Indus Civilization

Question 1

What is the fullform of ASI

Answer 1

Archaeological Survey of India

Question 2

When was ASI established

Answer 2

1861

Question 3

Who was the director of ASI

Answer 3

Sir John Marshall

Question 4

Who discovered the harappan site and where and when

Answer 4

RB Dayaram Sahani 1921
Montgomery district of West Punjab in Pakistan

Question 5

Who discovered Mohenjodaro? when and where?

Answer 5

dr RD Banaerjee 1922
larkhana district of Sindh in Pakistan

Question 6

What is the meaning of Mohenjodaro and in which language

Answer 6

Mound of the Dead in Sindhi Language

Question 7

Date of Civilization

Answer 7

3250 to 2750 bce

Question 8

Important sites of Indus valley Civilization(6)

Answer 8

Harappa
Mohenjodaro
Chanhudaro
Lothal
Kalibangan
Banawali
[ganawariwala
rakhigarh
dholavira]

Question 9

Causes for decline(6)

Answer 9

1Aryan invasion-not widely accepted
2Ecological changes and shifts in the monsoon pattern led to the decline of fertile land and agriculture, causing the evacuations of inhabitants
3Increase in population and excessive deforestation led to economic problems
4Changes in the course of the indus and drying up of river Saraswathi
5Migration
6 Invasion of Hill tribes

Question 10

Burial system 3 types

Answer 10

Fractional burial
Partial/Post cremation Burial
Full/Complete Burial

Question 11

Fractional Burial

Answer 11

Dead body was partially buried and left for scavengers to feed on

Question 12

Partial Burial

Answer 12

Dead body was burnt and then buried

Question 13

Complete burial

Answer 13

Dead was Simply buried

Question 14

Scripts and writing(4)

Answer 14

more than 3000 seals
written from right to left
discovered in 1923
seals made from terracota, ivory, stone or steatite

Question 15

Art and sculptures in indus eg

Answer 15

bronze idol of dancing girl
Statue of Bearded man
figures of Pashupati

Question 16

religious conditions(6)

Answer 16

Mother goddess was their chief deity
nature worshipper
worshipped shiva in form of Pashupati and Linga
also worshipped trees(pipal), animals(humped bull), birds, serpants
feared demons
practiced yoga

Question 17

Economic condition(13)

Answer 17

1Agriculture main occupation
2Dockyard in lothal, gujarat
3grew wheat barley, cotton and vegetables
4Exported ivory, bead, gold,timber
5had weights and measures[shell scale in mohenjodaro and bronze in harappa]
6important occupations- pottery, weaving and spinning of cotton and wool
7barter system
8metals like gold, silver, copper and bronze used for making vessels and ornaments
9evolved metallurgy
10used touchstones to test the purity of gold
11trade contacts with other countries[harrapan cloth and seals in mesopotamia, egypt,,west asia]- river routes used for import and export
12bullock carts, donkeys, elephants and camels used for road transport
13 knew decimal system

Question 18

Social condition(11)

Answer 18

1wheat principle food
2both men and women wore a shawl as 3the upper garment and a dhoti as the lower garment
3ornaments by both men and women
4only women wore girdles, nose studs, earrings and anklets
5ate barley, rice, fruits, vegetables, dates, milk
6ate poultry, fish, pork, poultry, flesh of tortoise
7buffaloes, sheep, pigs, elephants, camels, dogs and humped bulls domesticated
8people play dice, marbles, fishing and gambling
9used weapons like bows and arrows, maces, swords, slings, saws and axes(copper and bronze)
10terracotta toys popular among children
11deposed dead by cremation or burial

Question 19

main centres of trade(6)

Answer 19

harappa
lothal
kalibangan
rupar
surkotada
chanhudaro

Question 20

Political condition

Answer 20

no written records
assumed to be rules by priests and merchant classs
its clear from granaries
well established administration
no clue on what kind of administration

Question 21

Town planning(5)

Answer 21

streets
drainage system
great bath
granaries
buildings

Question 22

street- town planning(6)

Answer 22

straight & cut each other at right angles
13 to 34 feet wide
city divide into rectangular blocks
lamp posts at interval
dustbins provided on the streets
proof of good municipal administration

Question 23

Drainage system(5)

Answer 23

closed drainage system
each house had its own drainage and soak pit connected to public drainage
brick laid channels flowed through every street[covered and had manholes at interval for cleaning]
large brick culverts with corbelled roofs on outskirts to carry excess water
no other civilization gave so much attention to cleanliness

Question 24

The great bath(9)

Answer 24

most striking feature of mohenjodaro
large quadrangle
centre is a great swimming pool with remains of galleries and rooms on all four sides
arrangements for hot bath in some rooms
swimming pool 39 feet long and 29 feet wide
flight of steps at either end and is fed by well situated in one of the rooms
water discharged by a huge drain with corbelled roof more than 8 ft in depth
8ft thick outer walla

Question 25

Granaries

Answer 25

harappa famus for
largest building in mohenjodaro-45.71 mtr long and 15.23m wide
southern kalibangan brick platforms
harappa brick platforms which formed base for 2 rows of 6 granaries
safely stored grains
probably collected as revenue or store houses to be used in emergencies

Question 26

Buildings(12)

Answer 26

built by side of roads
terraced houses with burnt bricks
roofing bamboo and reed
pasting material- mud mortar and gypsum
every house had 2 or more rooms
more than 1 storied house
designed around inner courtyard and contained pillared halls, bath rooms, paved floors, kitchen, well, etc
biggest hall 80 ft wide and long
workmen quaters
excellent water supply system
public wells by side of streets
every big house had own well
built dockyard at lothal

Question 27

no of sites in total, in india and in pakistan

Answer 27

1500
1025 ind
475 pak

Question 28

typical city division

Answer 28

1upper city or citadel or acropolis
place for ruling class
religious structurees, granaries, baths
2lower section or level ground
houses of inhabitants

Question 29

lothal

Answer 29

important trading centre
dockyard
many seals found

Question 30

Harappa

Answer 30

bigger city in comparison to mohenjodaro but houses smaller in size
famous for granary and town planning. granary almost same area as granary in mohenjodaro

Question 31

Mohenjodaro

Answer 31

one of the largest cities
popularly known as nakhilstan or garden of sindh bc of its productivity
successfully destroyed and rebuilt atleast 7 times
famous for town planning and great bath

Question 32

other sites

Answer 32

Dholavira
lothal
ganawariwala

Question 33

extent of indus

Answer 33

Punjab in west
UP in east
J&K in north
Narmada in South

Question 34

who claimed to have deciphered seals

Answer 34

SR Rao