History · Ch 1 — Bricks, Beads and Bones — The Harappan Civilisation
Tracking Social Differences
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Tracking Social Differences
Understanding Social Differences in Harappan Society
Archaeologists use two main strategies to detect social or economic differences within a culture: studying burials and analysing artefacts (especially by classifying them as utilitarian or luxury items).
1. Burials as Evidence
Burials can reveal social status through the effort put into the grave and the wealth buried with the dead.
- Burial practices in Harappa: The dead were generally laid in simple pits.
- Variations in construction: Some pits were lined with bricks, while others were not. This difference might indicate social status, but archaeologists are not certain.
- Grave goods: Some graves contained pottery, ornaments, or copper mirrors. Jewellery has been found in burials of both men and women.
- Key example: In a Harappan cemetery excavation (mid-1980s), a male skull was found with an ornament made of three shell rings, a jasper bead, and hundreds of micro beads.
- Overall pattern: Harappans generally did not bury large quantities of precious items with the dead, unlike contemporary Egyptian pyramids.
Conclusion: Burial evidence suggests some variation, but it is not strong enough to clearly define social classes.
2. Artefacts: Utilitarian vs. Luxuries
A more systematic method is to classify artefacts into two categories:
| Category | Definition | Examples | Distribution |
|---|---|---|---|
| Utilitarian | Objects of daily use, made easily from ordinary materials (stone, clay). | Querns, pottery, needles, flesh-rubbers (body scrubbers). | Found widely throughout all settlements. |
| Luxuries | Objects that are rare, made from costly/non-local materials, or require complicated technology. | Faience pots, gold jewellery, items made from semi-precious stones. | Concentrated in large settlements (e.g., Mohenjodaro, Harappa); rare or absent in small settlements (e.g., Kalibangan). |
The Complication: Some objects of daily use (e.g., spindle whorls) were made from rare materials like faience. This blurs the line between utilitarian and luxury. …