(2550-1indus Valley Civilization 800 BC) : Geographical Extent
(2550-1indus Valley Civilization 800 BC) : Geographical Extent
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
(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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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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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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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
Sapphire Badak-shan
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Jade Central Asia
Amethyst Maharashtra
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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