<P> A granary is a storehouse or room in a barn for threshed grain or animal feed . Ancient or primitive granaries are most often made out of pottery . Granaries are often built above the ground to keep the stored food away from mice and other animals . </P> <P> From ancient times grain has been stored in bulk . The oldest granaries yet found date back to 9500 BC and are located in the Pre-Pottery Neolithic A settlements in the Jordan Valley . The first were located in places between other buildings . However beginning around 8500 BC, they were moved inside houses, and by 7500 BC storage occurred in special rooms . The first granaries measured 3 x 3 m on the outside and had suspended floors that protected the grain from rodents and insects and provided air circulation . </P> <P> These granaries are followed by those in Mehrgarh in the Indus Valley from 6000 BC . The ancient Egyptians made a practice of preserving grain in years of plenty against years of scarcity . The climate of Egypt being very dry, grain could be stored in pits for a long time without discernible loss of quality . </P> <P> Historically, a silo was a pit for storing grain . It is distinct from a granary, which is an above - ground structure . </P>

Where was surplus grain stored in indus valley cities