Which of the following statements is/are correct regarding Indus Valley Civilization. 1. New study has shown that dairy products were being produced by the Harappans as far back as 2500 BCE. 2. Archaeologists established Rakhigari as the biggest Harappan civilisation site. 3. Harappan people in Gujarat produced rice and domesticated elephants, which was not the case with the people of Mesopotamian cities.

Which of the following statements is/are correct regarding Indus Valley Civilization. 1. New study has shown that dairy products were being produced by the Harappans as far back as 2500 BCE. 2. Archaeologists established Rakhigari as the biggest Harappan civilisation site. 3. Harappan people in Gujarat produced rice and domesticated elephants, which was not the case with the people of Mesopotamian cities. Correct Answer 1, 2 and 3

The correct answer is 1, 2 and 3.

• The year 2020 marks 100 years of discovery of Indus Valley Civilisation, and a new study has shown that dairy products were being produced by the Harappans as far back as 2500 BCE. Hence statement 1 is correct.
• By analysing residues on ancient pots, researchers show the earliest direct evidence of dairy product processing, thus throwing fresh light on the rural economy of the civilisation.
• “When we talk about Harappans, we always refer to the metropolitan cities and the big towns. But we have no idea of the parallel economy — agro-pastoral or rural. We know they had great urban planning, trading systems, jewellery making. But we don't have any idea how the common masters were living during the Harappan times, their lifestyle and how they were contributing in the larger network,” explains Prabodh Shirvalkar, from the Department of Ancient Indian History, Culture and Archaeology at the Deccan College Postgraduate and Research Institute, Pune. 
• The team used molecular analysis techniques to study the residues from ancient pottery. 
• Animal husbandry :
  • The study also shows which type of animals were being used for dairy production.
  • They studied the tooth enamel from fossils of cattle, water buffalo, goat and sheep found in the area.

Key Points

• Rakhigari :
  • The discovery of two more mounds at the Harappan site of Rakhigarhi in Hisar district, Haryana, has led to archaeologists establishing it as the biggest Harappan civilisation site. Hence statement 2 is correct.
  • Until now, specialists in the Harappan civilisation had argued that Mohenjo-daro in Pakistan was the largest among the 2,000 Harappan sites known to exist in India, Pakistan, and Afghanistan.
• Domestication of Animals :
  • Oxen, Buffaloes, goats, sheep, pigs, dogs, cats, Camels, donkeys were kept.
  • Elephants were well known to the Harappans, who were also acquainted with the rhinoceros. The contemporary Sumerian cities in Mesopotamia produced virtually the same food grains and domesticated the same animals as did the Harappans but the Harappans in Gujarat domesticated elephants and produced the rice which was not the case with Mesopotamians. Hence statement 3 is correct.
  • The Harappan culture was not horse-centred. Neither the bones of the horse nor its representations appear in early and mature Harappan culture. (Asked in UPSC Prelims 2017)