History · Ch 1 — Bricks, Beads and Bones — The Harappan Civilisation
Looking for “luxuries”
Looking for “luxuries”
Understanding Social Differences Through Artefacts
Archaeologists study artefacts to uncover social hierarchies. They classify objects into two broad categories: utilitarian (everyday use) and luxuries (prestige items). The key is that luxury items are rare, made from costly or non-local materials, or require complex technology.
How to Identify a Luxury
- Utilitarian objects are made from ordinary materials (stone, clay) and are found widely across settlements. Examples: querns (grinding stones), pottery, needles, flesh-rubbers.
- Luxury objects are identified by three criteria:
- Rarity – found in few places.
- Costly or non-local materials – e.g., gold, faience (a man-made material from ground sand/silica, colour, and gum, fired to harden).
- Complex technology – difficult to manufacture, like faience pots.
Example: Faience pots were likely considered precious because they were hard to make. A copper mirror (Fig. 1.11) and a faience pot (Fig. 1.12) illustrate this.
The Complication: Blurred Boundaries
Some objects blur the line. For instance, spindle whorls (used for spinning thread) are everyday tools, but if made from rare materials like faience, are they utilitarian or luxury? This ambiguity forces archaeologists to look at distribution patterns.
Distribution as Evidence of Social Hierarchy
- Rare, valuable objects are concentrated in large settlements (e.g., Mohenjodaro, Harappa) and are absent from smaller settlements (e.g., Kalibangan). …
Drawn by us to help you understand the concept clearly, and verified to make sure it's accurate. For exams, practice from your NCERT textbook's own diagram.
What the Figure Shows
Figure 1.12 is a photograph of a single artefact: a small pot made of faience. The pot is not described in terms of colour, shape, or size in the caption, but the textbook text clarifies its significance. It is a miniature vessel, likely used as a perfume bottle, and is one of the few such objects found at Harappan sites.
What It Teaches About the Topic
The figure is placed in the section “Looking for ‘luxuries’”, which discusses how archaeologists classify artefacts as utilitarian (everyday objects of ordinary materials) or luxuries (rare, costly, or technically complex items). The faience pot is a key example of a luxury because:
- Material: Faience is a manufactured substance — ground sand or silica mixed with colour and gum, then fired. This process was difficult and required skill, making the material precious.
- Rarity: Such pots are found mostly in large settlements like Mohenjodaro and Harappa, and none in smaller sites like Kalibangan. This uneven distribution suggests they were not everyday items for everyone.
- Use: The text mentions they may have held perfume, reinforcing their association with elite or special purposes. …