Residential Area, Drainage and Food in Indus Valley Civilization

Residential Area, Drainage and Food in Indus Valley Civilization In the town area,away from the citadel ,platforms were built for houses. These platforms enabled houses in the city to be built above the flood level. Most of the houses were plain and uniform in plan; the rooms of each house were arranged around a courtyard. Each house had a single entrance and one of every three houses had a well too. Many houses had a well too. Many houses had a separate bathing area as well. Some of the houses were double storied.

Drainage: As he houses were built, a careful drainage system was laid out. The drain in houses invariably led to a cess- pool or manhole. The drains along the main roads were covered and were inspected and cleaned regularly. The drainage system of the Indus cities stands out as remarkable among the cities of the world at that time.

What did the people eat? A number of crops were cultivated – cereals like wheat and barley, pulses, oilseeds like mustard and sesame, and millets like bajra, ragi and jawar. Fish, meat, milk, date and fruit were also a part of the diet.

In search of raw materials: Raw materials are substances that are either found naturally (such as wood, or ores of metals) or produced by farmers or herders. These are then processed to produce finished goods. For example, cotton, produced by farmers, is a raw material that may be processed to make cloth. While some of the raw materials that the Harappans used were available locally, many items such as copper, tin, gold, silver and precious stones had to be brought from distant places. Gold could have come all the way from present- day Karnataka, and precious stones from present –day Gujarat, Ian and Afghanistan.

What did they wear: Archaeologists have found evidence of cotton and woven cloth. Spindles (used to spin cotton thread) made of clay have been found in many sites. Men wore flowing lengths of cloth, while the women wore skirts. Both the men and the women seem to have draped a shawl over their shoulders. Both men and women wore ornaments made of gold, silver and beads of semi- precious stones like jade, lapis.

Food for people in the cities: While many people lived in the cities, others living in the countryside grew crops and reared animals. These farmers and herders supplied food to crafts persons, scribes and rulers in the cities. The Harappans reared cattle, sheep, goat and buffalo. Water and pastures were available around settlements. However, in the dry summer months large herds of animals were probably taken to greater distances in search of grass and water.

Did they know how to write? The people of the Indus civilization had developed a form of writing. This was one of the world’s earliest known scripts. Writing was in the form of brief inscriptions found mainly on seals of different materials like, clay, baked clay and steatite. Archaeologists reveal that the writing is usually from right to left.

Sample Questions

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Question : 1

Which of the following was not true about the Indus Valley civilisation ? A. The drainge system they created was based on the sumerian design. B. It had trade link by sea with other regions. C. Existance of street lught has been revealed in the excavations. D. All sites excavated show the existance of huge public bath.
A. Only A and D	B. Only C and D	C. Only A and B	D. Only B and D
Right Option : D
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