Module: General Practice
Q14: Consider the following statements regarding Harappan procurement expeditions and the Khetri region:
1. To procure high-value raw materials locally unavailable, the Harappans established distant settlements like Shortughai in Afghanistan specifically for lapis lazuli.
2. Expeditions were sent to the Khetri region of Rajasthan, where archaeologists have identified a distinct local community called the Ganeshwar-Jodhpura culture.
3. The Ganeshwar-Jodhpura culture is characterized by an unusual wealth of copper objects and pottery that is identical to standard Harappan pottery.
Which of the above statements is/are correct?
2. Expeditions were sent to the Khetri region of Rajasthan, where archaeologists have identified a distinct local community called the Ganeshwar-Jodhpura culture.
3. The Ganeshwar-Jodhpura culture is characterized by an unusual wealth of copper objects and pottery that is identical to standard Harappan pottery.
Which of the above statements is/are correct?
✅ Correct Answer: A
🎯 Quick Answer:
Option A is the correct answer because statement 3 is factually inaccurate regarding the pottery of the Ganeshwar-Jodhpura culture.Structural Breakdown: The Harappan civilization lacked significant local deposits of copper and gold.
To solve this, they sent expeditions south into the Indian peninsula for gold, and east into the Khetri region of Rajasthan specifically for copper.
Historical/Related Context: The Khetri region was inhabited by an entirely separate cultural group.
Archaeologists named it the Ganeshwar-Jodhpura culture.
Evidence suggests the Harappans likely bartered their own surplus goods in exchange for raw copper mined by these local inhabitants.
Causal Reasoning: While the Ganeshwar-Jodhpura culture did possess an unusual and massive wealth of copper objects, their pottery was distinctively non-Harappan.
This confirms that they were a separate indigenous community trading with the Harappans, rather than a colonized Harappan outpost.