Which material is used to make the 'Dancing Girl' found in Mohanjodaro ?

Question

Accepted Answer

The correct option is 3:
The iconic 'Dancing Girl' sculpture, unearthed from Mohenjo-daro, is made of **Bronze**. This is a crucial fact in the study of the Indus Valley Civilization as it demonstrates the advanced metallurgical skill of the people approximately 4,500 years ago. They utilized the sophisticated 'lost-wax' or *cire perdue* technique to cast this figure, which is a testament to their engineering and artistic prowess. Bronze, an alloy typically made of copper and tin, was significantly stronger and more durable than pure copper, allowing the sculptors to achieve the delicate, slender, and dynamic form seen in the famous figurine.

The incorrect option is 1:
While bronze is an alloy that is predominantly made of **Copper** (mixed with a percentage of tin), the finished material of the 'Dancing Girl' is correctly classified as bronze, not pure copper. The deliberate alloying of copper with tin was a critical technological advancement of the Bronze Age, as it increased the metal's hardness and malleability for casting. Therefore, although copper is the main component, 'Copper' alone is an inaccurate description of the final, superior material used for this intricate work of art.

The incorrect option is 2:
**Terracotta** (baked clay) was indeed a widely and frequently used material in the Indus Valley Civilization for a variety of objects such as toys, animal figures, seals, and numerous Mother Goddess figurines. However, the 'Dancing Girl' is fundamentally a metal sculpture. The delicate posture, slenderness, and detailed features of the figurine required the fluidity and strength of molten metal for casting, a result that would have been virtually impossible to achieve with the inherent brittleness and limitations of terracotta clay.

The incorrect option is 4:
**Brass** is an alloy primarily composed of copper and zinc. While the Harappan civilization was expert in the use of copper and its alloy, bronze, there is no archaeological evidence to indicate that they had discovered or mastered the process of alloying copper with zinc to create true brass during that period. The use of zinc and the resulting brass alloys became widespread in the Indian subcontinent much later in history, long after the decline of the Indus Valley Civilization.