Why did the Harappans coat a thick layer of black clay on large Harappan jars?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 3
The correct answer is Option (3) → To prevent the percolation of liquids
A distinctive type of vessel, a large Harappan jar coated with a thick layer of black clay, has been found at sites in Oman. Such thick coatings prevent the percolation of liquids, that is, they stop a liquid from seeping out through the pot. We do not know what the jars carried, but the Harappans may have exchanged their contents for Omani copper.
NCERT (2025-26): “6.2 Contact with distant lands … There are other traces of contact as well. A distinctive type of vessel, a large Harappan jar coated with a thick layer of black clay has been found at Omani sites. Such thick coatings prevent the percolation of liquids. We do not know what was carried in these vessels, but it is possible that the Harappans exchanged the contents of these vessels for Omani copper.…” |