An Encyclopaedia of Indian Archaeology v1.c9.s9.59

v1.c9.s9.59

On the economic front too the pre-Harappans were well off. The discovery of a ploughed field with grid-patterned furrow marks in association with the pre-Harappa levels at KALIBANGAN (already referred to earlier) makes it amply clear that these people had even planned to produce two kinds of cereals simultaneously in a single field. In other words, agricultural surplus—an imperative for sustaining urban centres wherein whole-time craft-specialists depend on food-supply from rural areas—was being created. Though no doubt not on the Harappa scale, trade and commerce were also in evidence; otherwise how else can one explain the presence of lapis lazuli, which very likely was an import from Afghanistan, in the pre-Harappa levels?