NCERT Book Class 6 Social Science (History) Chapter 3 In the Earliest Cities

CHAPTER 3
IN THE EARLIEST CITIES

Saving an old building
Jaspal and Harpreet were playing cricket in the lane
outside their home when they noticed the people who
were admiring the dilapidated old building that the
children called the haunted house.
“Look at the architecture!” said one of the men.
“Have you seen the fine wood carving?” asked one of
the women.
“We must write to the Minister so that she makes
arrangements to repair and preserve this beautiful
house.” Why, they wondered, would anybody be
interested in the old, run down house?

The story of Harappa
Very often, old buildings have a story to tell. Nearly
a hundred and fifty years ago, when railway lines
were being laid down for the first time in Punjab,
engineers stumbled upon the site of Harappa in
present-day Pakistan. To them, it seemed like a
mound that was a rich source of ready made, high
quality bricks. So they carried off thousands of
bricks from the walls of the old buildings of the
city to build railway lines. Many buildings were
completely destroyed.
Then, about eighty years ago, archaeologists
found the site, and realised that this was one of
the oldest cities in the subcontinent. As this was
the first city to be discovered, all other sites from
where similar buildings (and other things) were
found were described as Harappan. These cities
developed about 4700 years ago.
Very often, old buildings are pulled down to
 22 make way for new construction. Do you think it is
our pasts–i
important to preserve old buildings?

Chapter 3-4.indd 22 22 April 2022 03:21:57