Identify the only means in use for grinding cereals in the Harappan Civilisation?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 2
The correct answer is Option (2) → Saddle Querns
Processing food required grinding equipment. One of the earliest reports on the excavations at Mohenjodaro says that saddle querns are found in considerable numbers and seem to have been the only means in use for grinding cereals. They were roughly made of hard, gritty rock or sandstone and show signs of hard use; their bases were convex, so they must have been set in earth or mud to stop them rocking.
NCERT (2025-26): “2.1 Agricultural technologies … Processing of food required grinding equipment as well as vessels for mixing, blending and cooking. These were made of stone, metal and terracotta. This is an excerpt from one of the earliest reports on excavations at Mohenjodaro, the best-known Harappan site: Saddle querns … are found in considerable numbers … and they seem to have been the only means in use for grinding cereals. As a rule, they were roughly made of hard, gritty, igneous rock or sandstone and mostly show signs of hard usage. As their bases are usually convex, they must have been set in the earth or in mud to prevent their rocking.…” |