INDUS VALLEY CIVILIZATION A n c i e n t H i s t o r y www.zerosum.in
The Indus Valley Civilization is often separated into three phases: the Early Harappan Phase from 3300 to 2600 BCE, the Mature Harappan Phase from 2600 to 1900 BCE, and the Late Harappan Phase from 1900 to 1300 BCE.
At its peak, the Indus Valley Civilization may have had a population of over five million people. The Indus cities are noted for their urban planning, a technical and political process concerned with the use of land and design of the urban environment. They are also noted for their baked brick houses, elaborate drainage systems, water supply systems, and clusters of large, nonresidential buildings. The Indus Valley Civilization began to decline around 1800 BCE. Archaeological evidence indicates that trade with Mesopotamia, located largely in modern Iraq, seemed to have ended. The advanced drainage systems and baths of the great cities were built over or blocked. Writing began to disappear, and the standardized weights and measures used for trade and taxation fell out of use.
Facts: The Indus Valley Civilisation is also known as the Harappan Civilisation, after Harappa, the first of its sites to be excavated in the 1921. People of India started a very organized civilization beside Indus river which is also known as Harappan Civilization. The time period of Indus Valley Civilization was from 2700 BC to 1750 BC. Information is not much available on this civilization. They had barter economy. Agriculture was their primary occupation. Main crop was wheat. The evidence of rice cultivation was found from Lothal and Rangpur. They had distinct language and script which have not yet been deciphered completely. Their language is unknown. Their script was pictography. Their religion is unknown. They were pagan most probably. They worshiped nature. The most important deity was Mother Goddess. The most worshiped god was Proto Shiva.
They made seals with copper, bronze, brass and clay. Seals were mainly of square shape. Indus Valley Civilization was discovered by Sir John Marshall in 1921. Indus Valley Civilization was an urban civilization. The main feature of Indus Valley Civilization was town planning. Fully covered drainage pattern was the common feature of all the cities. First discovered city was Harappa. Second and the most important city discovered was Mohenjodaro. The last discovered city was Dholavira. The first discovered city after independence was lothal. City without a citadel was Chanhudaro. Industrial city was Chanhudaro. City of black bangles was Kalibangan. Port city was Lothal. Harappa means animal fodders. The most populous city was Mohenjodaro. Largest number of Harappan seals was found from Mohenjodaro. Second largest number of seals was found from Harappa.
Mohenjodaro had a great bath, made of burnt bricks. The great bath was used for ritualistic bathing. The great granary was found from Mohenjodaro. The evidence of double burial was found from Lothal. Lothal had trade relation with Persia. Maximum number of Persian seals was found from Lothal. The evidence of camel is found from Kalibangan. Chanhudaro had numerous factories of bangles and beads. Chanhudaro was located beside Indus river in Pakistan. Chanhudaro was discovered by N. G. Majumder. Metal which was unknown to the Harappan people was iron. Animal which was unknown was horse. The evidence of Horse was found from Surkotada. Surkotada was a city located in Gujarat. Contemporary civilizations- Persia, Egypt, China and Mesopotemia. The Harappan people had maximum number of trade relationship with Mesopotemia.
The Harappan people were called Meluha by the Mesopotemians. According to Mortimer Wheeler, Indra caused the decline of Indus Valley Civilization. The state which has accounted for highest number of Harappan sites after independence: Gujarat Three Harappan sites that have yielded three stages of Harappan civilization (pre Harappan, Harappan and post Harappan: Rojde, Desalpur and Surkotada. The Harappan city with most impressive drainage system: Mohenjo daro. Most common materials used for the Harappan stone sculpture: Limestone and steatite. Wheeler said, Indus Valley was a colony of Sumerians Lions have not been found anywhere in Harappa. Wider road of Harappa was 30 foot. Largest Harappan site in India is situated in Haryana Rakhigarhi, second largest is Dholavira in Gujarat. In Mohenjodaro the length of the Great Bath was 12 mtrs, breadth 7 mtrs, depth 2.8 mtrs. In the Lothal port, there was a dockyard whick is 216 mtrs in length and 37 mtrs. In breadth.
Significant Features of Indus Valley Civilization: Town Planning: The most significant feature of Indus Valley civilization was town planning. Mohenjo-daro, Harappa, Lothal and Sutkagendor +were built on similar plan. To the west of each was a citadel (a fortress, typically one on high ground above a city) built on high platform. Below this citadel was the town. The main street ran from north to south. Houses stood both sides of the streets. Both at Harappa and Mahenjo-daro, houses were built of kiln-bricks. At Lothal and Kalibangan, houses were made of sun-dried bricks. Most of the houses had wells within them and a drainage system carried the waste water to the main underground drain of the street. There were also public baths with wells. The covered drain of the streets had soak pits and manholes for clearing. There were also arrangements for street lighting.
Agriculture: The Indus people sowed seeds in the flood plains in November, when the flood water receded, and reaped their harvests of wheat and barley in April before the advent of the next flood. The Harappans probably used the wooden plough with wooden or copper ploughshare. The Indus people produced wheat, barley, peas, kodon, sanwa, jowar, ragi, etc. The Indus people were the earliest people to produce cotton. Domestication of Animals: Although the Harappa s practiced agriculture, animals were kept on a large scale. Oxen, buffaloes, goats, sheep, domestic fowls and pigs were domesticated. Trade and Commerce: The thriving agricultural economy supported a flourishing trade both within the northern and western areas of the sub- continent and between the people of this culture and those of the Persian Gulf and Mesopotamia. Their chief merchandise was probably cotton
exported from probably Lothal harbor. The Indus people were known to Mesopotamian as Meluha. Crafts and Industries: Mohenjo daro was a great industrial centre. Pottery was an important industry. Harappa s used to export these pots made on potter s wheel and burnt in kilns not only to nearby areas but also to the far flung places. The art of smelting metals was known to the people of Harappa. The use of lead, bronze and tin was rampant. Weights and Measures: The regulation of weights and measures formed the basis of trade and Harappa s were very accurate in this respect. The sexagesimal system (a fraction based on sixtieths i.e. with a denominator equal to a power of sixty, as in the divisions of the degree and hour. and the decimal system were known to the Harappans.
Arts: The Harappa culture belonged to Bronze Age. Bronze was made by smiths by mixing tin with copper. A woman dancer made of bronze is the best specimen. The artistic skills of the Harappan people were also manifested in their pottery making. The pots were beautifully painted in several colours such as red, black, green and rarely yellow. Religion: The chief male deity was the Pashupati Mahadeva (proto Siva), represented in seals as sitting in a yogic posture on a low throne and having three faces and two horns. He is surrounded by four animals (elephant, tiger, rhinoceros and buffalo), each facing a different direction, and two deer appear at his feet. The chief female deity was the Mother Goddess, who has been depicted in various forms. The worship of fire is proved by the discovery of fire altars at Lothal, Kalibangan and Harappa. Indus people also worshipped Gods in the form of trees (pipal etc.) and animals (unicorn etc.). They believed in ghosts and evil forces and used amulets as protection against them.
Important theories and their profounder 1.Theorists: Gorden Childe, Stuart Piggot. Reasons of Decline: External aggression 2.Theorists: H. T. Lambrick Reasons of Decline: Unstable river systems 3.Theorists: K. U. R. Kenedy Reasons of Decline: Natural calamity 4.Theorists: Orell Stein and A.N. Ghosh Reasons of Decline: Climate change 5.Theorists: R. Mortimer Wheeler Reasons of Decline: Aryan invasion 6.Theorists :Robert Raikes Reasons of Decline: Earthquake 7.Theorists :Sood and Aggarwal. Reasons of Decline: Dryness of river
8. Theorists: Walter Fairservis Reasons of Decline: Ecological imbalance MAJOR HARAPPAN SITES AND THEIR EXCAVATORS Harappa: Year of Excavation: 1921 Excavators : Daya Ram Sahni Region/River: Montgomery district of Punjab (Now in Pakistan) on the left bank of Ravi. Features: City followed grid planning. 12 granaries in 2 rows, each having six were found. It was the only place having evidences of coffin burial. Mohenjo daro: Year of Excavation: 1922 Excavators: Rakhal Das Banerjee Region/River: Larkana district in Sind on the right bank of Indus (Now in Pakistan) Features: A large granary and Great Bath, a collage. A piece of woven cotton
along with spindle whorls and needles. Statue of a bearded priest and a bronze dancing girl are found. Town was flooded more than seven times. Chanhu daro: Year of Excavation: 1931 Excavators: N. Gopal Majumdar, Mackey Region/River: Situated in Sind on the bank of Indus. Features: The city had no citadel. Foot prints of a dog chasing a cat. Factories. Kalibangan: Year of Excavation: 1953 Excavators: A. Ghosh Region/River: Situated in Rajasthan on the Bank of Ghagga. Features: Evidence of seven fire altars and camel bones. Kalibangan stands for black bangles. Evidence of a wooden furrow.
Lothal: Year of Excavation: 1953 Excavators: S.R Rao Region/River: Situated in Gujarat on Bhogava river near Gulf of Cambay. Features: Remains of rice husk (Rungpur is the only other Harappan city where the rice husk has been found). Evidence of horse from a terracotta figurine. A ship designed on a seal. Surkotada: Year of Excavation: 1964 Excavators: J.P Joshi Region/River: Situated in Kutch (Bhuj) district of Gujarat Features: Bones of horses, Beads making shops. Dholavira: Year of Excavation: 1985 90 Excavators: R.S Bisht Region/River: Situated in Gujarat in Rann of Kutch. Features: Seven cultural stages.
Rangpur: Year of Excavation: 1953 Excavators: M.S. Vats, B.B. Lal & S.R. Rao Region/River: Situated on the bank of Mahar in Gujarat. Features: Rice was cultivated. The End Copy right material Not to be reproduced. Contact us M. 86704 20484 Or visit www.zerosum.in Follow us at