UPSC Prelims 2026 Q8: Harappan Artefacts and Inferences — Explained
Consider the following statements about the archaeological findings in Harappan towns:
I. There is wide occurrence of spindle-whorls in the houses but absence of spinning wheels.
II. Weights and measurement scales, complete with graduations have been discovered.
III. There are houses built in large part with baked bricks, around relatively spacious courtyards, with their own wells, bathing platforms, and large rooms.
Which of the following inferences can be drawn from the above statements?
1. Statement I suggests that spinning was a laborious activity done at home.
2. Statement II suggests the extent of the scientific knowledge that the Harappans possessed.
3. Statement III suggests the emergence of a common property system.
- 1 and 2 only
- 2 and 3 only
- 1 and 3 only
- 1, 2 and 3
Answer: (a) 1 and 2 only
Statement-wise explanation
- I: correct — This is a finding, not an inference. Clay and faience spindle-whorls turn up widely in Harappan houses, and the spinning wheel does not appear in India until the medieval period. A spindle-whorl is a small weight fixed to a stick. It gives the twist that turns raw cotton or other fibre into thread.
- II: correct — Also a finding. Graded cubical weights, mostly of chert, follow a binary series (1:2:4:8:16:32) for the smaller units and a decimal series for the larger ones. The most common weight is about 13.7 g. Graduated measuring scales are known from Mohenjo-daro (a shell scale) and Lothal (an ivory scale).
- III: correct — Also a finding, recorded for Mohenjo-daro's lower town. Many houses were built of baked brick around a central courtyard, with their own well, a bathing area and drains. Mohenjo-daro alone is estimated to have had about 700 wells, many of them inside private houses.
- 1: correct — Spindle-whorls are found inside homes, so spinning was done at home. With no spinning wheel, thread had to be twisted slowly by hand with a drop-spindle. That makes it laborious, household work. The inference follows directly from Statement I.
- 2: correct — Standard weights and scales with fine graduations need precise measurement and a number system (binary and decimal). The same weights were used across a very large area. This shows real knowledge of mathematics and measurement, so the inference follows from Statement II.
- 3: incorrect — Large houses with their own wells, bathing areas and spacious courtyards point to private ownership and wealth held by households. They also show differences between rich and poor, since other dwellings were small and cramped. That is the opposite of a common property system, so this inference does not follow from Statement III.
How to eliminate
Treat each inference as a logic test: does the evidence actually point that way? Inference 2 is safe from basic knowledge, since standard binary weights and graduated scales clearly show mathematical skill. Now look at inference 3. Houses with 'their own wells' and 'large rooms' stress private, household-level ownership. A 'common property system' would show up as shared resources, not private amenities, so inference 3 reverses what the evidence says. Rejecting 3 rules out every option that contains it, leaving only the combination of 1 and 2. Fact to remember: spindle-whorl = hand spinning at home; the spinning wheel reached India only in medieval times.
Know more
Reading archaeology: from artefact to inference
The Harappans left no text we can read, so historians reconstruct their society from objects. UPSC increasingly tests whether you can tell a finding (what was dug up) from an inference (what it suggests), and spot an inference that goes too far.
| Finding | Valid inference | Over-reach to avoid |
|---|---|---|
| Spindle-whorls in houses, no spinning wheel | Hand spinning at home; cotton and other fibres were worked | A factory-based textile industry |
| Graded chert cube weights (binary 1:2:4:8:16:32, decimal for larger units); shell and ivory scales | Standard measurement, arithmetic skill, regulated exchange | Coined money |
| Baked-brick courtyard houses with own wells, bathing platforms, drains | Private property, wealthy households, civic sanitation | Common or collective ownership |
| Small one-room dwellings alongside large houses | Social differentiation | An egalitarian society |
| Uniform brick ratio (about 1:2:4) across sites | Some central coordination or shared standards | A proven single empire or king |
Key facts
- Weights were mostly cubes of chert. The most common unit is about 13.7 g and the smallest about 0.856 g.
- Measuring scales: a shell fragment from Mohenjo-daro and an ivory scale from Lothal, both with fine graduations.
- Mohenjo-daro had an estimated 700 wells. Many houses had private wells and bathing areas linked to street drains.
- Cotton was grown and spun. The spinning wheel (charkha) came to India much later, in the medieval period.
Method for similar questions: for each inference ask, 'Does the evidence require or strongly suggest this?' Reject inferences that contradict the evidence (private amenities vs common property) or add something the evidence cannot show (kingship, coinage, religion as fact).
NCERT Concepts to Revise
- Harappan weights: Statement II rests on the binary-and-decimal chert weights; judging inference 2 means asking what that standardised system reveals about Harappan knowledge.
- Harappan town planning: Statement III describes baked-brick courtyard houses with private wells and baths; inference 3 hinges on what such housing implies about ownership.
- Harappan civilisation: All three statements are archaeological findings, so the question tests whether each proposed inference actually follows from what was excavated.
- Mohenjo-daro: Mohenjo-daro supplies Statement III's courtyard houses and roughly 700 wells, plus a shell measuring scale relevant to Statement II.
- Lothal: Lothal's graduated ivory scale is key evidence behind Statement II's claim about measurement scales with graduations.