The little pots of faience were probably considered precious. Identify the main reason?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 4
The correct answer is Option (4) → They were difficult to make
Archaeologists divide artefacts into utilitarian objects and luxuries. Utilitarian objects are things of daily use made fairly easily out of ordinary materials such as stone or clay, like querns and pottery. Objects are taken as luxuries if they are rare, or made from costly, non-local materials, or with complicated technologies. Faience is a material made of ground sand or silica mixed with colour and a gum and then fired. So the little pots of faience were probably considered precious because they were difficult to make.
Options (1), (2) and (3) describe utilitarian objects, the opposite of precious ones.
NCERT (2025-26): “4.2 Looking for ‘luxuries’ … The first category includes objects of daily use made fairly easily out of ordinary materials such as stone or clay. These include querns, pottery, needles, flesh-rubbers (body scrubbers), etc., and are usually found distributed throughout settlements. Archaeologists assume objects were luxuries if they are rare or made from costly, non-local materials or with complicated technologies. Thus, little pots of faience (a material made of ground sand or silica mixed with colour and a gum and then fired) were probably considered precious because they were difficult to make.…” |