Quick Review Flashcards - Click to flip and test your knowledge!
Question
What was the first metal discovered by man?
Answer
Copper
Question
The period when humans used both stone and copper tools is known as the _____.
Answer
Chalcolithic Period
Question
Bronze is an alloy produced by mixing copper with which two possible metals?
Answer
Tin or zinc
Question
Why is the Harappan Civilisation classified as a 'Bronze Age Civilisation'?
Answer
Because of the importance of bronze in the growth of the first civilisations.
Question
By approximately what year did the four major Bronze Age civilisations emerge?
Answer
$2500$ BCE
Question
Name the four major Bronze Age civilisations mentioned in the text.
Answer
Harappan, Mesopotamian, Chinese, and Egyptian civilisations.
Question
In which year was the first major site of the Indus Valley Civilisation discovered?
Answer
$1921$
Question
The Harappan Civilisation is named after Harappa, which was discovered in which province?
Answer
West Punjab (now in Pakistan)
Question
Archaeologically, what does the term 'Culture' refer to?
Answer
A group of objects distinctive in style usually found together within a specific area and time.
Question
Name the four distinctive types of objects that define the 'Harappan culture'.
Answer
Seals, weights, stone blades, and baked bricks.
Question
Who was the Director General of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) when the discovery of the Indus Valley was announced?
Answer
Sir John Marshall
Question
Which Indian archaeologist first excavated Harappa in $1921$-$22$?
Answer
Daya Ram Sahni
Question
Which Indian archaeologist began excavating Mohenjo-daro in $1922$?
Answer
Rakhal Das Banerji
Question
To which German archaeologist's work at Tiryns and Mycenae did John Marshall compare the Harappan discovery?
Answer
Heinrich Schliemann
Question
Why is our knowledge of the Harappan civilisation based entirely on archaeological remains?
Answer
Because no adequate written records are available and the script remains undeciphered.
Question
At which major site is the Great Bath located?
Answer
Mohenjo-daro
Question
What materials were used to line the Great Bath to make it watertight?
Answer
Bitumen and gypsum
Question
How was water supplied to the tank of the Great Bath?
Answer
By a well in an adjacent room.
Question
What feature of the Great Bath suggests it might have been used for changing clothes?
Answer
The presence of surrounding porticos and sets of rooms.
Question
The massive structure of the Great Bath indicates the possible existence of a _____ who could mobilise labour.
Answer
Ruling class
Question
What was the raised area of a Harappan city usually called?
Answer
The Citadel
Question
What buildings, besides the Great Bath, were typically located on the Citadel?
Answer
The granary, the assembly hall, and the workshops.
Question
What material was used to construct the platforms for the buildings on the Citadel?
Answer
Mud bricks
Question
Approximately how many Harappan seals have been discovered by archaeologists?
Answer
About $2000$
Question
Name three materials commonly used to make Harappan seals.
Answer
Terracotta, steatite, and agate.
Question
Which seal depicts a three-faced deity surrounded by animals, identified as Pashupati Mahadeva?
Answer
The Pashupati Seal
Question
Which animals surround the central figure on the Pashupati seal?
Answer
An elephant, a tiger, a buffalo, a rhinoceros, and two deer.
Question
How did Harappan traders use seals to detect if a bag of goods had been tampered with?
Answer
By checking if the seal impression on the wet clay layer over the knot was intact.
Question
Where was the stone sculpture of the 'Bearded Man' discovered?
Answer
Mohenjo-daro
Question
What is the artistic significance of the bronze statue of the 'Dancing Girl'?
Answer
It shows a high degree of development in the art of sculpture and skilled craftsmanship.
Question
In which modern Indian state was the Harappan dockyard discovered?
Answer
Gujarat (at Lothal)
Question
What was the primary purpose of the dockyard discovered at Lothal?
Answer
Carrying out overseas trade.
Question
How many signs are estimated to exist in the Harappan pictographic script?
Answer
Between $375$ and $400$
Question
In what direction was the Harappan script written, based on archaeological evidence from seals?
Answer
From right to left
Question
Which theory suggests that the Harappan Civilisation was an offshoot of the Mesopotamian Civilisation?
Answer
Foreign Origin theory
Question
The 'Indigenous Origin' theory argues that the civilisation evolved from which local village cultures?
Answer
Kot Diji, Amri, and Kalibangan.
Question
What is the total estimated area of the Harappan Civilisation?
Answer
About $1.3$ million $sq. km$
Question
Name the westernmost and easternmost boundaries of the Harappan Civilisation.
Answer
Sutkagendor (West) and Alamgirpur (East).
Question
Name the northernmost and southernmost boundaries of the Harappan Civilisation.
Answer
Manda (North) and Bhagatrav (South).
Question
Into which two main parts was each Harappan city divided?
Answer
The Citadel (raised area) and the Lower Town.
Question
What specific pattern did the main streets of Harappan cities follow?
Answer
A grid pattern running north to south or east to west.
Question
What was the purpose of rounding the corners of streets in Harappan cities?
Answer
To allow carts to pass easily.
Question
Where did Harappan house drains empty their waste water?
Answer
Into the street drains.
Question
At what angle did Harappan streets cross the main roads?
Answer
Right angles
Question
Which site is famous for its unique water management system and large reservoirs?
Answer
Dholavira
Question
What were the primary food grains found in the crevices of threshing floors at Harappa?
Answer
Wheat and barley
Question
Which Harappan city served as an important trading and manufacturing centre for beads?
Answer
Lothal (or Chanhu-daro)
Question
From which region did the Harappans import copper?
Answer
Rajasthan, South India, Baluchistan, and Arabia.
Question
What was the modern weight equivalent of the basic Harappan unit of weight?
Answer
$14$ grams
Question
Harappan weights were based on multiples of which number?
Answer
$16$
Question
What name did Mesopotamian records use to refer to the Indus region?
Answer
Meluha
Question
Which two locations are identified as intermediate trading stations between Mesopotamia and the Indus region?
Answer
Dilmun (Bahrain) and Makan.
Question
What was the 'lost wax process' used for in Harappan art?
Answer
Bronze-casting of statues.
Question
What type of pottery was characteristic of the Harappan civilisation?
Answer
Glossy pottery decorated with black geometrical or animal designs on a red background.
Question
Which deity is considered the female aspect of Harappan religious belief?
Answer
The Mother Goddess
Question
What garment did Harappan men wear as an upper garment, as shown by the 'Priest' statue?
Answer
A shawl worn over the left shoulder.
Question
Name three common ornaments worn by both Harappan men and women.
Answer
Necklaces, finger-rings, and bangles.
Question
Which hydrologist suggested that the uplift of the Indus plains caused the flooding of Mohenjo-daro?
Answer
R. L. Raikes
Question
The drying up of which river is associated with the increased aridity that led to the decline of the civilisation?
Answer
River Ghaggar
Question
Why was deforestation a contributing factor to the decline of the Harappan civilisation?
Answer
Enormous quantities of wood were needed to produce bronze and bake bricks.