Harappan Civilization: Seals and Culture

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Questions and Answers

Which aspect of Harappan seals provides insights into the civilization's economic activities and trade networks?

  • The discovery of sealings in distant locations. (correct)
  • The animal motifs depicted on the seals.
  • The undeciphered script present on the seals.
  • The material (steatite) used to make the seals.

How does the discovery of similar artifacts across different Harappan sites support conclusions that there was a central authority?

  • It indicates uniform craftsmanship standards, implying centralized control over production. (correct)
  • It implies a common language spoken across all settlements that were mandated by authorities.
  • It confirms that resources were distributed equally among settlements, managed centrally.
  • It suggests a shared religious belief system that was mandatory for community integration.

What critical methodological challenge faced archaeologists in the early stages of Harappan civilization research?

  • The tendency to prioritize written texts over material culture in archaeological investigations. (correct)
  • The lack of written records that could be correlated with archaeological finds.
  • The difficulty in distinguishing between Harappan and post-Harappan settlement layers.
  • The absence of durable materials, like stone, at Harappan sites.

How does the presence of specific raw materials at Harappan sites inform understanding of their economic and trade networks?

<p>It suggests the import and export of specific materials were necessary to construct common artifacts. (D)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What does the abandonment of specific settlements show about Harappan society?

<p>It shows that changes caused their economic and social systems to be unsustainable. (C)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is the significance of the discovery of canals and reservoirs in understanding Harappan agricultural practices?

<p>It suggests advanced and organized irrigation systems were needed to support agriculture. (A)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is the implication when there is a lack of artifacts in Harappan burials?

<p>It suggests no social or economic differences existed among the population. (A)</p> Signup and view all the answers

How do architectural features show privacy was important in Harappan domestic life?

<p>Entrances and windows were oriented to obscure the view of interior spaces. (A)</p> Signup and view all the answers

How do archaeologists reconcile variations, where they exist, in Harappan settlement layouts with the overall premise of urban planning?

<p>By attributing these variations to evolving needs of settlements over long periods. (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What implications are present when considering the standardized ratios for brick production in the Harappan civilization?

<p>The settlements were centrally coordinated to manage the large-scale production. (D)</p> Signup and view all the answers

In reconstructing Harappan dietary practices, how do archaeobotanists contribute to our understanding?

<p>They study charred grains and seeds to reconstruct agricultural and dietary components. (A)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What does the presence of channels in houses suggest about Harappan culture?

<p>The Harappans were able to maintain sanitation and understood its importance. (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary reason that the Harappan script remains undeciphered despite decades of research?

<p>The script lacks a bilingual text that could provide a key for decipherment. (A)</p> Signup and view all the answers

How can the presence of tools indicate social divisions?

<p>Tools often show a person's trade, indicating the owner's occupation within society. (C)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What are the primary challenges that archaeologists face when interpreting objects from the Harappan civilization?

<p>The difficulty in determining the original context and function of artifacts. (C)</p> Signup and view all the answers

How do the varying interpretations of the 'priest-king' statue exemplify the challenges in understanding Harappan society?

<p>They show how social and cultural biases shape archaeological interpretations. (C)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is the most likely reason that the Harappan Civilization declined?

<p>The civilization was destroyed as a strong unifying element disappeared. (C)</p> Signup and view all the answers

How did Wheeler change archaeological techniques?

<p>He followed the stratigraphy of the mound, and kept detailed records. (D)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is the biggest challenge for archaeologists when exploring the Indus Valley Civilization?

<p>The materials are often made from organic materials, causing it to decompose over time. (D)</p> Signup and view all the answers

How would archaeologists classify their finds?

<p>They classify in terms of material and function. (A)</p> Signup and view all the answers

Based on the text, how did the location and purpose of Shortughai and Lothal contribute to Harappan advancements?

<p>They served as raw material mines, where the Harappans could utilize lapis lazuli and carnelian. (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What are some of the reasons archaeological excavations might be preferred over archeological surveys?

<p>Excavations allow for deeper layers of soil to be observed and dated. (C)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What are some of the distinct features of Harappan burials?

<p>The bodies were laid in pits and sometimes lined with bricks. (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

Why is it difficult to say with certainty if Harappan settlements were "cities?"

<p>There little evidence to show a complex system where the people depended on each other. (C)</p> Signup and view all the answers

How can long distance communication be accounted for in Harappan society?

<p>They utilized seals and sealings to indicate and verify documents. (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What does the layout of streets and houses suggest about the Harappan people?

<p>All of the above. (D)</p> Signup and view all the answers

If precious artifacts are found intact at Harappan sites, what is the most likely implication?

<p>That the artifacts were lost in the past or hoarded, and the original owner were unable to retrieve them. (C)</p> Signup and view all the answers

How do houses at lower levels contrast from houses from higher levels?

<p>Houses at lower levels are the oldest and higher levels are the most recent. (C)</p> Signup and view all the answers

Flashcards

Harappan Seal

The most distinctive artifact of the Harappan civilization, made of steatite, often contains animal motifs and undeciphered script signs.

Culture (archaeological)

Archaeologists use this term to describe a group of distinctive objects, like seals and beads, consistently found together in a specific geographical area and time period.

Harappan Civilization

The name given to the Indus Valley Civilization, named after the first discovered site.

Mature Harappan Culture

A stage of the Harappan Civilization, from 2600 to 1900 BCE, distinguished from earlier and later cultures in the same region.

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Archaeo-botanists

Specialists who study ancient plant remains to reconstruct dietary practices.

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Archaeo-zoologists

Scientists who study animal bones found at archaeological sites to determine which animals were domesticated.

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Citadel

Structures constructed on mud brick platforms that physically separated from the Lower Town.

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Harappan Drainage System

Carefully planned systems that includes roads/streets laid out along a grid pattern, intersecting at right angles.

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Hoards

Objects carefully preserved by people, often in containers; they can consist of jewelry or metal objects saved for reuse.

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Chanhu-daro

A small Harappan settlement almost exclusively devoted to craft production, including bead making, shell cutting, and metal working.

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Sealings

Seals and these objects were used to facilitate long-distance communication by pressing it on bags of goods to show they weren't altered.

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Harappan Weights

A system of precise measures used to regulate exchanges; made of chert and generally cubical shape, with binary and decimal denominations.

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Lapis Lazuli

A blue stone that was apparently very highly valued that settlements like Shortughai were established to be near the source of.

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Study Notes

  • A Harappan seal is a distinctive artifact from the Harappan or Indus Valley Civilization
  • It's crafted from steatite stone and has animal motifs as well as undeciphered script signs
  • Archaeological evidence provides information about Harappan lives, including houses, pottery, ornaments, tools, and seals

Harappan Civilisation Terminology

  • The Indus Valley Civilization is synonymous with the Harappan Culture
  • "Culture" refers to groups of distinctive objects found in specific geographical areas during particular time periods
  • The Harappan Culture includes seals, beads, weights, stone blades, and baked bricks
  • The Harappan Civilization existed approximately from 2600 to 1900 BCE
  • The Harappan Civilization is named after Harappa, where it was discovered
  • Cultures preceding and following it are termed Early Harappan and Late Harappan respectively
  • Mature Harappan distinguishes it from these cultures

Early and Mature Harappan Cultures

  • The Mature Harappan culture emerged in regions previously inhabited by Early Harappan cultures
  • These cultures shared features like subsistence strategies
  • The Harappans consumed diverse flora and fauna, including fish
  • Dietary practices are understood from charred grains/seeds, which are analyzed by archaeo-botanists
  • Harappan sites reveal a range of grains, like wheat, barley, lentil, chickpea, and sesame
  • Millets come from sites in Gujarat, while rice remains less common in the Harappan diet
  • Animal remains point towards the presence of domesticated cattle, sheep, goat, buffalo, and pig
  • Zoo-archaeologists study animal bones to determine which animals were domesticated
  • Bones from boar, deer, and gharial indicate presence of wild species
  • It remains unclear if the Harappans hunted or traded with local hunter groups for meat such as fish and fowl

Agricultural technologies

  • Grain findings confirm agriculture, reconstructing farming techniques proves challenging
  • The terracotta sculpture and seal representations suggest using bulls/oxen for plowing
  • Terracotta plough models have been found at Cholistan and Banawali
  • A Kalibangan ploughed field reveals two sets of furrows at right angles, showing cultivating two crops together
  • Researchers are trying to determine which harvesting tools were used, like stone blades or metal tools
  • Irrigation was required in semi-arid Harappan settlements
  • Shortughai in Afghanistan contains traces of canals; however, they are absent in Punjab and Sind
  • Water reservoirs discovered in Dholavira (Gujarat) could indicate water storage usage for agriculture

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