ee EERE EEE IEEE EE EID EI EI IDI IDI EI IDI ID II II III II II IID IEEE EO ET Theme ] Bricks, Beads and Bones Fastracl« Revision > The Harappan Civilisation or Indus valley ciulisation Is mainly Found In the North-Western regions of South Asi, fextending Fram North-East Afghanistan to Pakistan and North-West india > The cities are noted for their urban planning, baked brick houses, well developed drainage system, water supply systems and exclusive craft production. > The Indus valley civilsation is also called the Harappan culture. Archaeologists use the term “culture” for a group Cf objects, distinctive in style, thet are usually Found together within a specific geographical area and period of time. Inthe case of the Harappan culture, these distinctive objects Include seats, beads, welahts, stone blades and ‘even baked bricks. These objects were found from areas as far apart as Afghanistan, Jammu, Baluchistan (Pakistan) ‘and Gujarat ledge BOOSTER 2 The Horoppan Civilisation is sometimes called the ) Mature Horoppan Culture. > Subsistence Strategies in Harappan Civilisation Mature Harappan culture developed in some of the ‘areas occupied by the Early Harappan cultures. These cultures also shared certain common elements Including subsistence strategies. > Agriculture > The Harappans ate a wide range of plant and animal products, including Fish. Archaeologists have been able to reconstruct dietary practices from Finds of charred ‘grains and seeds. These are studied by archaeo- botanists, who are specialists in ancient plant remains. > Grains Found at Harappan sites include wheat, barley, lentil, chickpea and sesame. Millets are found from sites In Gujarat. Finds of rice are relatively rare. > Agriculturat Technologies > Representations on seals and terracotta sculpture indicate that the bull was known and archaeologists ‘extrapolate from this that oxen were used for ploughing. Moreover, terracotta models of the plough have been Found at sites in Chalistan and at Banawali (Haryana). A terracotta bull > archaeologists have also Found evidence of aploughed field at Kalibangan (Rajasthan), associated with Early Harappan levels, The Field had two sets of Furrows at right angles to each other, suggesting that two different crops were grovmn together. ‘Most Harappan sites are located in sembarid lands, where Irrigation was probably required for agriculture ‘Traces of canals have been Found at the Harappan site of Shortughal In Afghanistan, but not In Punjab or Sind. Reservoir at Dholavira: Note the masonry work > Its also tkely that water drawn from wells was used for irrigation. Besides, water reservoirs found in Dholavira (Gujarat) may have been used to store water For agriculture. > Pastoralism And Hunting > Animal bones Found at Harappan sites include those of cattle, sheep, goat, buffalo and pig, > archaeologists Indicate that these animals were domesticated. Bones of wild species such as boar, deer and gharial are also found. We do not know whether the Harappans hunted these animals themselves or obtained meat from other hunting communities. Bones Of Fh and Fowl are also found, > Mohenjodaro: A Planned Urban Centre > Mohenjodaro was builtin the 26th century BC. It was tone of the largest cities of the ancient Indus valley ciulisation > Mohenjodaro was the most advanced clty of ts time built with planning. The city was divided into two parts citadel and the lower town.ee EERE EEE IEEE EE EID EI EI IDI IDI EI IDI ID II II III II II IID IEEE EO ET > The Citadel owes its height to the Fact that buildings were constructed on mud brick platforms. It was walled, wich meant that It was physically separated From the Lower Town. inowledge BOOSTER Hereppan Civilisation cities were uniform In planning ©) and construction » The Citadat > At sites such as Dholavira and Lothal (Gujarat), the entire settlement was Fortified, and sections withi town were also separated by walls. The Citadel Lothal was not walled off, but was bullt ata height. > Its on the Citadel that we find evidence of structures that were probably used For special public purposes. These include the warehouse - a massive structure of which the lower brick portions remain, while the upper portions, probably of wood, decayed long ago - and the Great Bath, > The Great Bath was a large rectangular tank in a courtyard surrounded by a corridor an all Four sides. ‘There were two fights of steps on the north and south leading into the tank, which was made watertight by setting bricks on edge and using a mortar of gypsum. > There were roams on three sides, in one of which was 2 large well. Water from the tank Flowed into a huge drain. Across a lane to the narth lay a smaller building with elght bathrooms, four on each side of a corridor, with drains From each bathroom connecting to a drain that ran along the corridor. > The uniqueness of the structure, as well as the context in which t was found (the Citadel, with several distinctive bulldings), has led scholars to suggest that It was meant for some kind of a special ritual bath. > The Lower Town > The Lower Town was also walled. Several buildings were built on platforms, which served as Foundations. It has been calculated thatif one labourer moved roughly a cubicmetre of earth daily, just to put the foundations In place it would have required four million person- days, in other words, mobilising labour on a very large scale > Other signs of planning include bricks which, whether sur-drled or baked, were of a standardised ratio, where the length and breadth were four times and twice the height respectively. Such bricks were used at all Harappan settlements. > Drainage System > One of the mast distinctive Features of Harappan cities was the carefully planned drainage system. > Roads and streets were laid out along an approximate “grid” pattern, intersecting at right angles. It seems, that streets with drains were laid out First and then houses built along them. If domestic waste water had to Flow into the street drains, every house needed to have at least one wall along a street. ‘Adrain in Mohenjodaro Nouce the huge opening of the drain » Domestic Architecture > The Lower Town at Mohenjodaro provides examples Of residential buildings. Many were centred on a courtyard, with rooms on all sides. The courtyard was probably the centre of activities such as cooking end ‘weaving, particularly during hot and dry weather. > Every house had its ovn bathroom paved with bricks, ‘with drains connected through the wall to the street drains. > Some houses have remains of stalrcases to reach a second storey orthe roof. Many houses had wells, often Ina oom that could be reached fram the outside and perhaps used by passers-by. Scholars have estimated that the total number oF wells In Mohenjodaro was about 700. >» Tracking Social Differences > Burials: ‘= At burials in Harappan sites the dead were generally laid in pits. Sometimes, there were differences in the way the burial pit was made in some instances, the hollowed-out spaced were lined with bricks. Some graves contain pottery and ornaments, perhaps indicating a belief that these could be used inthe afterlife, Jewellery has been found in burials. ‘oF both men and women, ' But on the whole, it appears that the Harappans did ‘not belleve in burying precious things with the dead. > Luxuries: ‘© Another strategy to identify soclal differences is to study artefacts, which archaeologists broadly classify as utiltarian and luxuries. The first category includes objects of daily use made fairly easily, out of ordinary materials such as stone or clay. These include querns, pottery, needles, Resh-rubbers (body scrubbers), etc. + Littie pots of Faience (a material made of ground sand of silica mixed with colour and a gum and then Fired) were probably considered precious because they were dificult to make. ‘= Rare objects made of valuable materials are ‘generally concentrated in large settlements lke Mohenjodaro and Harappan and are rarely found in tthe smaller settlements, For example, miniature pots of Faience, perhaps used as perfume bottles, are found mostly in Mohenjodaro and Harappa, and there are none from small settlements Uke Kalbangan. Gold too vas rare, and as at present, probably precious - all the gold Jewellery found at Harappan sites was recovered from hoards.