Which of the following statements is/are correct regarding the Indus Valley Civilization (IVC)? i. Scribes were involved in the s…

Question

Which of the following statements is/are correct regarding the Indus Valley Civilization (IVC)?

i. Scribes were involved in the seal-making process of the civilization.

ii. The Great Bath of Mohenjodaro featured brick walls and a waterproof layer of natural tar.

iii. The people of IVC used iron ploughs in their agricultural practices.

Select the correct answer using the codes given below:

1. A. i and ii only (Correct answer)
2. B. ii and iii only
3. C. i only
4. D. i, ii and iii

Correct Answer

Option A — i and ii only

Detailed Solution & Explanation

The correct answer is i and ii only.

Key Points

• Statement i is correct. Scribes were involved in seal-making. The Harappan seals carry a script that had to be inscribed by someone literate in it, and the standardisation of the signs across a vast area implies a trained scribal group working with the seal-cutters.
• Statement ii is correct. The Great Bath at Mohenjodaro was built of finely fitted burnt brick, made watertight with a layer of natural tar (bitumen) between the brick courses, plus gypsum mortar. It measures roughly 12 × 7 metres and 2.4 metres deep, with steps at either end.
• Statement iii is incorrect. The Indus Valley Civilization was a Bronze Age culture and did not know iron. Iron appears in India only around 1200–1000 BCE, well after the Harappan decline. Harappan ploughing is attested by a terracotta plough model from Banawali and a ploughed field at Kalibangan, but these were wooden ploughs.

Additional Information

• The Harappan script remains undeciphered. It is boustrophedon — written right to left on the first line and left to right on the next — with around 400 signs, and no bilingual inscription has been found.
• Great Bath features: a well to supply it, a corbelled drain to empty it, and surrounding rooms. It is generally interpreted as serving ritual bathing, indicating the importance of ceremonial purity.
• Key sites and finds: Mohenjodaro (Great Bath, Great Granary, bronze Dancing Girl, Pashupati seal), Harappa (granaries, cemetery R-37), Lothal (dockyard), Kalibangan (ploughed field, fire altars), Dholavira (water reservoirs, signboard), Rakhigarhi (largest site, in Haryana).
• Chronology: Early Harappan c. 3300–2600 BCE, Mature Harappan c. 2600–1900 BCE, Late Harappan c. 1900–1300 BCE.
• Metals known: copper, bronze, gold, silver, lead and tin. Iron was unknown — the single most reliable elimination point in Harappan questions.