1. Indus Valley Civilization 3000-1500 B.C.
forgotten until the 19th Century
rediscovered by the British, while building railroads

2. Harappan society and its neighbors, ca. 2000 B.C.

3. Harappan Culture Indus valley 500 miles along the river valley
not desert
well-watered and heavily forested
500 miles along the river valley
10-20 times larger than Mesopotamia or Egypt

4. Foundations of Indus Society
The Indus River
Silt-enriched water from mountain ranges
Major society built by Dravidian peoples, BCE
Cultivation of cotton before 5000 BCE, early cultivation of poultry
Decline after 1900 BCE
Major cities: Harrapa (Punjab region and Mohenjo-Daro (mouth of Indus River)
70 smaller sites excavated (total 1,500)

5. India

6. Harappan culture sites

7. Indus River Culture like Egypt and Mesopotamia
agriculture and flood-control
significant industry and trade
cities very common

8. Indus River Valley literate culture we cannot read the writing
writing on bricks and seals
did not use paper or clay tablets

10. “Unicorn” seal + writing

11. More seals

12. …and more seals...

13. Seated “yogi” : early Shiva?

14. Reasonable generalizations
rapid development: early 2,000s B.C.
roughly contemporary with Egypt and Mesopotamia
early village culture
changing rapidly to urban civilization

15. Generalizations, con’t
cities dominated both economic and political activity
origins of the people are unclear
similar to the Mediterranean type

16. Major Cities Harappa and Mohenjo-daro one situated in the north
surrounded by smaller cities, towns, and villages
one situated in the north
one situated in the south

17. Mohenjo-Daro Ruins Population c. 40,000
Broad streets, citadel, pool, sewage
Standardized weights evident throughout region
Specialized labor
Trade

18. Cities, con’t cities built on a common plan
a grid: always NS and EW axes
with twelve smaller grids
kiln-dried brick

19. Grid map of Mohenjo-daro

20. Mohenjo-daro : aerial view

21. Mohenjo-daro view of the “Citadel”

22. The “Great Bath”

23. another view of the “Great Bath”

24. view of a small, side street

25. looks like a small tower, but actually it is a neighborhood well

26. A bathroom on a private residence

27. A public well in Harappa, or perhaps an ancient laundromat...

28. A large drain or sewer

29. Monumental architecture
very-large scale building
walled cites, with fortified citadels
always on the same scale
palaces, temples

30. Architecture, con’t large grain storage facilities near temples
a theocracy ??
planned economy

31. Harappan granary

32. Cities very densely populated houses: two to three stories
every house is laid out the same

33. Culture and Society advanced agriculture surplus production
textiles: wool and cotton
domesticated animals and fish

34. Bronze Age technology
no swords
spears and bows
stone arrow heads

35. Society dominated by priests ?
from the fortified palaces and temples ?
power base: fertility ?
deities: male and female

36. A priest?
A bull

37. Trade
with lower Mesopotamia
but gradually declined

38. Decline domination of an indigenous people ? foreign invasion?
who rebelled ?
foreign invasion?
gradual decline ?

39. Combination of Changes
climate shift: the monsoon patterns
flooding
destruction of the forests
migrations of new peoples: the Aryans

40. The Aryan “Invasion” Aryans, lighter-skinned invaders from the north
Dravidians, darker-skinned sedentary inhabitants of Harappa
Color Bias
Socio-Economic Implications
Difficulty of theory: no evidence of large-scale military conquest

41. Possible route of the Aryan invasions

42. The Aryans not to be confused with Hitler’s “Aryans”
these Aryans speak an Indo-European dialect
related to other languages like Greek and Latin

43. The Aryans, con’t they called themselves “Aryans”
their land: “Aryavarta”
land of the Aryans

44. The Early Aryans Pastoral economy: sheep, goats, horses, cattle
Vegetarianism not widespread until many centuries later
Religious and Literary works: The Vedas
Sanskrit: sacred tongue
Prakrit: everyday language, evolved into Hindi, Urdu, Bengali
Four Vedas, most important Rig Veda
1,028 hymms to gods

45. Gradual settlement over a long period of time gradual infiltration
more primitive than the earlier culture

46. Settlement, con’t new society by 1,200 B.C. or so little evidence
not literate
no record system

47. Oral Tradition passed down from priests and singers
written down in the 500’s
The Vedas
“Veda” means “knowledge”

48. The Vedas our primary source four “vedas” early Aryan tradition
later Hindu religion
four “vedas”
the Rig Veda is the oldest

49. Krishna with Arjuna on the battlefield of Kuruksketra
2 points to the first person who can tell whether this is a modern or ancient painting and why?

50. Krishna reveals himself to Arjuna in his manifold aspects

51. The Vedas oral poetry come to have a sacred character
provide some historical information

52. The Aryans restless, warlike people tall, blue-eyed, fair-skinned
describe the indigenous population as
short, “black”, noseless, and slaves

53. The Aryans, con’t villages and kingdoms constantly fighting
warchiefs and kings
aristocrats and freemen

54. The Aryans, con’t
fond of fighting, drinking, chariot racing, gambling chasing women and bragging about their spears
any modern comparisons ???
fond of taking soma
a psychedelic drug
probably psychotropic mushrooms

55. Aryans and Hindus Aryans give rise to Hindu society
but different characteristics
cows: they ate them
classes, but no castes
priests subordinate to the nobility
the Mahabharata

56. The Iron Age: new sources
the Vedas: passed on orally
the Brahamanas: interpretations on the Vedas
the Upanishads: interpretations and symbolic studies
forerunners of later dissenting literature

57. Strain of change Iron Age change causes strain on the class system
blurring of lines between Aryans and Daas
answered with the caste system

58. Caste System, 1000 BC skin color ritual purity “Us--Them” feelings
divine order of four castes

59. Caste System (“Varnas”)
Brahmins: the priests
Kshatriyas: the warriors
Vaisyas: merchants and peasants
Sudras: non-Aryans

60. Caste system, con’t produced by Brahmins
literature emphasized the divine order
hierarchical relationship
inheritance and marriage

61. Caste system in practice
warrior class did not always accept it
nor the other classes
the process of evolution is still going on
the most powerful organizer of Indian society
thousand of castes today

62. Castes define a person’s social universe
define a person’s standard of conduct
define a person’s expectations
define a person’s future
define how a person deals with others

63. Books you can read, if you read
Bridget and Raymond Allchin. The Rise of Civilization in India and Pakistan.
A.L. Basham. The Wonder That Was India.
Walter A. Fairservis. The Roots of Indian Tradition
Jonathana Mark Kenoyer. Ancient Cities of the Indus Valley Civilization
Juan Mascaro, trans. The Upanishads
Stuart Piggott. Prehistoric India
Romila Thapar. A History of India
Romila Thapar. Recent Perspectives of Early Indian History