Question

Caral supported a population of about 3,000 people. What were the living arrangements like?

A) Large rooms atop the pyramids for leaders, ground-level complexes for artisans, and shabby outlying houses for farmers
B) Large, well-kept rooms atop the pyramids for leaders, ground-level complexes for farmers, and shabby outlying houses for slaves
C) Large rooms atop the pyramids for priests, ground-level complexes for artisans, and shabby outlying houses for farmers
D) Large, well-kept rooms atop the pyramids for leaders, ground-level complexes for artisans, and shabby outlying houses for commoners

Answer 1

In Caral, the ancient city likely had large rooms atop the pyramids for the ruling elite, ground-level complexes for specialists like artisans, and simpler housing for the lower social classes such as farmers, based on the societal structures of other comparable civilizations.

Step-by-step explanation:

The living arrangements in Caral, which supported a population of about 3,000 people, reflected the social divisions likely present in this ancient society. While specifics about each class's dwellings are not completely clear due to limited archaeological evidence, we can infer that there may have been a hierarchy similar to other ancient civilizations. Large-scale architecture such as mounds and temples indicate a labor force and potential hereditary leadership. The large mound or main temple in Caral, being ninety-two feet high and almost five hundred feet long, suggests the existence of powerful hereditary leadership. There were ground-level complexes likely for the artisans, similar to the workshops in Egyptian palaces. Meanwhile, shabby outlying houses may have been the abodes of the lower social classes, such as farmers or less-privileged workers, akin to the living arrangements of free peasants or even smaller landowners in other ancient societies.