Module: | Society, Religion & Burial Practices
Q34: Consider the following statements regarding the spatial distribution of faience pots and Harappan gold:
1. Miniature pots made of faience, widely believed to have been used as perfume flasks, are predominantly found in large settlements like Mohenjodaro and Harappa.
2. These complex faience luxury items are rarely, if ever, found in smaller Harappan settlements such as Kalibangan in Rajasthan.
3. Gold jewelry was extremely abundant and has been found systematically placed in almost every single excavated grave across the entire Harappan civilization.
Which of the above statements is/are correct?
2. These complex faience luxury items are rarely, if ever, found in smaller Harappan settlements such as Kalibangan in Rajasthan.
3. Gold jewelry was extremely abundant and has been found systematically placed in almost every single excavated grave across the entire Harappan civilization.
Which of the above statements is/are correct?
✅ Correct Answer: A
🎯 Quick Answer:
Option A is the correct answer because statement 3 is a complete factual inaccuracy regarding the abundance and placement of Harappan gold.Structural Breakdown: Faience pots are prime examples of this concentration.
Because they required specialized kilns and difficult technical processes, they were manufactured and consumed almost exclusively in the massive, wealthy urban hubs (Mohenjodaro, Harappa) and are absent from smaller provincial outposts (Kalibangan). Historical/Related Context: Gold, another extreme luxury, was not a locally abundant resource and had to be procured via long-distance expeditions to South India.
Causal Reasoning: Statement 3 is false because gold was extremely rare, not abundant.
Furthermore, the Harappans did not waste this rare precious metal by burying it in graves.
Instead, almost all the gold jewelry recovered by archaeologists was found carefully hidden away in "hoards" (often inside silver pots) left behind by jewelers or wealthy individuals beneath the floors of their houses, rather than in the cemetery.