Question

Describe the people of Harappan cities.

Answer 1

Hint:
Harappan civilization, also known as Indus Valley Civilization or the Bronze Age, was located in the Indus River valley.
In the Harappan Civilization, the social and economic life of the people was systematic and organized.

Complete answer:
Harappan civilization, also known as Indus Valley Civilization or the Bronze Age, was located in the Indus River valley. ‘Harappa’ was the first Indus site to be discovered in 1921 by Dayaram Sahni. In 1922, ‘Mohenjodaro’, the largest site of the civilization was excavated by Rakhal Das Banerjee. Both these sites, Harappa and Mohenjodaro are now located in Pakistan, in the Sahiwal and Larkana districts respectively.

In the Harappan Civilization, the social and economic life of the people was systematic and organized. The population of the Indus Valley consisted of Mediterranean, Australoid, Mongoloid and Alpine races. Mohenjo-Daro, the largest city of the Indus civilization, had an approximate population of 35000.

In Harappan cities the basic occupations of people were:

> Agriculture was the main source of occupation of the Indus people. Their main crops were Wheat and Barley grown in Banawali. Rice was also grown by them in Lothal and Rangpur.

> The staple food of the people were wheat, barley, rice, milk and some vegetables like peas, and fruits like date palms. Beef, mutton, pork, poultry, fish etc. were also eaten by the Indus people. The discovery of a granary at Harappa provides support to this.

> There were certain people who were involved in the planning and construction of special buildings in the city. They sent other people to distant places to get the raw material and kept the most valuable objects, such as ornaments of gold and silver, or beautiful beads, for themselves. At that time, people travelled to inland places by carts and to foreign lands by ships.

> The people who knew how to write also helped in the preparation of seals and they were called scribes. They may have written on other materials that have not survived till date.

> Men and women both worked as craftspersons and made all kinds of things, either in their own homes or in special workshops.

Note:
Harappans were also the earliest in the world to spin and weave cotton. In 1929, archaeologists found rubbles of cotton at Mohenjo Daro dating between 3,250 and 2750 BCE.
Cotton threads have been found around a copper razor, tied to the handle of a mirror and from a female burial site from the Harappan excavation site.