RAS question
The cemetery 'H' culture found at Harappa belongs to which period?
Correct answer: (D) Late/Post-Harappan.
The Cemetery H culture found at Harappa belongs to the Late or Post-Harappan phase.
Explanation
Cemetery H is placed in the Late or Post-Harappan phase, not in the formative or mature urban phase of the civilisation. The chronology identifies it around 1900-1300 BCE, and the NCERT chapter defines 1900-1300 BCE as the Late Harappan period after the decline of the Mature Harappan phase. NCERT also marks Cemetery H on its map of areas of Late Harappan occupation. The reason this matters is that Cemetery H represents cultural transformation after the mature city phase: changed burial practices and painted pottery with peacocks and stars both point to a later successor phase rather than the classic Mature Harappan urban horizon.
Why the other options are wrong
- (A) Early Harappan is the formative phase before the mature urban stage, while Cemetery H is tied to the later 1900-1300 BCE sequence.
- (B) Pre-Harappan is still earlier than the Early Harappan phase, so it cannot describe a culture associated with post-decline Harappa.
- (C) Mature Harappan refers to the prosperous urban phase ending around 1900 BCE, whereas Cemetery H is placed after that phase.
Concept
This tests the periodisation of the Harappan civilisation and the identification of archaeological cultures with specific phases. RAS often asks such markers because one site or culture can separate Early, Mature and Late Harappan chronology in a single MCQ.