The Harappan Civilization FAQs

1. The Harappan culture belongs to which archaeological age?

2. At which modern site was the Harappan civilization first discovered in 1921?

3. In which province is the site of Harappa situated? Consider the following statements: (I) The Harappan culture extended from Jammu in the north to the Narmada estuary in the south. (II) It extended from the Makran coast of Baluchistan in the west to Meerut in the north-east. (III) The area formed a triangle and accounted for about 1,299,600 square kilometres. Which of the above is/are correct?

4. The Harappan culture zone was larger than which two contemporary cultural areas?

5. Of the more than 250 known Harappan sites, how many can be regarded as cities? Consider the following pairs: (I) Harappa – Panjab (II) Mohenjo-daro – Sindh (III) Lothal – Gulf of Cambay, Gujarat (IV) Kalibangan – Northern Rajasthan Which of the pairs given above is/are correctly matched?

6. What was the distance between Harappa and Mohenjo-daro, which were linked together by the Indus?

7. Chanhu-daro lay about how many kilometres south of Mohenjo-daro in Sindh?

8. Which Harappan city in Haryana saw two cultural phases, pre-Harappan and Harappan, similar to Kalibangan? Consider the following statements: (I) In its mature phase, the Harappan culture is also found in the coastal cities of Sutkagendor and Surkotada, each marked by a citadel. (II) The later Harappan phase is found in Rangpur and Rojdi in the Kathiawar peninsula of Gujarat. Which of the above is/are correct?

9. The Harappan culture was distinguished by which system in the layout of its cities?

10. The citadel or acropolis in Harappan cities was possibly occupied by which class?

11. What structure is regarded as the most important public place of Mohenjo-daro?

12. What was the depth of the Great Bath at Mohenjo-daro?

13. What ritual purpose is the Great Bath at Mohenjo-daro suggested to have served?

14. In the citadel of Harappa, how many granaries have been found arranged in two rows?

15. At Mohenjo-daro, the largest building is a granary measuring how many metres long? Consider the following statements regarding the use of burnt bricks in Harappan cities: (I) The use of burnt bricks in the Harappan cities is considered remarkable. (II) Contemporary buildings in Egypt mainly used dried bricks. (III) Baked bricks were used in contemporary Mesopotamia, but to a much larger extent in the Harappan cities. Which of the above is/are correct?

16. What crop remains have been found in the crevices of the working floors south of the granaries at Harappa?

17. What kind of houses were found in the lower town below the citadel of each Harappan city?

18. As early as 1800 B.C., the people of which Harappan site are known to have used rice?

19. From where were the Khetri copper mines used by the Harappans located?

20. Bronze was made by the Harappan smiths by mixing copper with which metal?

21. Because bronze tools recovered from Harappan sites contain a smaller percentage of tin, what does this suggest about Harappan society?

22. What term did the Greeks derive from "Sindh" for cotton, which the Indus people were the earliest to produce? Consider the following statements: (I) The Harappans practised agriculture and kept oxen, buffaloes, goats, sheep and pigs on a large scale. (II) Clear evidence of the horse in regular use during Harappan times has been firmly established. (III) The Harappan people in Gujarat produced rice and domesticated elephants, unlike the people of Mesopotamian cities. Which of the above is/are correct?

23. What means of exchange did the Harappans most probably use for trade, since they did not use metallic money?

24. The Mesopotamian records from about 2350 B.C. refer to trade relations with which region, the ancient name for the Indus region?

25. The intermediate trading station of Dilmun, lying between Mesopotamia and Meluha, can probably be identified with which place?

26. In sharp contrast to Egypt and Mesopotamia, what has not been found at any Harappan site?

27. Indications of the practice of which cult have been found at Lothal in Gujarat in the later Harappan phase?

28. The mother-goddess terracotta figurines found at Harappa are believed to represent which deity? Consider the following statements about the male deity depicted on a Harappan seal: (I) The god has three heads and horns. (II) He is represented seated in the posture of a yogi, placing one foot on the other. (III) He is surrounded by an elephant, a tiger, a rhinoceros, and has a buffalo below his throne. Which of the above is/are correct?

29. What tree, still worshipped today, is depicted on a seal with a god represented among its branches?

30. Which ancient Indian text is considered a non-Aryan work containing many charms, spells, and amulet recommendations against diseases and evil forces?

31. By which year was the complete Harappan script discovered, although it remains undeciphered?

32. Is the Harappan script alphabetical or pictographic in nature?

33. Approximately how many pictographs are found in the Harappan script?

34. In the Harappan system of weights, what base number and its multiples were mostly used?

35. About how many seals have been found from Harappan sites?

36. Which animal is most commonly depicted on Harappan seals and was worshipped, with pious Indians still giving way to it in market streets today?

37. The best specimen of Harappan bronze work is a woman dancer figure; what is she depicted wearing? Consider the following statements on the origin, maturity and end of the Harappan culture: (I) The Harappan culture existed between 2500 B.C. and 1750 B.C. (II) Its mature phase lay between 2200 B.C. and 2000 B.C. (III) Around 1750 B.C., Harappa and Mohenjo-daro, the two important cities, disappeared. Which of the above is/are correct?

38. What have some scholars suggested as a cause for the decline of the Harappan culture, related to soil?

39. New types of pottery associated generally with Vedic people, found in conjunction with late Harappan pottery at several sites, are known as what?

3. The Harappan Civilization