With reference to the difference between the culture of Rigvedic Aryans and Indus Valley people, which of the following statements is/are correct? 1. Rigvedic Aryans used the coat of mail and helmet in warfare whereas the people of Indus Valley Civilization did not leave any evidence of using them. 2. Rigvedic Aryans knew gold, silver and copper whereas Indus Valley people knew only copper and iron. 3. Rigvedic Aryans had domesticated the horse whereas there is no evidence of Indus Valley people having been aware of this animal. Select the correct answer using the code given below:

Statements 1 and 3 are correct, so the answer is C.

• Statement 1 is correct. The Rigveda refers to armour (varman) and protective gear in battle. No coat of mail or helmet has been found in Harappan contexts, and the Harappan warfare record is thin.
• Statement 2 is wrong. The Harappans knew gold, silver, copper, bronze, tin and lead. Iron was not part of the mature Harappan toolkit. Iron becomes visible in the Vedic and Painted Grey Ware horizon, not before it.
• Statement 3 is correct, with a caveat. The horse is well attested in Rigvedic hymns and in Vedic-period sites. The Harappan record has no secure horse remains. Surkotada has been cited for horse-like bones, but the identification is disputed, and the textbook position is that the horse is absent from the Indus record.

Core concept: comparing archaeological and textual evidence. Mains often asks you to separate what texts say from what excavations show, and to flag where the evidence is contested.

Trap: aspirants often accept Statement 2 because Harappans did use copper and bronze. The error is the claim that they knew iron, which is false.