Notes on Indus Valley Civilization

Notes on Indus Valley Civilization

John Marshall, the first scholar to use the term “Indus valley civilization”. The civilization flourished between 2500BC-1750BC.

Geographical Extent of IVC

1. Extent: Jammu in the North till Narmada Estuary in the south. Makran coast in the west till Meerut in the East.

2. Important cities

City - River and Archaeological Importance

Harappa

Ravi

A row of 6 Granaries, Mother goddess figurines

Mohenjodaro

Indus

Great Granary, Great bath, Image of Pashupati Mahadeva, Image of Bearded man and Bronze image of a woman dancer

Lothal

Bhogava

Port city, Double burial, Terracotta horse figurines.

Chanhudaro

Indus

City without a citadel

Dholavira

Luni

City divided into 3 parts.

Town planning and Structure of IVC

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 Civilisation

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

Oxens, Buffalo, Goats, Sheep and Pigs were domesticated

Asses and camels were used as Beasts of Burden

Elephants and Rhino were known

Remains of horse found in Surkotada and evidence of horse in Mohenjodaro and Lothal are also found. But the civilization was not horse-centered.

Technology and crafts

Bronze (Copper + tin) tools 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 Civilisation

Presence of granaries, weights and measures, seals and uniform script signifies the importance of trade

Barter system was widely prevalent

Lothal, Sutkagendor were port cities used for conducting trade

Trade destinations – Afghanistan, Iran and Central Asia. Contacts with Mesopotamia civilization are also seen

The political organization of IVC

Cultural homogeneity achieved through a strong central authority

No temples or religious structures found. Harappa was possibly ruled by Merchants class.

Weapons are rarely found.

Religious practices of IVC

Terracotta figure of Mother Goddess.

Phallu and Yoni worship.

Pashupati Mahadev seal found with the elephant, tiger, rhino and a bull surrounding him with two deer near his feet.

Tree and animal worship of IVC

Pipal tree worship was found.

One-horned Unicorn recognized as Rhino and humped bull were commonly worshipped.

Use of Amulets to ward off ghosts and evil spirits.

Lion was not known in Harappan culture.

The Harappan script

Harappan script Pictographic in nature but not deciphered so far.

They are recorded on seals and contains only a few words

Harappan Script is the oldest script in Indian Sub-continent

Weights and Measures

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 IVC

Well-developed Pottery techniques with elaborate designs of trees and circles.

Redware pottery painted with black designs.

Seals of Indus Valley Civilisation

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

Statue of IVC

Discovery of Bronze statue of a naked woman and bearded man steatite statue

Terracotta figurines of IVC

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

Origin, maturity and end of IVC

Pre-Harappan Settlements – Lower Sindh, Baluchistan and Kalibangan.

Mature Harappa – 1900BC – 2550BC.

Causes for the decline of 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.

Harappan culture 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.