How do archaeologists trace socio-economic differences in Harappan society? What are the differences that they notice?
Or
Describe how artefacts help in identifying social differences during the Harappan period.
1. Archaeologists trace socio-economic differences in Harappan society by adopting the following methods and techniques:
1. Burials. a. Difference in burial pits.
b. Presence of artefacts in the burial.
Archaeologist have found out that in Burials
a. There is difference in burial pits, some are just hollowed out space whereas others are lined with bricks.
b. Although Harappans rarely buried precious material along with their death one, however some graves did contain pottery, ornaments, jewellery which were made of semi precious stones.
2. Availability of Luxury goods.
Archaeologists assume objects to be luxuries if they are rare or made from costly, non-local materials or with complicated technologies.
Archaeologist have noticed that,
a. Larger settlements like Harappa and Mohenjodaro has large concerntration of Luxury goods whereas smaller settlements like kalibangan etc did not.
List the items of food available to people in Harappan cities. Indentify the groups who would have provided these.
Would you agree that the drainage system in Harappan cities indicates town planning? Give reasons for your answer.
List the material used to make beads in the Harappan Civilisation. Describe the process by which one kind of bead was made.
Look at following fig. and describe what you see. How is the body placed? What are the objects placed near it? Are there any artefacts on the body? Do these indicate the sex of the skeleton?
Fig. A Harappan Burial
