The prevalence of agriculture at the Harappan civilization sites is indicated by finds of ____________.
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 3
The correct answer is Option (3) → Grains
The prevalence of agriculture at Harappan sites is indicated by finds of grain: wheat, barley, lentil, chickpea and sesame, with millets in Gujarat and, rarely, rice. Charred grains and seeds are studied by archaeo-botanists, the specialists in ancient plant remains.
Seals and terracotta sculpture answer a different question, how the land was farmed: they show that the bull was known, so oxen were probably used for ploughing. Animal bones tell us about the animals the Harappans kept or hunted.
NCERT (2025-26): “2.1 Agricultural technologies … While the prevalence of… agriculture is indicated by finds of grain, it is more difficult to reconstruct actual agricultural practices. Were seeds broadcast (scattered) on ploughed lands? Representations on seals and terracotta sculpture indicate that the bull was known, and archaeologists extrapolate from this that oxen were used for ploughing. Moreover, terracotta models of the plough have been found at sites in Cholistan and at Banawali (Haryana). Archaeologists have also found evidence of a ploughed field at Kalibangan (Rajasthan), associated with Early Harappan levels (see p. 20). The field had two sets of furrows at right angles to each other, suggesting that two different crops were grown together.…” |