Indus Valley Civilization
The Indus Valley Civilization was an ancient civilization located in what
is Pakistan and northwest India today, on the fertile flood plain of the
Indus River and its vicinity. Evidence of religious practices in this area date
back approximately to 5500 BCE. Farming settlements began around 4000
BCE and around 3000 BCE there appeared the first signs of urbanization.
By 2600 BCE, dozens of towns and cities had been established, and
between 2500 and 2000 BCE the Indus Valley Civilization was at its peak.
The Life of the Indus Valley Civilization
Two cities, in particular, have been excavated at the sites of Mohenjo-Daro
on the lower Indus, and at Harappa, further upstream. The evidence
suggests they had a highly developed city life; many houses had wells
and bathrooms as well as an elaborate underground drainage system.
The social conditions of the citizens were comparable to those
in Sumeria and superior to the contemporary Babylonians and
Egyptians. These cities display a well-planned urbanization system.
There is evidence of some level of contact between the Indus Valley
Civilization and the Near East. Commercial, religious, and artistic
connections have been recorded in Sumerian documents, where the Indus
valley people are referred to as Meluhhaites and the Indus valley is called
Meluhha. The following account has been dated to about 2000 BCE: "The
Meluhhaites, the men of the black land, bring to Naram-Sin of Agade all
kind of exotic wares." (Haywood, p. 76, The Curse of Agade)
The Indus Civilization had a writing system which today still remains a
mystery: all attempts to decipher it have failed. This is one of the reasons
why the Indus Valley Civilization is one of the least known of the
important early civilizations of antiquity. Examples of this writing system
have been found in pottery, amulets, carved stamp seals, and even in
weights and copper tablets.
Another point of debate is the nature of the relationship between these
cities. Whether they were independent city-states or part of a larger
kingdom is not entirely clear. Because the writing of the Indus people
remains undeciphered and neither sculptures of rulers nor depictions of
battles and military campaigns have been found, evidence pointing in
either direction is not conclusive.
Harappa ruinsRuins of the ancient city of Harappa in Punjab, Pakistan.
Excavated ruins of Mohenjo-daro, with the Great Bath in the foreground and the Buddhist Stupa in
thebackground.
Archaeological dig of a water reservoir at Dholavira.
Harappans are known for seal carving— the cutting of patterns into the
bottom face of a seal, a small, carved object used for stamping. They
used these distinctive seals for the identification of property and to
stamp clay on trade goods. Seals—decorated with animal figures, such
as elephants, tigers, and water buffalos—have been one of the most
commonly discovered artifacts in Indus Valley cities.
Gateway At Harappa: Indus Valley Civilization
FOR MORE DETAILS, PLEASE REFER TO WEBSITE:
Indus Valley Civilization, Mohenjo Daro, Harappan Culture
KEY TAKEAWAYS
Key Points
The Indus Valley Civilization (also known as the Harappan Civilization) was a
Bronze Age society extending from modern northeast Afghanistan to Pakistan and
northwest India.
The civilization developed in three phases: Early Harappan Phase (3300 BCE-
2600 BCE), Mature Harappan Phase (2600 BCE-1900 BCE), and Late Harappan
Phase (1900 BCE-1300 BCE).
Inhabitants of the ancient Indus River valley developed new techniques in
handicraft, including Carnelian products and seal carving, and metallurgy with
copper, bronze, lead, and tin.
Sir John Hubert Marshall led an excavation campaign in 1921-1922, during which
he discovered the ruins of the city of Harappa. By 1931, the Mohenjo-daro site
had been mostly excavated by Marshall and Sir Mortimer Wheeler. By 1999, over
1,056 cities and settlements of the Indus Civilization were located.
Key Terms
seal: An emblem used as a means of authentication. Seal can refer to an
impression in paper, wax, clay, or other medium. It can also refer to the device
used.
metallurgy: The scientific and mechanical technique of working with bronze.
copper, and tin.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
Key Points
The Indus Valley Civilization contained more than 1,000 cities and settlements.
These cities contained well-organized wastewater drainage systems, trash
collection systems, and possibly even public granaries and baths.
Although there were large walls and citadels, there is no evidence of monuments,
palaces, or temples.
The uniformity of Harappan artifacts suggests some form of authority and
governance to regulate seals, weights, and bricks.
Key Terms
granaries: A storehouse or room in a barn for threshed grain or animal feed.
citadels: A central area in a city that is heavily fortified.
Harappa and Mohenjo-daro: Two of the major cities of the Indus Valley
Civilization during the Bronze Age.
urban planning: A technical and political process concerned with the use of land
and design of the urban environment that guides and ensures the orderly
development of settlements and communities.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
Key Points
The Indus River Valley Civilization, also known as Harappan civilization,
developed the first accurate system of standardized weights and measures, some
as accurate as to 1.6 mm.
Harappans created sculpture, seals, pottery, and jewelry from materials, such as
terracotta, metal, and stone.
Evidence shows Harappans participated in a vast maritime trade network
extending from Central Asia to modern-day Iraq, Iran, Kuwait, and Syria.
The Indus Script remains indecipherable without any comparable symbols, and is
thought to have evolved independently of the writing in Mesopotamia and Ancient
Egypt.
Key Terms
steatite: Also known as Soapstone, steatite is a talc-schist, which is a type of
metamorphic rock. It is very soft and has been a medium for carving for thousands
of years.
Indus Script: Symbols produced by the ancient Indus Valley Civilization.
chalcolithic period: A period also
known as the Copper Age, which lasted from 4300-3200 BCE.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
Key Points
One theory suggested that a nomadic, Indo-European tribe, called the Aryans,
invaded and conquered the Indus Valley Civilization.
Many scholars now believe the collapse of the Indus Valley Civilization was
caused by climate change.
The eastward shift of monsoons may have reduced the water supply, forcing the
Harappans of the Indus River Valley to migrate and establish smaller villages and
isolated farms.
These small communities could not produce the agricultural surpluses needed to
support cities, which where then abandoned.
Key Terms
Indo-Aryan Migration theory: A theory suggesting the Harappan culture of the
Indus River Valley was assimilated during a migration of the Aryan people into
northwest India.
monsoon: Seasonal changes in atmospheric circulation and precipitation;
usually winds that bring heavy rain once a year.
Aryans: A nomadic, Indo-European tribe called the Aryans suddenly
overwhelmed and conquered the Indus Valley Civilization.
Aryans in India: An early 20th-century depiction of Aryan people settling in agricultural
villages in India.
FOR DETAILS, REFER TO WEBSITE;
THE INDUS VALLEY CIVVILIZATION, WORLD CIVILIZATION
Aryans probably used the Khyber Pass to cross the mountains
during their Indian invasion. Located in present day Pakistan, the
pass is about 16 yards wide at its narrowest point.
The "Great Bath" of Mohenjo-Daro is the earliest known public
water tank of the ancient world. Most scholars believe that this
tank would have been used in conjunction with religious
ceremonies.
Seals such as these were used by merchants in the Harappan
civilization. Many experts believe that they signified names.
Photographs from Sir John Marshall's classic book Mohenjo-daro and the
Indus Civilization (1931) covering the very first excavations at this ancient
Indus...
Mohenjo Daro, or "Mound of the Dead" is an ancient
Indus Valley Civilization city that flourished between 2600 and
1900 BCE.
