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Indus Valley Civilization
Who Discovered Indus Valley Civilization?
Sir John Hubert Marshall discovered the Indus Valley Civilization in 1921–22.
He was the first scholar to use the term “Indus valley civilization” and the fact
that it flourished between 2500 BC-1750 BC. Later, Harappan ruins were
discovered by Rai Bahadur Daya Ram Sahni and Madho Sarup Vats.
What is Indus Valley Civilization?
Indus Valley Civilization, also known as Harappan Civilization, is a Bronze age
civilization that existed through its early years of 3300-1300 BCE, and its
mature period of 2600-1900 BCE. The area of this civilization was spread along
the Indus River from what today is northeast Afghanistan into Pakistan and
northwest India.
Indus Valley Civilization Map
Extent: Jammu in the North till Narmada Estuary in the south. Makran coast
in the west till Meerut in the East.
Image source: NCERT
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Sites of Indus Valley Civilization
Some of the pointers on the Indus Valley Civilization related to the important
cities and their archaeological importance were found helpful in finding
important details and establishing the facts. In addition to that information
related to the person who discovered the evidence. Aspirants must revise this
table for the SSC exams.
Indus Valley River Indus Valley Archaeological
Civilization City Civilization Importance
Discovery
Harappa Ravi Daya Ram Sahni •A row of 6
(1921) Granaries
• Mother goddess
figurines
• Cemetary
• Graveyard
Mohenjodaro Indus Rakhal Das • Great Granary
Benerjee (1922) • Great bath
• Image and Seal of
Pashupati
Mahadeva
• Image of Bearded
man
• Bronze image of a
woman dancer
• Prepared
Garments
Lothal Bhogava S. Rangaath Rao • Dockyard
(1954) • Citadel and lower
town
• Evidence of Rice
• Port city
• Double burial
• Terracotta horse
figurines
• Terracotta Model
of ship
Chanhudaro Indus N Gopal • City without a
Majumdar citadel
(1931) • Bronze Figurine of
Bullock kart and
Ekkas
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Dholavira Luni J.P. Joshi (1967- • City divided into 3
68) parts
• Water
Management
System
Chronology of Indus Valley Civilization
The three periods of the Indus Valley Civilization—the Early Harappan Phase,
which lasted from 3300 to 2600 BCE, the Mature Harappan Phase, which
lasted from 2600 to 1900 BCE, and the Late Harappan Phase, which lasted
from 1900 to 1300 BCE—are frequently distinguished.
• Period 1: Pre-Harappan Period (3300 BC – c. 2800 BC)
• Period 2: Early Harappa Period (c. 2800 BC – c. 2600 BC)
• Period 3: Harappa Period
o Period 3A Harappan Phase A (c. 2600 BC – c. 2450 BC)
o Period 3B Harappa Phase B (c. 2450 BC – c. 2200 BC)
o Period 3C Harappa Phase C (c. 2200 BC – c. 1900 BC)
• Period 4: Harappa/Late Harappa Transitional Period (c. 1900 BC – c.
1800 BC)
• Period 5: Late Harappa Phase (c. 1800 BC – < 1300 BC)
Important Indus Valley Civilization Notes
Every competitive exam comprises questions on the Indus Valley Civilization
which makes it one of the most important topic that candidates cannot miss.
Town Planning of Indus Valley Civilization
Small Early Harappan villages had grown into sizable urban centres by 2600
BCE. These cities are Dholavira, Kalibangan, Rakhigarhi, Rupar, and Lothal in
contemporary India, and Harappa, Ganeriwala, and Mohenjodaro in
contemporary Pakistan. Over 1,052 towns and communities have been
discovered in total, mostly around the Indus River and its tributaries.
• Grid system(Chess-board) of town planning
• Rectangular houses with brick-lined bathrooms and wells together with
stairways are found
• Use of Burnt bricks
• Underground drainage system
• Fortified citadel
Agriculture of Indus Valley Civilization
• Sindon – Cotton – Major trade good – earliest people to produce Cotton.
• Proofs of Rice husk found
• Wheat and Barley were majorly cultivated
• Use of wooden ploughshare. They had no idea about Iron implements.
Domestication of Animals
• Oxen, Buffalo, Goats, Sheep, and Pigs were domesticated
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• Asses and camels were used as Beasts of Burden
• Elephants and Rhino were known
• Remains of horses found in Surkotada and evidence of horses in Mohenjodaro
and Lothal are also found. But the civilization was not horse-centred.
Technology and Crafts
• Bronze (Copper + tin) tools were widely used.
• Stone implements were still in vogue.
• Potter’s wheel was put to full use.
• Bronzesmiths, Goldsmiths, Boat-Making, Brick-laying etc were other
occupations commonly found.
Trade of Indus Valley Civilization
• The presence of granaries, weights and measures, seals and uniform script
signifies the importance of trade.
• The barter system was widely prevalent.
• Lothal and Sutkagendor were port cities used for conducting trade.
• Trade destinations – Afghanistan, Iran and Central Asia. Contacts with
Mesopotamia civilization are also seen.
Political Organization of Indus Valley Civilization
• Cultural homogeneity is achieved through a strong central authority.
• No temples or religious structures were found. Harappa was possibly ruled
by the merchant class.
• Weapons are rarely found.
Indus Valley Civilization Religion
The religion of Harappa is still up for debate. There is widespread speculation
that the Harappans revered a mother deity who represented fertility. The
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Indus Valley Civilization does not appear to have had any temples or palaces
that would have provided obvious proof of religious practices or individual
deities, in contrast to Egyptian and Mesopotamian civilizations. A swastika
sign, used in later Indian faiths including Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism,
is shown on a few Indus Valley seals.
• Terracotta figure of Mother Goddess.
• Phallu and Yoni worship.
• Pashupati Mahadev seal was found with the elephant, tiger, rhino and a bull
surrounding him with two deer near his feet.
Tree and Animal Worship of Indus Valley Civilization
• Pipal tree worship was found.
• One-horned Unicorn recognized as Rhino and the humped bull was commonly
worshipped.
• Use of Amulets to ward off ghosts and evil spirits.
• The lion was not known in Harappan culture.
The Harappan Script
• The Harappan script is Pictographic in nature but has not been deciphered so
far.
• They are recorded on seals and contain only a few words
• Harappan Script is the oldest script in Indian Sub-continent
Weights and Measures of Indus Valley Civilization
• Use of standardized weights and measures to keep accounts of private
property, to indulge in trade and commerce etc.
• Weights are found in multiples of 16.
Harappan Pottery of Indus Valley Civilization
• Well-developed Pottery techniques with elaborate designs of trees and
circles.
• Redware pottery painted with black designs.
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Indus Valley Civilisation Seals
• Seals were used for the purpose of trade or worship. Images of animals such
as Buffalo, bull, tiger etc were found inscribed in the seals
Sculptures of Indus Valley Civilisation
• The most important sculpture of the Indus Valley Civilization is the Dancing
Girl.
• Besides it, sculptures like Bronze statue of a naked woman, Mother Goddess,
bearded man steatite statue and Male Torso were discovered.
Terracotta figurines of Indus Valley Civilisation
• Terracotta – Fire-baked earthen clay
• Used as toys or objects of worship
• Massive stone works were not found in Harappa which shows the poorly
developed artistic works made of stone
Indus Valley Civilisation Decline
Around 1800 BCE, climate change and migration caused the Indus Valley
Civilization to fall. Mohenjo-Daro and Harappa, the two major cities of the
Civilization, finally vanished. Because it was the earliest city of the civilisation
that contemporary archaeologists found, Harappa gives the Indus Valley
people their name.
Archaeological data suggests that commerce with Mesopotamia, which is
mostly located in present-day Iraq, seems to have ceased. The large cities'
sophisticated drainage systems and baths were covered up or stopped.
Standardized weights and measurements that were used for commerce and
taxes started to vanish, along with writing.
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Causes for Indus Valley Civilisation Decline
Following reasons are considered to be responsible for the decline of Indus
Valley Civilization:
• Decreasing fertility due to increasing salinity on the account of the expansion
of the nearby desert.
• Sudden subsidence of uplift of land causing floods.
• Earthquakes caused changes in the course of Indus.
• The harappan culture was destroyed by invading Aryans.
Post-urban Phase (1900BC – 1200BC)
• Sub-Indus Culture
• Primarily chalcolithic
• Development of Ahar Culture, Malwa Culture and Jorwe Culture at various
phases in post-Harappan Civilization.
Indus Valley Civilization SSC Exam Questions
In the SSC exam, the difficulty level of the Indus valley civilization questions
is usually of easy-moderate level. Questions are asked based on the evidence,
rivers, agriculture pattern and lifestyle. Take a look at the sample questions
on Indus valley civilization asked in SSC CGL previous year papers & SSC
CHSL previous year papers.
Q1. Which one of the following Indus Valley Civilization sites gives
evidence of a stadium?
(a) Harappa
(b) Kalibangan
(c) Mohenjodaro
(d) Dholavira
Q2. The local name of Mohenjodaro is:
(a) Mound of Living
(b) Mound of Survivor
(c) Mound of Dead
(d) Mound of Great
Q3. Who is the most important God in Rigveda?
(a) Agni
(b) Indra
(c) Varun
(d) Vishnu
Q4. Which one of the following Indus Valley Civilization sites gives
evidence of a dockyard?
(a) Harappa
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(b) Mohenjodaro
(c) Lothal
(d) Dholavira
Q5. Harappa is located on the bank of the River:
(a) Indus
(b) Ravi
(c) Beas
(d) Sutlej
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