Q1.
Looking at the objects on pages 100 and 101 — or any other pictured in this chapter — can you make out what activities or aspects of life were important for the Harappans?
Answer
Every object is a clue to an activity. Go through the two plates one by one and the shape of a whole life appears.
| Object (Fig.) | What it tells us mattered |
|---|---|
| Bronze mirror (6.14-1, Dholavira) | Personal appearance and grooming — and the skill to cast and polish bronze until it reflects |
| Terracotta pot (6.14-2, Dholavira) | Cooking, storage — and decoration. It is painted with bands and patterns, so even a kitchen pot was meant to look good |
| Stone weights (6.14-3, Dholavira) | Accurate measurement in trade. Weights in graded sizes mean fixed standards, honest dealing and, behind them, an administration |
| Bronze chisel (6.14-4, Dholavira) | Craft and construction — the tool that cut the stone the city was built with |
| Stone gamesboard, about 25 cm (6.14-5, Dholavira) | Leisure and play for adults — and rules, since a board game needs agreed rules |
| Terracotta whistle, about 4 cm (6.14-6, Karanpura) | Childhood. Somebody made toys for children |
| ‘Priest King’ statuette (6.15-1) | Important people, fine cloth and portraiture — note the patterned shawl. But the book warns: “it is not known whose figure was this” |
| Seal with a swastika (6.15-2) | Symbols and beliefs — a sign still in use in India today |
| Pashupati seal (6.15-3) | Religious or symbolic ideas — a three-faced figure seated on a raised platform, surrounded by powerful animals |
| ‘Dancing Girl’ bronze, 10.8 cm (6.15-4) | Music, dance, ornament and confidence — and mastery of bronze casting in the round |
| Figurine seated in a ‘namaste’ (6.15-5) | Gestures of greeting or respect that are still used every day in India |
| Thirsty-crow design on a pot (6.15-6, Lothal) | Storytelling — the very same story children are told today |
Now group the clues. Five aspects of life stand out:
- Work and skill — bronze-casting, stone-cutting, pottery, weaving.
- Trade and honesty in measurement — the graded stone weights.
- Beauty and personal care — mirror, ornaments, painted pots, the ivory comb from Oman.
- Play, music and childhood — gamesboard, whistle, the dancing figure.
- Belief and story — swastika, Pashupati seal, namaste, the crow and the pot.
What is missing from the two pages is just as revealing: there is no sword, no dagger, no shield, no chariot of war, no image of a king trampling an enemy. Compare that with almost any other ancient civilisation, whose art is full of battles. Read pages 100–101 as a whole and you see a people who spent their skill on bathing, measuring, decorating, playing and praying — which is exactly the evidence behind the chapter's line that this “seems to have been a relatively peaceful civilisation”.