Long Questions: In the Earliest Cities | NCERT Summary: UPSC PDF Download

Q1: Why were the wheels, metals, and plough important to the Harappans?
Ans: Metals, writing, the plough, and the wheel were all very essential to the Harappans in various ways. They made tools and weapons for them out of metals. Metals were employed to make utensils, decorations, and seals. The Harappans utilised writing to keep track of their trade records and many other things. As a potter's wheel, the wheel was quite beneficial. It was also used as a wheel in transportation carts to move from one location to another and to deliver products. The plough was used to till the land for agriculture.

Q2: How was the life of Harappan farmers and herders different from hunter gatherers?
Ans: Hunter-gatherers' lives were very different from the lives of the farmers and herders who supplied food to the Harappan cities. Harappan farmers and herders were more organised in their agricultural and animal herding. They had the tools to plough the soil, such as the plough. Their tools were fashioned of wood, whereas hunter-gatherers' activity was disorganised and they relied on bone implements. Farmers in Harappa kept their food in specially constructed granaries. They produced food for everyone, whereas hunter-gatherers only produced food for themselves. Irrigation was employed by Harappan farmers and herders, but not by hunter-gatherers.

Q3: Describer about the building in your area. On what locations they are built? What activities do take place in the buildings?
Ans: We have an old school in our community that consists of two brick structures. A large playground is located in front of the building.
Each of the buildings has two levels. This is a primary school where students in grades 1 through 5 attend. An antique library is located near that structure. This structure is even older than the school. This is only one modest structure. The roof is made of thatch. There are numerous sections of books in the library. It has a good book collection. In general, people gather here to read newspapers. The post office is housed in a historic structure. People come here to have their letters written and mailed. All of these structures are located in the heart of our village.

Q4: At the place you reside, is there any old building? How old are these? Describe something about it.
Ans: Our village's post office is the oldest of all the structures. It is said to have been built in 1956. It was first opened in 1956, according to a stone plaque on one of the walls. The postmaster in charge of the post office is a postmaster. He stated that they receive funds from the government to paint the post office and make necessary repairs. The post office used to be a place where people could mail and receive letters, gifts, and other stuff, but now it also serves as a bank. It allows users to deposit and withdraw funds. It was really beneficial to those like us who live in remote villages.

Q5: How did archaeologists find out that cloth was first used in Harappa?
Ans: Harappan culture made use of cloth. This is known because archaeologists have discovered bits of fabric attached to the lids of silver vases as well as textiles attached to copper artefacts while excavating. Mohenjodaro is where these were discovered. Furthermore, archaeologists discovered spindle whorls, which were used to spin threads. All of these demonstrate that individuals in Harappan culture knew how to produce clothes and had used them.

Q6: Write a short note on the Script of the Harappan people.
Ans:

• Historians believe that the people of the Indus-Valley civilisation were literate. Many seals have been discovered. We can note lines (or symbols) of signs on the top of several seals of the Harappan people. These are parts of what historians call a script. This is the earliest form of writing known in the subcontinent.
• Scholars have made many efforts to read these signs (or decipher the Harappan script), but we still do not know exactly what they mean.

Q7: Describe in short different objects made and found in different Harappan cities or sites.
Ans:  Metals used by the people of Harappan cities are made of stone, metal including copper, tin, bronze, gold, silver and shell.

• Vessels and Ornaments: Copper and bronze were used to make vessels and ornaments.
• Beads: Perhaps the most striking finds are those of beads. Many of these were made out of carnelian, a beautiful red stone. The stone was cut, shaped, polished and finally a hole was bored through the centre so that a string could be passed through it.
• Weights: Stones were used to make weights. Very carefully and precisely some chart weights were shaped by the people of the Harappan culture. These were probably used to weigh precious stones or metals. Chart was also used to make distinctive long blades.
• Seals: The Harappans also made seals out of stone. These are generally rectangular and usually have an animal (e.g. a Bull or a Rhinoceros) carved on them.
• Faience: Unlike stone or shell, that are found naturally, faience is artificially produced. A gum was used to shape sand or powdered quartz into an object. The object then glazed remitting in a shiny, glassy surface. The glaze colour was generally sea green or blue. Faience was used to make beads, bangles, earrings and tiny vessels.
• Pottery: The Harappans also made pottery with beautiful black designs.

Q8: “There are many evidences that cloth was worn by the Harappans.” Explain in brief.
Ans:

• The Harappans prepared and used cloth. Cotton was probably grown at Mehrgarh from about 7,000 years ago.
• Actual pieces of cloth were found attached to the lid of a silver vase and some copper objects at Mohenjodaro.
• Archaeologists have also found Spindle whorls, made of terracotta and faience. These were used to spin thread.
• We also have indirect evidence to show how cloth was decorated. For instance, a stone statue of an important man found at Mohenjodaro shows him wearing an embroidered garment.

Q9: Discuss the work of specialists in the Harappans’ society.
Ans: 

• Meaning: A specialist is a person who is trained to do only one type of work, for instance, cutting stone or polishing beads or carving seats.
• Specialists as Producers:
  • Many of the things that were produced were probably the work of specialists.
  • We find a figure of a man bearing beard.
  • If we look at the statue or figure we see how well the face is carved and how carefully the beard is shown.
  • According to scholars this must have been the work of an expert crafts person.

Q10: What are raw materials? How did the Harappans make their provision?
Ans:

• Meaning:
  • Raw materials are substances that are either found naturally (such as wood, or ores of metals) or produced by farmers or herders.
  • These are generally processed to produce finishing goods.
  • For instance cotton, produced by farmers, is a raw material that is processed to make cloth.
• Provision or Search of Raw Materials:
  • While some of the raw materials that the Harappans used were available locally many items such as copper, tin, gold, silver and precious stones had to be brought from distant places.
  • The Harappans probably got copper from Rajasthan and even from Oman.
  • Tin, which was mixed with copper to produce bronze, may have been brought from Afghanistan and Iran.
  • Gold could have come all the way from Karnataka and
  • Precious stones from Gujarat, Iran and Afghanistan.

Q11: Discuss ‘agriculture’ as an important occupation of the Harappans.
Or
How was food provided for people in the Harappan cities?
Ans: Agriculture of the Harappans or Food for People in the Cities:

• While many people lived in the cities, others grew crops and reared animals.
• We know from remains of plants that the Harappans grew wheat, barley, pulses, peas, rice, sesame, linseed and mustard.
• A new tool, the plough, was used to dig the earth for turning the soil and planting seeds. While real ploughs, which were probably made of wood, have not survived, toy models have been found.
• As this region does not receive heavy rainfall, some form of irrigation may have been used. This means that water was stored and supplied to the fields when the plants were growing.
• Different types of cattle were also used for food supply. They also collected fruits like ber (Vt), caught fish and hunted wild animals like the antelope.

Q12: What were the causes of the end of the Harappan culture?
Or
Discuss the mystery of the end of the Harappan civilization.
Ans: The Mystery of the end of the Harappans or the Probable causes of downfall of the Harappan Civilisation. Nearly 3900 years ago we find the beginning of a major change in Harappan cities or sites

• People stopped living in many of the cities
• Writing, seals and weights were no longer used
• Raw Materials brought from long distances became rare
• In Mohenjodaro, we find that garbage piled upon the streets, the drainage system broke down, and new, less impressive houses that were built encroached on to the streets.

Causes: The following causes were possibly responsible for the end of the Harappan culture:

• Some scholars suggest that the rivers dried up.
• Others suggest that there was deforestation. This could have happened because fuel was required for baking bricks and for melting copper ores. Besides, grazing by large herds of cattle, sheep and goat may have destroyed the green cover.
• In some areas there were floods.
• Perhaps the rulers lost control but none of these reasons can explain the end of all the cities.
• In short we can say that we are not same about the end of the Harappan culture. However, flooding or a river drying up would have had an effect in only some areas.

Q13: What was Special about the Harappan-Civilisation cities?
Ans:

• Many of the Harappan cities were divided into two or more parts.
• Usually, the part to the west was smaller but higher. Archaeologists describe this as the citadel.
• And the part to the east was larger but lower. This is called the lower town.
• Very often walls of baked brick were built around each part. The bricks were so well made that they lasted for thousands of years. The interlocking of bricks made the walls strong.
• In some cities of this civilisation, special buildings were constructed on the citadel. For example, we can see a special tank in Mohenjodaro. It is popularly known as the Great Bath.
• Other cities, such as Kalibangan and Lothal, had fire altars, where sacrifices might have been performed. And some cities like Harappa, Mohenjodaro and Lothal had elaborated store houses (or Granaries).

Q14: What was Special about the Harappan-Civilisation cities?
Ans:

• Many of the Harappan cities were divided into two or more parts.
• Usually, the part to the west was smaller but higher. Archaeologists describe this as the citadel.
• And the part to the east was larger but lower. This is called the lower town.
• Very often walls of baked brick were built around each part. The bricks were so well made that they lasted for thousands of years. The interlocking of bricks made the walls strong.
• In some cities of this civilisation, special buildings were constructed on the citadel. For example, we can see a special tank in Mohenjodaro. It is popularly known as the Great Bath.
• Other cities, such as Kalibangan and Lothal, had fire altars, where sacrifices might have been performed. And some cities like Harappa, Mohenjodaro and Lothal had elaborated store houses (or Granaries).

Q15: Describe the main features of the Great Bath of Mohenjodaro.
Ans: The Great Bath:

• In Mohenjodaro, a very special tank, which archaeologists called the Great Bath, was built in its Citadel Area.
• This special tank was made of bricks, coated with plaster and made water-tight with a layer of natural tar.
• There were steps leading down to it from two sides, while there were rooms on all sides.
• Water was probably brought in from a well, and drained out after use.
• Perhaps important people took a dip in this tank on special occasions.

Q16: Write in brief the story of Harappa’s finding.
Ans: The story of Harappa:

• About 152 years ago (1855 A.D.), when railway lines were being laid down for the first time in west Punjab. Engineers stumbled upon the site of Harappa in present-day Pakistan. To them, it appeared like a mount which was a rich source of ready-made, high quality bricks.
• The labourers (working on railway-line) carried off thousands of bricks from the walls of the old building of the city (later on named as Harappa) to construct railway lines. Many buildings were completely destroyed.
• Then, nearly eighty five years ago (1920 A.D.), archaeologists found the site, and realized that this was one of the oldest cities in the subcontinent. As this was the first city to be discovered.