant point.

Q6: Explain the exclusive features of the craft production in Chanhudaro.
Ans: Features of the craft production in Chanhudaro:

• Chanhudaro about 7 hectares, a tiny settlement devoted to craft production. It also includes bead making, shell-cutting, metal- making and weight-making.
• The materials used to make beads were stones like carnelian, jasper, crystal, quartz steatite and metals like gold, bronze and copper, faience and terracotta or burnt clay.
• Some beads were made of two or more stones, cemented together with gold caps.
• The shapes were many–  disc-shaped, cylindrical, spherical, barrel-shaped and segmented.
• Some were decorated by incising or painting and some had designs etched on them. Specialised drills were found in Lothal,Chanhudaro and Dholavira.
• Techniques for making beads differed according to the material. Steatite was mostly used, as it is a very soft stone.
• It was likely that finished products (beads) from Chanhudaro and Lothal were taken to the large urban centers such as Mohenjodaro and Harappa. 
  
  

Q7: “The problems of archaeological interpretation are perhaps most evident in attempts to reconstruct the religious practices of Harappa”. Give suitable arguments in support of your answer.
Ans: The religious practices of Harappan Civilisation are as follows :

• Terracotta figurines of women were heavily jewelled, some with elaborate head-dresses. These were regarded as mother goddesses.
• Rare stone statuary of men in an almost standardised posture, seated with one hand on the knee – such as the “priest-king” – was also similarly classified.
• Structures have been assigned ritual significance. These include the Great Bath and fire altars found at Kalibangan and Lothal.
• Plant motifs, were thought to indicate nature worship
• Some animals – such as the one-horned animal, often called the “unicorn” – depicted on seals seem to be mythical, composite creatures.
• In some seals, a figure shown seated cross-legged in a “yogic” posture, sometimes surrounded by animals, has been regarded as a depiction of “Proto-Shiva”. Besides, conical stone objects have been classified as lingas.

Priest King

Q8: Mention any two changes that were observed after 1900 BCE in Harappan civilisation. What could have brought these changes?
OR
Mention any three evidences that reflected the disappearance of Harappans civilisation by 1800 BCE. Explain any two factors that led to the abandonment of the Harappan city sites?
Answer: In the few Harappan sites that continued to be occupied after 1900 BCE, there exist a transformation of material culture, marked by the disappearance of the distinctive artifacts of the civilisation – weights, seals, special beads. Writing, long-distance trade, and craft specialisation also disappeared. In general, far fewer materials were used to make things. House construction techniques deteriorated and large public structures were no longer produced. Overall, artifacts and settlements indicate a rural way of life in what are called “Late Harappan” or “Successor Cultures”.
The reasons  range from climatic change, deforestation, excessive floods, the shifting and/or drying up of rivers, to overuse the landscape. Some of these “causes” may hold for certain settlements, but they do not explain the collapse of the entire civilisation. It appears that a strong unifying element, perhaps the Harappan state, came to an end. This was evident by the disappearance of seals, the script, distinctive beads and pottery, the shift from a standardised weight system to the use of local weights; and the decline and abandonment of cities. The subcontinent would have to wait for over a millennium for new cities to develop in a completely different region.
When Harappan cities fell into ruin, people gradually forgot all about them. When men and women began living in the area millennia later, they did not know what to make of the strange artifacts that occasionally surfaced, washed by floods or exposed by soil erosion, or turned up while ploughing a field, or digging for treasure. 

Q9: Explain the strategies used by the archaeologists to understand socio-economic differences among the Harappans.
Ans: Archeologists generally use the following strategies to find out the social and economic differences among the people in the Harappan society. 

Burials: 

• There were many burials at the Harappan sites. At burials in the Harappan sites, generally the dead were laid in pits. 
• There was also a difference in the pits in which the dead were buried along with the things kept which could be precious or ordinary. 
• Some graves contained pottery and ornaments indicating that there could be life after death. Jewellery was also found in burials. 
• Thread were also found buried with copper mirrors in some cases.

Luxuries:  

• The archaeologists also study artifacts to identify many social and economic differences which can be classified as utilitarian and luxuries. 
• The utilitarian things were made of stone or clay which included quern stones, pottery and body scrubber. They were possessed by all the people. 
• On the other hand, luxuries were rare and were made from costly and non-local materials. Things like pots of faience. 
• These were considered costly and precious because it was difficult to make Perfume Bottles are also found in Harappa and Mohenjodaro. 
  

So, these were the findings of the above facts that there were social and of economic differences.

Q10: Explain the distinctive characteristics of the residential buildings of the Mohenjodaro.
OR
Describe the distinctive features of Mohenjodaro.
Ans: 

• The lower town at Mohenjodaro provides examples of residential buildings. Most of the buildings were centred on a courtyard with rooms on all sides. 
• The courtyard was probably the centre of all activities like cooking and weaving mainly, during hot and dry weather. 
• There were no windows in the walls along the ground level as privacy was important. Moreover, the main entrance does not give a direct view of the courtyard. 
• Each house had its own bathroom paved with bricks. Drains were connected through the wall to the street drains.
• Some buildings had remains of staircases to reach a second storey or the roof. In many houses, wells were found usually in a room that could be approached from outside so that it can be used by passers-by.