Who described for the first time about the Harappa in 1826 ?
Charles Masson
First Description of Harappa in 1826
The question asks about the individual who first described the site of Harappa in the year 1826. Understanding the early history of the exploration of Indus Valley sites is key to answering this question.
Historical records indicate that various individuals visited the area that would later be recognized as the ancient city of Harappa long before large-scale archaeological excavations began.
Charles Masson and the Harappa Site
Charles Masson, a British explorer and soldier, traveled through the region in 1826. While his primary interest was not archaeology in the modern sense, he noted the presence of significant ancient mounds. In his book, 'Narrative of Various Journeys in Balochistan, Afghanistan and the Punjab' published in 1842, he mentioned seeing large mounds at a place called 'Haripah'. He described their height and extent, observing that bricks from the ruins were being used by local people for construction.
This account by Charles Masson in 1826 is widely recognized as the earliest documented description of the Harappa site by a European.
Other Notable Figures
Let's briefly consider the other options provided:
- Alexander Cunningham: As the first Director-General of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), Alexander Cunningham visited Harappa in 1853 and again in 1872-73. He conducted some early excavations and published his findings, even noticing seals with unknown scripts. However, his visit and description came after Charles Masson's.
- John Marshall: Sir John Marshall became the Director-General of the ASI in 1902. Under his tenure, major excavations were carried out at Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro in the 1920s, leading to the official announcement of the discovery of the Indus Valley Civilization in 1924. He was instrumental in revealing the scale and significance of these sites, but he was not the first to describe Harappa in 1826.
Comparing the timelines, it is clear that Charles Masson's visit and description in 1826 predates the significant work done by Alexander Cunningham and John Marshall regarding the Harappa site.
Therefore, Charles Masson was the first person to describe the site of Harappa in 1826.
Important Questions from Harappa Civilization
Given below are two statements: One is labelled as Assertion A and the other is labelled as Reason R.
Assertion (A): The People of Harappan civilization are said to have commercial links with the people of the Tigris and Euphrates basins.
Reason (R): There is no archaeological evidence to substantiate the hypothesis of trade links with Mesopotamia.
In the light of the above statements, choose the most appropriate answer from the options given below:
Given below are two statements - one labelled as Assertion (A) and the other labelled as Reason (R):
Assertion (A): There is little doubt now that certain facets of Indus Civilization survived into the second and the first millennium cultures.
Reason (R) : The earlier hiatus between the Indus Civilization and the Vedic culture is no longer acceptable
In the context of the above two statements, which of the following is correct?
Which of the following were the most standardised products of the Indus people?
Harappan believed in
At which of the following Harappan sites has a dockyard been found suggesting the existence of trade?
