At many Indus centres, we see structures thought to have functioned as ________________________, although their actual function is unclear.

Question

BlackTom AI · Accepted Answer

When evaluating the prompt, we’re asked to consider what people at Indus sites believed those structures to be, given that their actual function remains unclear.
Option 1: Craft production centres — Some scholars have proposed that certain buildings could have housed artisan work or production activity. However, the wording of the prompt emphasizes that the function is unclear and that these structures were often thought to serve a larger, possibly storied role beyond everyday workshops, making this option less fitting as the primary historical interpretation.
Option 2: Trade centres — While long-distance exchange did occur in the Indus region, the evidence for a dedicated network of buildings explicitly serving as trade hubs within city layouts is not as strongly supported as the granary interpretation. The phrase about unclear function typically points away from a clear commercial function, reducing the likelihood of this being the best match.
Option 3: Breweries — There is little consensus or strong typological evidence that these particular structures were beer breweries. This choice relies on a specific—and somewhat debated—interpretation that is not widely cited as the standard explanation for Indus architecture, making it an unlikely fit for the overall statement.
Option 4: Granaries — The most common scholarly interpretation linked to large, regularly shaped, multi-room structures at several Indus sites is that they could have functioned as granaries or storage facilities. The lack of definitive inscriptions or diagnostic features means their exact use is still debated, but granaries are the interpretation that historically appears most often in discussions of Indus urban form and storage/ritual economy, aligning well with the prompt’s emphasis on unclear function while retaining the prevailing hypothesis.
Option 5: Temples — Temples would imply a clearly religious purpose, and while sacred spaces may exist in Indus cities, the specific structures in question are generally not identified or labeled as temples in the same way as granaries are in many discussions. This makes it less consistent with the phrasing that the function is uncertain and the structures are interpreted as storage-related in some accounts.
In summary, the option describing granaries best aligns with the historical pattern of Indus site interpretation, where large storage-related buildings are observed but their exact use isn’t definitively proven, hence opening room for ongoing debate about their precise role.

ARCH100 OL01 Midterm Exam # 2 - March 17-23, 2025

At many Indus centres, we see structures thought to have functioned as ________________________, although their actual function is unclear.

View Explanation

Log in for full answers

Similar Questions

A sunken rectangular bath or pool was found at ____________, but similar baths have not been found at contemporaneous cities in the Indus Valley.

By the beginning of the Early Harappan period, we see an increase in _____________________ throughout the Indus Valley.

The factory at Lothal seems to have specialized in the production of ________________.

In the Indus Valley, long-distance trade of Lapis is known from the Neolithic period at the site of _____________________.

The Indus culture had standardized ___________________________, though to reflect the importance of trade or redistribution.

Based on city size alone, it has been suggested that Harappan culture was ____________________.

A sunken rectangular bath or pool was found at ____________, but similar baths have not been found at contemporaneous cities in the Indus Valley.

The decline of Harappan (or Indus Valley) society has been argued to be the result of foreign invasion, based upon ________________________.

More Practical Tools for Students Powered by AI Study Helper

Homework AI Solver

Stylized AI Paper Writer

Plagiarism Checker Assistant

Citation AI Academic Writing Tool

In-Class Translation Assistant

AI Note Generator

AI Quiz Answers

Past Exam Questions from University Test Bank

Smart Practice Assistant

Adaptive Practice

Making Your Study Simpler