History & Civics
You went for an excursion to a site belonging to the Harappan Civilisation in India. From the ruins, how can you conclude the presence of granaries, the crops grown and the type of agriculture practised by them?
Answer
The granaries of Harappan Civilisation are arranged in rows and has ventilation to prevent grains from becoming mildewed. This shows that the structure has planned construction. Working platforms consisting of rows of circular brick platforms are present to the south of the granaries. Wheat and Barley grains were found in the crevices. These platforms were used for threshing of grains by the labourers. Special barracks are also found where these labourers might be living. The location of Harappa near river suggests that foodgrains were brought to this place by boats.
Related Questions
Look at the newspaper excerpt from Sir John Marshall's article about the discovery of Harappa and Mohenjo-daro and answer the questions that follow.
(a) Which 'Forgotten Age' is being talked about in the excerpt? Tiryns and Mycenae were long forgotten ancient cities, what are referred to as Indian "Tiryns and "Mycenae"?
(b) How was this 'Forgotten Age' in India revealed?
(c) Explain briefly the significance of this 'Forgotten Age' in terms of its unique features.
Suppose you visit the ruins of a deserted ancient civilisation. What evidences would you collect and how would you trace the development of civilisation?
Make a list of both similar and dissimilar features that existed between the Harappan-Civilisation and its contemporary Bronze Age Civilisations.
Considering the town planning of the Harappans, state how the Harappans were ahead of time.