Bronze Age Indus Valley Civilization

Introduction Early civilizations in the world Stages of Harappan Civilization Geography of the civilization Major Cities: Harappa and Mohenjo-daro Streets Houses Drainage system The Great Bath Granary Crafts quarters Language Indus Script

Cont… Seal Religious symbol The Priest The Statue of a Dancing Girl Ornaments Burial Economy Trade Dockyard – Lothal Agriculture Pottery Artifact Clay Sculpture Figurines Decline of Indus Valley Civilization Conclusion

Introduction It existed along the Indus river in what is present day North-Western Part of India, Pakistan and Eastern part of Afghanistan. It was considered to be the first ever urban civilization. The towns developed during that time were well planned and well executed. The spectacular city planning of that time surpassed all present civilizations as well. The houses were made of baked bricks and had two or more stories. The people of Harappa knew the measuring tools of length, mass and time. They were the first in the world in developing a system of uniform weights and measures. Their measurements were extremely precise.

Most of the early civilizations grew near rivers. 1 Most of the early civilizations grew near rivers. 1. Mesopotamian civilization – Tigris & Euphrates Rivers 2. Ancient China – Huang Ho (Yellow) River 3. Indus Valley Civilization – Indus River 4. Egyptian Civilization – Nile River

Stages of the Civilization Stage 1 : Early Harappan Stage from 3300 B.C. to 2600 B.C. Stage 2 : Mature Harappan Stage from 2600 B.C. to 1900 B.C. Stage 3 : Late Harappan Stage (Decline) from 1900 B.C. to 1500 B.C.

Geography of Indus Valley Civilization

The civilizations mainly flourished in the towns of Harappa and Mohenjodaro

Map showing two important cities

Satellite and political Map locating important sites

Harappa

Mohenjodaro Citadel Ariel view

The cities are well known for their impressive, organized and regular layout. They have well laid our plumbing and drainage system, including indoor toilets. Over one thousand other towns and villages also existed in this region.

Streets The main roads were wide and the entrance to houses was from the side streets.

Houses Most of the houses had a courtyard in the centre Houses Most of the houses had a courtyard in the centre. The houses had many rooms. Many of the brick houses were two storey high, with thick walls and high ceilings to keep the rooms cool in the hot summer months. Besides houses, some other buildings have also been discovered.

Drainage system They had wide roads and a well-developed drainage system The bathrooms were well-made. They had sloping floors to allow the dirty water to drain off. The drains ran along the streets and were covered.

The Great Bath In Mohenjodaro a big water tank has been found The Great Bath In Mohenjodaro a big water tank has been found. This had been named the Great Bath. The great bath is the earliest public water tank. It measured 12m north – south and 7 m wide, with a maximum depth of 2.4 m approximately. Two staircases lead down into the tank. At the foot of the stairs was a small ledge with a brick edging that extends the entire width of the pool.

Granary Harappa has the remains of a big granary which was used to store extra grains. It is a brick structure built on a massive brick foundation over 45 m north-south and 45 m east-west.

Crafts Quarters The people of Indus were skilled craftspeople Crafts Quarters The people of Indus were skilled craftspeople. Inside the city is an area that has been identified as a crafts quarter. Large quantities of manufacturing debris have been found in this area indicating the presence of workshops for making stone beads, shell ornaments, glazed faience ornaments, stone tools and possibly even gold working.

Language The Harappans used a pictographic script Language The Harappans used a pictographic script. In addition to the pictographic signs, the seals and amulets often contain iconographic motifs, mostly realistic pictures of animals apparently worshipped as sacred, and a few cultic scenes, including anthropomorphic deities and worshippers. This material is important to the investigation of the Harappan language and religion, which continue to be major issues. Some 3500 specimens of this script survive in stamp seals carved in stone, in molded terracotta, in fragments of pottery, and in a few other categories of inscribed objects.

Script

Religious symbol Many seals have been discovered with images of different gods and goddesses people worshipped the Mother goddess and lord Pashupati (lord of all animals). A seal discovered during excavation of the Mohenjodaro archaeological site in the Indus Valley has drawn attention as a possible representation of a “yogi” or “proto-Shiva” figure. This “Pashupati” seal shows a seated figure surrounded by animals.

Dockyard – Lothal A dockyard has been discovered at Lothal, so they must have built ships and used them for trade with other places. The hydraulic knowledge of the ancient Harappans can be judged by the fact that boats could dock at Lothal in the 1850s. It is said that then the dockyard could hold 30 ships of 60 tons each or 60 ships of 30 tons each. Harappan seals have been found here.

Burial The body was placed inside a wooden coffin (which late decayed) and entombed in a rectangular pit surrounded with burial offerings in pottery vessels.

Economy – Trade The Harappan civilization was mainly urban and mercantile. Inhabitants of the Indus valley traded with Mesopotamia, southern India, Afghanistan, and Persia for gold, silver, copper, and turquoise.

Coins Goddess and Elephant

Economy – Agriculture The Mesopotamian model of irrigated agriculture was used to take advantage of the fertile grounds along the Indus river. Earthen walls were built to control the river’s annual flooding. Crops grown included wheat, barley, rice, peas, melons, and sesame. This civilization was the first to cultivate cotton for the production of cloth. Several animals were domesticated including the elephant which was used for its ivory.

Tools Stone Tools Stone Tools Bronze Tools

Pottery The glazed Harappan potttery is the earliest example of its kind in the ancient world. The Harappan pottery includes goblets, dishes, basins, flasks, narrow necked vases, cylindrical bottles, tumblers, corn measures, spouted vases and a special type of dish on a stand which was a offering stand or incense burner.

Artifacts These egg shaped whistles may have been used for music, a tradition that is still present in rural areas of Pakistan and India.

Clay Sculpture

Figurines Three-dimensional representations of living beings in the Harappan world are confined to a few stone and bronze statues and some small objects crafted in faience, stone, and other materials – with one important exception. Ranging in size from slightly larger than a human thumb to almost 30 cm in height, the anthropomorphic and animal terracotta figurines from Harappa and other Indus civilization sites offer a rich reflection of some of the Harappan ideas about representing life in the Bronze Age.

Statue of a Dancing Girl A bronze statuette dubbed the “Dancing Girl”, 10.8 cm high and some 4,500 years old, was found in Mohenjodaro in 1926. A number of gold, terra-cotta and stone figurines of girls in dancing poses reveal the presence of some dance form.

The Priest in 1927, a seated male figure, 17 The Priest in 1927, a seated male figure, 17.5 cm tall, was found in a building with unusually ornamental brickwork and a wall-niche. Though there is no evidence that priests or monarchs ruled the city, archeologists dubbed this dignified figure a “Priest-King”. The central ornament worn on the forehead of the famous “priest –king” sculpture appears to represent an eye bead, possibly made of gold with steatite inlay in the center.

Ornaments The collection of gold and agate ornaments includes objects found at both Mohenjodaro and Harappa. At the top are fillets of hammered gold that would have been worn around the forehead. The other ornaments include bangles, chokers, long pendant necklaces, rings, earrings, conical hair ornaments, and broaches. These ornaments were never buried with the dead, but were passed on from one generation to the next. These ornaments were hidden under the floors in the homes of wealthy merchants or goldsmith.

Decline of the Indus Valley Civilization We still don’t know how the civilization came to an end. Archaeologists have offered four explanations for the collapse of the Harappa civilization. The people might have died due to some disease. There may be Floods. It may be because of earthquakes which could have also destroyed them. They may have been attacked by an enemy. (Invasion of Aryans)

Possible route of Aryan Invasion or Migration

Conclusion Thus, the study of Indus Valley Civilization is not important to the historians and archaeologists but to a common man as well.