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(2550-1indus Valley Civilization 800 BC) : Geographical Extent

The document discusses the Indus Valley Civilization, including its geographical extent, important concepts, theories of origin and decline. It provides key details about the highly developed urban civilization that flourished between 2500-1800 BC along the Indus River valley. The civilization covered over 1 million square kilometers and included major urban settlements with standardized brick architecture, sanitation systems, and early forms of writing. While the conventional view was that 'Aryans' destroyed the civilization, modern research suggests its decline was due to environmental factors like river changes, not invasion.

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0% found this document useful (0 votes)
78 views6 pages

(2550-1indus Valley Civilization 800 BC) : Geographical Extent

The document discusses the Indus Valley Civilization, including its geographical extent, important concepts, theories of origin and decline. It provides key details about the highly developed urban civilization that flourished between 2500-1800 BC along the Indus River valley. The civilization covered over 1 million square kilometers and included major urban settlements with standardized brick architecture, sanitation systems, and early forms of writing. While the conventional view was that 'Aryans' destroyed the civilization, modern research suggests its decline was due to environmental factors like river changes, not invasion.

Uploaded by

pulkit gupta
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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(2550-1Indus Valley Civilization

800 BC)
cultures which flourished after Indus

T
Valley Civilization.
he Indus Valley Civilization (2550-1800
B.C.) represents the Bronze Age culture.
There were certain remarkable features Geographical Extent
present in the civilization which made it
technologically far superior as compared to the The Indus Valley Civilization was spread over
cultures which flourished after the decline of the whole of Sind, Baluchistan, almost the
this civilization. These remarkable features whole of Punjab, northern Rajasthan, Haryana
were: and western Uttar Pradesh. Shatughai &
 Highly developed trade Mundigaq were the Indus sites found in
 Presence of some urban sites Afghanistan. The civilization covered the area
 Highly efficient town planning over 1,299,600 sq km. The following are the

Indus Valley Civilization


extreme ends of the civilization:
 Presence of buildings made of bricks
 North- Shatughai

(2550-1800 BC)
 Use of Bronze
 South- Malavana (Surat district of
 The ability to read and write and
Gujarat)
existence of script
 East- Alamgirpur (Meerut district of
 Cosmopolitan population which consist
U.P)
of people of various race like
 West- Suktagendor (on Markan coast)
Mediterranean, Proto Australoid,
Mangoloids and Alpines
 Presence of some civil or political Important Concepts related to
authority Indus Valley Civilization
 Standardization of script and weights
When we say that Indus Valley Civilization was
 Although the term “urban civilization”
technologically far superior as compared to its
is used in context of the Indus Valley
successor cultures and civilizations, the
Civilization, however it must be noted
following are the reasons:
that out of about 1500 sites discovered
 Rig Vedic (1500 B.C) people and those till date only about 10 sites contain the
belonging to Chalcolithic cultures urban features. Thus majority of sites
which flourished after to the Indus were rural. However, it was for the first
Valley Civilization did not contain any time that urbanization appeared in the
feature of urbanization. history of the mankind in this part of
 Rig Vedic people use to lead a nomadic the continent.
life while Indus Valley Civilization  Although the Indus Valley Civilization
witnessed highly developed town is termed as “Bronze Age Civilization”
planning and settled life. yet the majority and tools and
 The long distance trade, ability to read implements were made up of stone and
and write, cosmopolitan population bones.
were all missing in the civilizations and

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 The maximum sites are found in the Origin
vicinity of Ghaggar-Hakra river system.
 Iron was not known to the people of Initially the scholars like M. Wheeler
Indus Valley Civilization were of the view that the Indus Valley
Civilization developed abruptly. It was
 The decline of Indus Valley Civilization also viewed that the Indus Valley
means that the sites lost their urban Civilization abruptly reached to a
characters. It does not mean that the developed phase because of its
sites were completely destroyed. interaction with the Mesopotamian
Civilization.
 Stone was not used in building of
However, recent researches have
houses in Indus Valley Civilization. proved that the Indus Valley
 The Horse was absent in case of Indus civilization developed gradually and
Valley Civilization. not abruptly. Although there were
extensive trade links and interaction
 Slaves were present in Indus Valley
between the Mesopotamian and Indus
Civilization Valley Civilization, yet the impact of the
 The major reason for the presence of Mesopotamian civilization of the
urban features in the Indus Valley development of the latter was limited.

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Civilization was the long distance trade Thus it is now accepted that the Indus
Valley Civilization developed gradually
 Agriculture and not trade or crafts was and there were various local factors
the main back bone of the Indus Valley which paved the way for its developed
Civilization. phase and the impact of the
Mesopotamian Civilization on the
 The society in Indus Valley Civilization
development of the Indus Valley
was patriarchal. Civilization was minimal.
 Cremation was the most popular way
of the disposal of the dead. Decline
 Indus people had knowledge of decimal
and binary system The decline of Indus Valley civilization
refers to the fact that the sites lost their
 The seals found were mostly square in
urban characters.
shape and made up of steatite. There are various views by different
 Most common animal on seal was scholars regarding the decline of the
unicorn. Indus Valley Civilization. According to
the conventional view the “Aryans”
 The Indus people were the earliest to were responsible for uprooting the
produce cotton Indus Valley Civilization. The terms in
Rig Veda referring Indra as Purandara
Theory of origin and decline of the (destroyers of Purs or castles) and the
evidence of battle at Hariyupiya are
civilization regarded as evidences to support this
fact. However, this conventional view is
Different scholars have different views refuted by the modern researches and
regarding the origin and decline of the scholars. It is because of the fact that
civilization. there was a gap of about 250-300 years
between the decline of the Indus Valley
Civilization and the arrival of Aryans.

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& bread-makers shops, Imprint of dog’s
Apart from the conventional views the paw on a brick, Terracotta model of a
other views about the decline of Indus bullock cart, Bronze toy cart.
Valley Civilization are as follows:
 According to Robert L. Raikes the  Lothal
cause of decline was due to tectonic Dockyard, Rice husk, Metal-workers,
uplift theory shell-ornament makers & bead-makers
 As per Lambrick the declined took shopes, Fire altars, Terracotta figurine
place due to change in course of of a horse, Double burial (burying a
male & a female in a single grave),
river Indus.
Terracotta model of a ship, Dying vat,
 Fariservis is of the view that Persian/Iranian seal, Baharainean seal,
ecological degradation was the Painted jar (bird & fox).
major cause of the decline.
 Kalibangan
The exact cause behind the decline is still a
Ploughed field surface (Pre-Harappan),
controversial issue between the modern day
7 fire altars, decorated bricks, Wheels
scholars; however the plausible causes are
of a toy cart, Mesopotamian cylindrical
related to the ecological imbalances.
seal.

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Sites and Archaeological Finds
 Banawali
Lack of chess-board or grid pattern of
 Harappa town planning, Lack of systematic
6Granaries in row, Working floors, drainage system, Toy plough, Clay
Workmen’s quarters, Virgin-Goddess figures of Mother Goddess
(seal), Cemetery (R-37, H), Stone
symbols of Lingam (male sex organ) &  Dholavira
Yoni (female sex organ), Painted
pottery, Clay figures of Mother Goddess, A unique water harnessing system & its
storm water drainage system, a large
Wheat and Barley in wooden mortar,
Copper scale, Crucible for bronze, well & a bath (giant water reservoirs),
Copper-made mirror, Vanity box, Dice. only site to be divided into 3 parts,
largest Harappan inscription used for
civic purposes, A stadium.
 Mohonjodaro
Great Bath, Great Granery (the largest  Surkotada
building of civilization), Assembly hall,
shell strips, Pashupati Maadeva/Prtoto- Bones of horse, Oval grave, Pot burials
Shiva(seal), Bronze Image of a nude
woman dancer, Steatite image of  Daimabad
bearded man, Human skeletons huddles Bronze images
together, Painted seal, Clay figures of
Mother Goddess, a fragment of wowen Urban Features
cotton, brick kilns, 2 Mesopotamian
seals, largest number of seals, Dice.
 All the cities were well planned and
 Chanhudaro were built with baked bricks of the
City without a citadel, Inkpot, Lipstick, same size
Metal-workers, shell-ornament makers

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 The streets were laid at right angles Trade
with an elaborate system of covered
drains.
 The people of Indus Valley Civilization
 There was a fairly clear division of
practiced both internal as well as
localities and houses were earmarked
external trade.
for the upper and lower strata of
society.
 There were also public buildings, the
most famous being the Great Bath at  The trade took place through barter
Mohenjodaro and the vast granaries. system as there is no evidence of coins.
 Production of several metals such as  The Sumerian texts refer to trade
copper, bronze, lead and tin was also relations with ‘Meluha’ which was the
undertaken and some remnants of name given to the Indus region. The
furnaces provide evidence of this fact. Sumerian texts also refer to two
 The discovery of kilns to make bricks intermediate stations – Dilmun
support the fact that burnt bricks were (Bahrain) & Makan (Makran coast).
used extensively in domestic and Susa & Ur are Mesopotamian places

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public buildings. where Harappan seals have been
found.
 There are evidences of the products
Religion from the Mesopotamian Civilization
found at various sites of Indus Valley
Civilization.
 The people of Indus Valley didn’t
worship their gods in temple. No  There are both literary and
temple in fact has been discovered. An archeological evidences which suggest
that there were trade relation between
idea of their religion can be formed
from the statues & figurines found. Indus Valley Civilization with the
Mesopotamian civilization
 Figures of Mother Goddess have been
 Lothal was the ancient port of Indus
discovered in large numbers which
indicate worship of female deity. This civilization
is a remarkable feature as the idol  There are evidences of the products
worship and the worship of female from the Mesopotamia in the Indus
figures started after this during the Valley Civilization, however no product
Guptan period (300 A.D). (only seals) of Indus Valley Civilization
 The chief male deity was the ‘Pasupati has been found from Mesopotamia.
Mahadeva’ i.e. the lord of Animals This suggests that export goods from
(Proto-Shiva) the Indus Valley must be of perishable
kind for example grains etc.
 Animal worship and tree worship were
in vogue in Indus Valley.  The existence of prosperous urban
sites in Indus Valley suggests that
 Kalibangan has evidences of fire altars
balance of trade must have been in
 The people of this age believed in life
their favor.
after death

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 The Himalayan sites were the chief
suppliers of different medicines and
similar products.
 There were certain areas which
emerged as specialized craft centers
e.g. Lothal
IMPORTS FROM
 Gold Kolar (Karnataka), Afghanistan, Persia (Iran)

 Silver Afghanistan, Persia (Iran), South India

 Copper Khetri (Rajasthan), Baluchistan, Arabia

 Tin Afghanistan, Bihar

 Lapis Lazuli Afghanistan

 Sapphire Badak-shan

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 Jade Central Asia

 Steatite Shaher-i-Sokhta, Kirthar Hills

 Amethyst Maharashtra

 Agate, Chalcedonies Saurashtra & West India

 Carnelians Saurashtra & West India

Site’s location and excavators

Site River State/Province Country Excavators


Harappa Ravi Punjab Pakistan Daya Ram Sahni
(1921), Madho
Swaroop Vatsa
(1926), Wheeler
(1946)

Mohenjodaro Indus Sindh Pakistan Rakhal Das


Bannerji (1922),
Mackay (1927)
Wheeler (1930)

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Chanhudaro Indus Sindh Pakistan Mackay (1925),
N.G.
Mazumdar(1931)

Lothal Ghaggar Gujarat India S.R. Raw (1954)


Kalibangan Ghaghar Rajasthan India Amalanand Ghosh
(1951), B.B. Lal &
B.K. Thapar (1961

Banawali Ghaggar Haryana India R.S. Bist (1973)


Dholavira Luni Gujarat India J.P. Joshi (1967-68)

Polity and Society Indus Civilization be a class of


merchants.
The society of Indus Valley was highly
The similarity in the pattern of town stratified. The presence of castle in

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planning, standardization of weights various sites and Kulli-line like
etc suggests the presence of some structures found at Harappa suggests
centralized authority. There is no clear- the inequality prevailing in the society.
cut evidence about the nature of polity, The society was patriarchal in nature.
but it seems that the ruling authority of

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