Indus Valley Civilization / Harappan Civilization : Ancient India

February 16, 20203.3k views Priyansha_Thapa

Indus Valley Civilization / Harappan Civilization:

The Harappan Civilization is dated between 2600 BC and 1900 BC.
It was a Bronze Age Civilization in the northwestern regions of South Asia.
Named after Harappa, the first site to be excavated, the entire civilization is known as the Harappan Civilization.
Sir
John Hubert Marshall was responsible for the large-scale excavations
that revealed Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro, the two largest cities of the
previously unknown IVC (Indus Valley Civilization).
The Civilization was first identified in 1921 at Harappa in Punjab region (present-day Pakistan) and then in 1922 at Mohenjo-Daro near the Indus river.
There are 5 major urban sites (Harappa, Mohenjo-Daro, Dholavira, Ganeriwala, and Rakhigarhi).

There were earlier and later cultures, known as Early Harappan and Later Harappan.
Harappan Civilization is also called Mature Harappan to distinguish from other cultures.
The period is characterized by seals, beads, weights, baked bricks and stone blades (also called Mature Harappan culture).

It was spread over Sind, Afghanistan, Jammu, Punjab, Gujarat, Balochistan, northern Rajasthan, and Kathiawar.
It covered most of Pakistan along with the western states of India.
The Kalibangan – Mohenjo-Daro represents the center of the Harappan civilization.
The
number of Harappan sites, of the Ghaggar-Hakra river and its
tributaries are around 500 and those along the Indus and its tributaries
are approximately 100 in number.

Usually towns were laid out in a parallelogrammic form.
System
town planning, drainage system, granary, dockyard, public bathing
place, use of bricks, buildings, etc are some of the most impressive
achievements.
Social equality seems to be widely prevalent in the cities of Indus Valley.
Existence of the first urban sanitation systems in the world.
The concept of urban planning is also widely evident.

They knew how to make long lasting paints and dyes.
They also had the knowledge of proto-dentistry and the touchstone technique of gold testing.
The people evolved new techniques in metallurgy and produced copper, bronze, lead and tin.
First to develop a system of uniform weights and measures.
They knew metal working and mining.
They constructed well planned multi storey buildings.

The major cultivated cereal crop was naked six-row barley, a crop derived from two-row barley.
The Harappan cultivated wheat, peas, sesame and mustard.
Rice husk in Lothal and Rangpur which proves cultivation of rice as well.
First people in the world to grow cotton.
Sheep, oxen, goats, buffaloes, dogs were domesticated.

Harappans worshipped the mother Goddess as the symbol of fertility.
They also worship Lord Pashupati, which is a figure, seated in a yoga – like posture and is surrounded by animals.
Certain trees seem to have been considered as sacred.
They believed life after death, as their graves often contained belongings to the dead person.

Various
sculptured, seals, pottery, gold, jewelry and figurines in terracotta,
bronze, and steatite, etc have been excavated from the sites of the
Harappan Civilization.
Other crafts include shell works, special kinds of combs, ceramics, agate, glazes steatite bead making, etc.
Evidence of toys and stringed musical instruments.
The ‘Dancing Girl’ and the ‘Bearded Head’ from the Mohenjo-Daro are the two well-known pieces of art.

The main forms of transport include bullock carts and boats.
Signs of maritime trade network between the Harappan and Mesopotamian civilizations also.
Tin and precious stones were imported from Iran and Afghanistan.

The gradual decline of the Indus Valley Civilization is believed to have started around 1800 BC.
By 1700 BC, most of the sites were abandoned.
The decline of civilization is believed to be connected with climate change.
The over utilization of resources and an increase in population contributed to the decline of Harappan Civilization.