INDUS VALLEY CIVILISATION

Around 40,000 BC, the first people seem to have reached India, they were essentially hunters and gatherers. But by around 4000 BC, these people had begun farming and by 2500 BC settled in the Indus river valley.

Extent of Indus Valley Civilisation

Also named Harappan Civilisation, after the name of Harappa, the first site where unique urbanisation culture was discovered
Dated between 2600 BC to 1900 BC
Early Harappa, Mature Harappa, and Late Harappa
Major sites: Harappa, Mohenjodaro, Rupar, Lothal, Dholavira, Banawali, Kalibangan etc.
An extent of culture covers Afghanistan, Sind, Baluchistan, Jammu, Punjab, Northern Rajasthan, and Gujarat.

CHARACTERISTICS:

TOWN PLANNING

Divided into two sections Smaller but Higher Citadel and Larger Residential area
In Citadel, the Great Bath, Large granary, High officials residential, Assembly hall, and fire altars etc.
In Residential area, wards like a chess board, arterial roads and smaller lanes cutting each other at right angles, rectangular town planning etc.
Carefully planned drainage system with sumps at interval for cleaning for purpose.
Streets with drains were laid out first and then houses built along them.
Residential buildings were centred on a courtyard, with rooms on all sides.
Some houses have staircase to reach second storey or roof.
Many houses had wells accessible by passers-by.
The great bath in citadel was large rectangular tank surrounded by corridor, along the corridor were bathrooms.

Citadel and Residential area, Comparison of Mohenjodaro and Harappa

AGRICULTURE

The Harappans ate wide range of plants and animal products, including fish.
Wheat and Barley, Peas and Dates, Sesame and Mustard and also Cotton were cultivated.
People in Lothal also cultivated Rice.
Traces of canal have been found at Shortughai, possibly the ancient canals silted up long ago.
It is also likely that water drawn from wells or flooding of rivers was used for irrigation.
Representation on seals and terracotta sculpture indicate that bull was known.
Evidence of ploughed fields has been found at Kalibangan.
Possibly wooden plough or toothed harrow was used.
Sheep, Goats, Humped cattle, Buffalo, Pig and Elephant were domesticated.
Camel was rare and Horse probably was not known.
Wild animals including Boar, Deer and Gharial were hunted.

A Terracotta Bull

Seals of animals, perhaps domesticated animals

TRADE AND NETWORK

Extensive inland and foreign trade
Overland as well as maritime
Occurence of small terracotta boats
Vast brick built dock at Lothal
No evidence of coin, hence barter system
System of weights and measures was excellent
Harappan seals for stamping their good have been found in Mesopotamia

Terracotta Boat

CRAFTS

Chanhudaro was almost exclusively devoted to crafts production.
Bead making, Shell cutting, Metal working, Seal making, and Weight making.
Metals like copper, bronze and gold
Stones like carnelian, jasper, crystal, quartz, and steatite.
And Shell, Faience, and terracotta or burnt clay.
Variety of shapes made by Simple working, Moulding the paste, firing etc.
Grinding, Polishing and drilling was also done

SCIENCE

Mining, metal working
Well planned buildings, sometimes higher than two storeys
Manufacturing gypsum cement
Long lasting paints and dyes
Public bath worked by ingenious Hydraulic System

Paintings showing welfare activity

INDUS SCRIPT

Not deciphered so far
Overlaps of letters on potsherds from Kalibangan shows that the writing from right to left and from left to right in alternate lines.
Too many signs around 375-400.

Script found on seals

RELIGION

Terracotta figurines of women, heavily jewelled, some with elaborate head-dresses, often regarded as “Mother Goddess”
Rare stone statuary of men in an almost standardised posture, such as “Priest-King”
Animals such as one horned animal, often called “Unicorn” seem to be mythical
Figure shown seated cross-legged in a Yogic posture, surrounded by animals, regarded as Proto-Shiva

The Mother Goddess, The Proto-Shiva, The Priest King, and The Unicorn