By c.1800 BCE which ‘Mature’ Harappan site had been abandoned?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 1
The correct answer is Option (1) → Cholistan
The Harappan civilisation did not end at one stroke. By c. 1800 BCE most of the Mature Harappan sites in regions such as Cholistan had been abandoned, while people moved into new settlements in Gujarat, Haryana and western Uttar Pradesh. Cholistan is the name of a region rather than of a single site; the question uses it for the Mature Harappan sites of that region.
In the few sites that were still occupied after 1900 BCE, the distinctive Harappan artefacts – weights, seals, special beads – disappeared, along with writing and long-distance trade. Such settlements show a rural way of life, called ‘Late Harappan’ or ‘successor cultures’.
NCERT (2025-26): “9. The End of the Civilisation … There is evidence that by c. 1800 BCE most of the Mature Harappan sites in regions such as Cholistan had been abandoned. Simultaneously, there was an expansion of population into new settlements in Gujarat, Haryana and western Uttar Pradesh. In the few Harappan sites that continued to be occupied after 1900 BCE there appears to have been a transformation of material culture, marked by the disappearance of the distinctive artefacts of the civilisation – weights, seals, special beads. Writing, long-distance trade, and craft specialisation also disappeared. In general, far fewer materials were used to make far fewer things. House construction techniques deteriorated and large public structures were no longer produced. Overall, artefacts and settlements indicate a rural way of life in what are called ‘Late Harappan’ or ‘successor cultures’.” |