Question

‘Traces of cals have been found at the Harappan archaeological site of Shortughai in Afghanistan but not in Punjab or Sindh.’
Identify the explation provided by archaeologists from the following :

• A. Agricultural tools in Afghanistan were more advanced than in Punjab.
• B. Archaeologists have not excavated Punjab and Sindh thoroughly.
• C. Punjab and Sindh had higher rainfall than Shortughai.
• D. Shortughai had access to the perennial rivers of the Himalayas.

Hint:

Keep the two main Harappan water magement systems clear:
• Cals $\rightarrow$ Found explicitly at Shortughai (Afghanistan).
• Water Reservoirs $\rightarrow$ Found explicitly at Dholavira (Gujarat).

Answer 1

The Correct Option is C

Concept: The Harappan economy relied heavily on agriculture, cultivating crops like wheat, barley, and pulses. Because many Harappan urban centers were situated in semi-arid zones, maximizing crop yields required maging water resources through artificial irrigation networks.

Step 1: Assessing the archaeological evidence from Shortughai.
Archaeologists discovered clear evidence of ancient stone-lined irrigation cals at the outpost site of Shortughai in northern Afghanistan. This trading post was established near lapis lazuli sources in a dry, semi-arid environment far from the main Indus river valleys.

Step 2: Understanding the archaeological explation for Punjab and Sindh.
Archaeologists have proposed two main arguments for why visible traces of ancient cals are rarely found in the core regions of Punjab and Sindh:
• Siltation over time: It is highly probable that ancient cals in Punjab and Sindh became clogged with river silt over thousands of years, burying them beneath layers of alluvial soil.
• Climatic differences and alterte water sourcing: Unlike the arid mountainous terrain of Shortughai, the ancient Indus floodplains of Punjab and Sindh experienced higher rainfall and regular seasol river floods. This tural flooding reduced the need for long, permanent stone cals, as agriculture relied on floodwaters and well water instead.

Step 3: Evaluating the options.

• (A) is incorrect because Harappan tools were uniform across different settlements.
• (B) is incorrect because Punjab and Sindh are among the most thoroughly excavated regions of the civilization.
• (D) is misleading because both regions were connected to river systems. Thus, the primary explation given for the absence of visible cal structures in the core valleys is that these lower-lying alluvial regions experienced different environmental dymics, relying on regular rainfall and seasol flooding rather than permanent stone cals. This aligns with Option (C).