Quiz: Indus Valley Civilization

Explanation: Daya Ram Sahni discovered Harappa in 1921 under the Archaeological Survey of India.

Explanation: R.D. Banerji discovered Mohenjo-daro in 1922 in Larkana district, Sindh.

Explanation: John Marshall, Director-General of the ASI, directed the Mohenjo-daro excavations in the 1920s.

Explanation: It is also called the Harappan Civilization, after Harappa, the first site discovered.

Explanation: Mohenjo-daro is in Sindh, near Larkana, on the right bank of the Indus.

Explanation: Harappa is in the Sahiwal district of Punjab, Pakistan, on the bank of the Ravi.

Explanation: The Great Bath is a large public water tank found at Mohenjo-daro, likely used for ritual bathing.

Explanation: The IVC had grid-pattern streets, planned drainage, standardised bricks, and evidence of municipal planning.

Explanation: The IVC used standardised burnt bricks with a 1:2:4 proportion (thickness:width:length), highly uniform across sites.

Explanation: The 'Pashupati Seal' depicts a seated figure with a horned headdress surrounded by animals — often identified as a proto-Shiva.

Explanation: The Dancing Girl is a bronze figurine discovered at Mohenjo-daro in 1926.

Explanation: The Indus script remains undeciphered and is preserved mostly on seals and pottery.

Explanation: Seals were likely used for trade, identification of merchants, and administrative sealing.

Explanation: The humped bull (zebu) is the most common animal depicted on Indus seals.

Explanation: The horse is conspicuously absent from IVC art and seals — likely introduced by the Aryans later.

Explanation: Lothal is in Gujarat, India, and famous for its dockyard and bead-making industry.

Explanation: Lothal has an ancient dockyard and evidence of bead manufacturing, indicating maritime trade.

Explanation: Dholavira is in Kutch, Gujarat, famous for its water reservoirs and three-part city layout.

Explanation: Kalibangan is in Rajasthan, India, known for evidence of ploughed fields.

Explanation: Rakhigarhi is in Haryana, India, and has yielded major DNA evidence about IVC populations.

Explanation: Mesopotamian texts refer to trade with 'Meluhha' (likely the Indus), and Indus seals were found in Mesopotamian sites.

Explanation: The IVC cultivated cotton — the first civilization known to produce cotton textiles.

Explanation: Wheat, barley, peas, and cotton were the major crops; rice was grown in Gujarat.

Explanation: The Mature Harappan phase is dated approximately 2600 BCE to 1900 BCE, with earlier and later phases.

Explanation: Mehrgarh, in Balochistan, shows the early phase (7000 BCE onward) with farming and early pottery.

Explanation: Mehrgarh is on the Kachi plain of Balochistan, Pakistan, occupied from 7000 BCE.

Explanation: Multiple factors — climate change, drying of the Ghaggar-Hakra, floods, and possibly Aryan migration — likely contributed to decline.

Explanation: The Ghaggar-Hakra is often identified with the Saraswati River of the Rigveda.

Explanation: A massive granary has been excavated at Mohenjo-daro, and similar structures at Harappa — suggesting centralised grain storage.

Explanation: IVC weights were based on a binary (1, 2, 4, 8, 16...) and decimal (1, 10, 100...) system — very advanced for its time.

Explanation: Iron was not used in the IVC — it appeared later with the Vedic period. Copper, bronze, gold, and silver were used.

Explanation: The Priest-King statue (steatite) was found at Mohenjo-daro in 1927.

Explanation: Most IVC cities had an elevated citadel (west) and a lower town (east) — reflecting social or administrative stratification.

Explanation: Dholavira has a large open ground interpreted as a stadium or ceremonial assembly area.

Explanation: IVC burials include extended inhumation with grave goods; some sites (like Farmana) show symbolic burials without skeletons.

Explanation: The seal's seated figure with a horned headdress surrounded by animals resembles depictions of Lord Shiva (Pashupati = Lord of Animals).

Explanation: Carnelian beads from the Indus were highly prized in Mesopotamia — the bead industry was a major export.

Explanation: Persian Gulf seals at IVC sites (especially Lothal) show direct trade with Dilmun (Bahrain) and the Gulf region.

Explanation: Evidence suggests worship of a mother goddess, a Pashupati-like figure, and sacred trees and animals — possibly proto-Hindu elements.

Explanation: 'Mohenjo-daro' means 'Mound of the Dead' in Sindhi.

Explanation: The IVC was an urban civilization — the earliest urban culture in South Asia.

Explanation: Both were major urban centres with citadels, granaries, drainage systems, and standardised bricks.

Explanation: The Indus River and its tributaries formed the core of the IVC, with cities along its banks.

Explanation: Rakhigarhi (Haryana) is among the largest IVC sites, with extensive DNA analysis published recently.

Explanation: Unlike Egypt and Mesopotamia, the IVC has no evidence of monumental palaces, pyramids, or royal tombs — suggesting a more egalitarian or oligarchic society.

Explanation: Mohenjo-daro was inscribed in 1980; Harappa is not a World Heritage Site but is under ASI protection.

Explanation: The Aryan invasion theory is no longer accepted; migration and acculturation theories are favoured by most scholars.

Explanation: The Dancing Girl is a bronze figurine (lost-wax casting) found at Mohenjo-daro.

Explanation: IVC trade networks extended to Mesopotamia, the Persian Gulf, Central Asia (via Afghanistan), and possibly Egypt.