Indus Valley Civilization.pptx - The Indus Valley...

The Indus Valley Civilization
NORTH SOUTH UNIVERSITY
DEPARTMENT OF HISTORY AND PHILOSOPHY
HIS 102: INTRODUCTION TO WORLD CIVILIZATION


Indus Valley Civilization was a Bronze
Age civilization, 3000-1300 BCE ;
peak 2500-1900 BCE ( ‘mature’
stage)

Location : Mostly around northwestern
part of Indian subcontinent, in Pakistan
extending from Balochistan in Sindh to
the Indian states of Gujarat, Haryana
and Punjab, and parts of northern
India.

Flourishing around the Indus river and
in the Punjab region. Later spread
towards the Ganga-Yamuna Doab

Discovery and Excavation

The ruins of Harappa (one of the
towns of Indus Civilization) were first
discovered by Charles Masson in
1842 and Alexander Cunningham in
1872.

However as a civilization, it was first
discovered by Rakhal Das Banerjee
and John Marshall around 1922.

Later discoveries by Mortimer
Wheeler, Director of Archaeological
Survey of India in 1944.

Important sites of excavations : Thousands
of sites have been discovered so far. However
only a dozen can be described as cities.
These are:

Harappa on the bank of river Ravi in the
Montgomery district of Western Punjab
(Pakistan). Harappan Civilization named after
this site.

Mohenjodaro in Larkana district on the
river Indus. (Largest)

Chanhudaro in Sindh.

Lothal in Gujarat (India).

Kalibangan in northern Rajasthan (India) in
the dry bed of river Ghaggar.

Geographical Conditions

The settlement was attractive since it offered
vast expanse of well-watered fertile land for
arable agriculture and also for grazing
animals.

Wild game, fish and plants provided other
additional resources.

Enough mud and timber for construction, as
well as fuel for domestic activities.

The Indus basin and its tributaries were well
endowed with mineral resources, as well as
stone and metal ores.

Archeological Sources
•
Cities and villages; baked-brick houses
•
Craft centers, rivers stations, camp sites
•
Figurines, metal artifacts, beads, seals
•
Fortified places, ports
•
Water harnessing; wells and paved bathing
floors
•
Weights, trade in copper
•
Lacking sources: a deciphered script; grand
temples or mortuary structures; great
treasures

•
Foreign Accounts: Mesopotamian
Texts

‘ Meluhha ’, was the source for ivory, wood,
gold, lapis lazuli and carnelian (used brown-
red semi-precious stones). C. 2300 BCE.

Ships of Meluhha

Meluhhites – people of the ‘black mountain’, or
‘black land’.

Weights and beads found in Mesopotamia c.
2600 BCE.
•
Trade – was necessary for Bronze Age
civilizations to procure metals.

Layout of the Cities

In general, layout of the cities were similar.

To the west was a citadel (A stronghold into
which people could go for shelter during a
battle), fortified by walls.