ancient history- the harappan civilization

8/20/2019 Ancient History- The Harappan Civilization

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ANCIENT HISTORY

Ok so when we start studying ancient history the first question that comes to your

mind is why study what people did some thousands of years back and what relevance

it holds now?

It is mainly for us to understand that:

How and why our ancestors lived as they did,

The difficulties they faced and

How they overcame them

To get an overview of the interests and concerns of people e!isting at that time

"people living in both aristocratic and lower levels of the society#

$o as to get acquainted with our past to understand better what is happening

today

1. THE HARAPPAN CIVILIZATION

Here some of the features are listed below in brief:

Harappan civili%ation &' (irst known )rban *ulture in India

+ost of the sites developed on the banks of Indus, haggar and its tributaries

Harappans built earliest cities complete with :

a# town planning,

b# sanitation,

c# drainage system and

d# broad well&laid roads

They built double storied houses of burnt&bricks - bathroom - kitchen - well .alled cities had important buildings &' the reat /ath, rannaries and

0ssembly Halls

0griculture&' main occupation&' Harappans in rural areas

*ity residents&' internal 1 e!ternal trade - developed contacts with other

civili%ations " eg +esopotamia#

Harappans&' e!cellent potters

Harappans had technical knowledge of metals 1 process of alloying "eg

bron%e sculpture of dancing girl found in +ohen2odaro#

$hell, ivory, bone and faience were used as material for different crafts

3othal&' dockyard situated in 4holaka Taluk "0hmedabad, u2arat#

3othal&' well planned wall city - an important centre of sea trade with the

western world

Other important 4haulavira "u2# 1 5alibangam "6a2asthan#

Harappans worshipped plants and animals and the forces of nature

.orshipped male god resembling 3ord $hiva of later times -a mother

goddess

7robably believed in life after death and also in charms and spells

$eals engraved with animal figures "eg humped bull, elephant and

rhinoceros# suggest&' these animals considered sacred 87eepal9 found depicted on many seals


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Harappan script&' yet to be deciphered&' hence, our knowledge of Harappan

civili%ation&' based on archaeological evidence alone

Harappans&' first people to cultivate cotton - knew art of spinning 1

weaving

$o we can now look into the Harappan civili%ation in greater detail

"6emember: Harappan Civilization &' also known as Indus Valley Civilization#

1.1 THE HARAPPAN SEAL

+ost distinctive artefact of Harappan;Indus Harappan site includes&'

wheat-barley-lentil-chickpea-sesame

6ice&' relatively rare

4omesticated animals include&' cattle-sheep-goat-buffalo-pig

1.3.1 Agriculturl T!c"#$l$gi!%

6epresentations on seals 1 terracotta sculpture indicate&' bull was known.

*an be e!trapolated that&' o!en used for ploughing - terracotta ploughs

found > *holistan and /anawali "Haryana#

0nother evidence&' ploughed field > 5alibangan "6a2asthan#

0bove field has&' two sets of furrows > right angles&' indicates two

crops grown together

+ost Harappan sites&' located in semi arid areas&' irrigation required

Traces of canals found > Harappan site of $hortughai "0fghanistan# but

not in Punjab or Sind.

.ater reservoirs found in 4holavira "u2arat#&' indicates possible use of

wells for irrigation

1.& 'OHEN(O)ARO* A PLANNE) URBAN STRUCTURE

)rban *entres&' most unique feature of Harappan civili%ation


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+OH=@O406O& one such centre - most well known site

"6emember& First site to be discovered was Harappa not Mohenjodaro#

$ettlement mainly divided into two sections:

"a# *itadel A smaller but higher section

"b# 3ower Town A larger but lower section

*itadel owes its height to&' construction on mud brick platforms This means *itadel was physically separated from the 3ower Town

3ower town&' also walled, buildings built on platforms serving as

foundations

$cale of construction indicates very large scale mobili%ation of labour

0bove points suggest&' settlement was first planned then implemented

Other signs of planning&' use of bricks "sun&dried or baked# having a

standardi%ed ratio "length B C times the height, breadth B D times the height#

1.&.1 L+i#g $ut ,ri#%

7lanned 4rainage $ystem&' one of most distinctive features of

Harappan cities

7lan of 3ower town shows&' roads and streets laid along

approximate ‘grid’ pattern. intersecting ! right angles"

$treets with drains laid out first then houses were built along them

=very house had at least one wall along a street

ow you would ask why?& this is because as the house drainage

system was built along the walls, so in order to allow the domestic

waste water to flow into the street drains at least one wall had to be

built along a street

1.&.2 )$-!%tic Arc"it!ctur!

3ower town > +ohen2odaro provides e!ample of 6esidential

buildings

+any buildings were centered along a courtyard with rooms on all

sides

o .indows in walls along ground level&' 7rivacy 6easons "very

obvious EEE : :&p#

0lso main entrance does not give direct view of the interior or

courtyard

=very house had its own bathroom paved with bricks - drains

connected through the walls to the street drains

$ome houses&' staircases present&' provides access to Dnd

floor;terrace;roof

+any houses had wells&' in a room that could be accessed from

outside&' perhaps used by passers&by

1.&.3 T"! CITA)EL

=vidence of structures used for special public purposes found here These include:& "a# T"! r!"$u%!& massive structure, only lower


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brick portions intact, upper portions of wood

decayed

"b# T"! Gr!t Bt"&

large rectangular tank surrounded by corridor on

all four sides

two flights of steps on the north and south

leading into the tank

rooms on three sides "in one room a large well

was there#

0cross orth lane&' smaller building&'

contained F bathrooms "four on each side of a

corridor#

This structure was meant for some kind of a

special ritual bath

1./ SOCIAL )IFFERENCES

1./.1 Buril%

$tudy of burials&' one of the strategies used by archaeologists to find

out socio&economic differences amongst people "living in a particular

area#

> burials in Harappan sites&' dead generally laid in pits

$ome pits showed differences in the way they were made ie the

hollow space were lined with bricks

The above point can be considered indicative of social differences

@ewellery found in burials of both men and women along with pottery

- copper mirrors &'indicates Harappans believed in afterlife

1./.2 L$$0i#g $r Luur+ it!-%

$tudy of artefacts&' yet another strategy to identify social differences

0rtefacts classified as&' )tilitarian 1 3u!uries

Utilitri#& includes ob2ects of daily use&' made out of ordinary

materials "eg $tone 1 clay#&' eg querns, pottery, needles

Luuri!%& rare - made of costly - non&local materials or complicatedtechnologies "eg 3ittle pots of faience#


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The above&mentioned are specialised centres for making shell ob2ects&'

includes bangles, ladles and inlay

(inished products from *hanhudaro 1 3othal&' taken to large urban centres

"+ohen2odaro 1 Harappa#

1..1 C!#tr!% $ Pr$,ucti$# 4i,!#tiicti$#5

(or identification of centres of production archaeologists look for&'

raw materials "eg $tone nodules, whole shells, copper ore# - tools -

unfinished ob2ects - re2ects - waste materials

.aste materials&' one of the best indicators of craft work

.hy? A because if suppose a stone is cut to make ob2ects then pieces

of these materials would be discarded as waste > place of production

1.6 PROCURE'ENT OF RA 'ATERIALS

0s we have seen above, a lot of craft production was taking place in the

smaller as well as larger centres of the Harappan *ivili%ation

This indicates a lot of raw materials was required&' some of which was locally

available - others were procured from outside

(or this purpose proper means of transportation and routes were identified and

used to carry goods and people across land routes "eg /ullock carts#

6iverine routes along Indus and its tributaries - coastal routes also used

1.6.1 't!ril% r$- %u7c$#ti#!#t #, 7!+$#,

Harappans established settlements in&' ageshwar 1 /alakot&' as

shell is available here

#hortughai "0fghanistan#&' established near&' best source of lapis

lazuli "a blue stone&' very highly valued#

)othal established near&' source of carnelian "near /haruch, u2arat#,

source of steatite "from south 6a2asthan 1 north u2arat# 1 metal

"6a2asthan#

0nother strategy for procurement of raw materials&' sending

e!peditions to: "a# *hetri "6a2asthan#&' for copper

"b# #outh India&' +old $uch e!peditions helped establish communication with local

communities

a but what9s the proof???

=vidence&' "# occasional finds of Harappan artefacts "eg $teatite

micro beads#

"D# *hetri area&' referred to as +anesh&ar$,odhpura

culture&' distinctive non&Harappan pottery found -

abundance of copper ob2ects&' indicates inhabitants of this

region may have supplied copper to the Harappans


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1.6.2 C$##!cti$# 8it" r 8+ r!gi$#%9l#,%

Oman&' copper probably brought from here "according to recent

archaeological finds#

Oman lies on the south eastern tip of 0rabian peninsula "0 quick check

on your geographyEEE#

Omani copper - Harappan artefacts&' have traces of nickel&' common

origin indicated

0 large Harappan 2ar "coated with thick layer of black clay#&' found >

Omani sites

$uch thick coatings prevent the percolation of liquids&' content of

vessels unknown but probably would have been used in e!change for

Omani copper

+esopotamian te!ts&' refer to copper coming from region called

+agan&' probably a name for Oman 0lso the copper found > +esopotamian sites contained traces of

nickel "refer third point for clarityEE#

Other evidences of long distance contacts&' findings of Harappan

seals, weights, dice 1 beads

+esopotamian te!ts mention contacts with regions named&'

"a# -ilmund &' Island of /ahrain

"b# Magan&' Oman

"c# Meluhha&' possibly Harappan region

+esopotamian te!ts mention products from&' +eluhha&' carnelian,

lapis la%uli, copper, gold 1 varieties of wood +esopotamian te!ts refer +eluhha as&' land of seafarers&' depictions

of ships and boats on seals are found

1.: SEALS; SCRIPT; EIGHTS

1.:.1 S!l% #, S!li#g%

+ainly used for long distance communication

The knot on rope used for tying a bag containing goods was affi!ed

with wet clay on which one or more seals would be pressed

Intact seals on the knot during delivery indicated there was no

tampering done

$ealing also conveyed identity of the sender

1.:.2 Hr


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0ns& $eals show wider spacing on right 1 cramping towards the left

meaning as if the engraver began working from right and then fell

short of space

.ritings found on&' seals, copper tools, rims of 2ars, copper 1

terracotta tablets, 2ewellery, bone rods - an ancient signboard

*onsidering above variety of writings on ob2ects&' can be e!trapolated

that literacy was widespread

1.:.3 !ig"t%

=!change was regulated by a precise system of weights

.eights&' made of&' Chert "a stone#&' cubical shape - no markings

$maller weights&' used for weighing&' @ewellery - beads

1.> ANCIENT AUTHORITY 4"$ 8% t"! BOSS??5

Harappan society&' presents e!amples of comple! decisions

taken - implemented

$ome e!amples&' e!traordinary uniformity in Harappan artefacts ie pottery,

seals, weights and bricks

/ricks&' not produced in any single centre&' but&' uniform ratio followed

throughout the region from @ammu to u2arat

0nother e!ample&' settlements set up strategically in specific locations "ie

areas near to rich deposits of precious stones- metals- trade centres#

0lso&' labour mobili%ed&' for brick making- construction of massive walls 1

platforms

1.>.1 Plc!% @ i#g%

3arge /uilding found in +ohen2odaro&' labeled as palace&' but no

spectacular finds

0 stone statue found&' known as 87riest 5ing9&' associated with

familiarity in +esopotamian history&' also found parallels in Indus region

+any theories proposed&' "a# some archaeologists say no rulers were

present, all en2oyed equal status,"b# some others argue there was a single state

"c# others felt there was no single ruler but

several "ie +ohen2odaro had a separate

ruler, Harappa another and so forth#

Option "b# considered more legit due to the following reasons:

4ue to similarity in artefacts

=vidence of planned settlements

$tandardi%ed ratio of /rick si%e

=stablishment of settlement near sources of raw materials

$o this suggests that a single house of power e!isted and it is unlikely that

such comple! decisions could have been collectively made 1 implemented


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if there e!isted a single ruler for each community "same applicable if

everyone en2oyed equal status#

1.1 THE EN) OF HARAPPAN CIVILIZATION

/y FLL /*= most of mature sites in Harappan regions abandoned&'eg *holistan

=!pansion of population took place into new settlements&' u2arat, Haryana

1 .estern )ttar 7radesh

0fter MLL /*=&' transformation of material culture observed, these were

marked by:

4isappearance of distinctive artefacts&' ie seals, weights,

special beads

.riting - long distance trade - craft speciali%ation&' also

disappeared

$hift from standardi%ed weight system to use of local weights

House construction techniques deteriorated

3arge public structures no longer produced

4ecline 1 abandonment of cities

0rtefacts - settlements&' indicated&' rural way of life in 3ate Harappan or

successor cultures

$o what can be the reason for such drastic changes??

*limate change

4eforestation

=!cessive floods

/y $hifting;drying up of rivers

3andscape overuse

/ut still these do not e!plain the collapse of entire civili%ation

+any historians have proposed theories of invasion, mass killings etc&' but

from e!am point of view&' not required to get into those details

1.11 )ISCOVERY OF THE HARAPPAN CIVILIZATION

Cunningham:

first 4irector&eneral of 0$I

/egan e!cavations in mid nineteenth century

(ollowed accounts "te!ts and inscriptions# left by *hinese

/uddhist pilgrims "they came between fourth and seventh

centuries *= to locate early settlements#

$ince Harappa was not part of itinerary of *hinese pilgrims

Therefore, Harappan artefacts found by *unningham confused

him, $o, he overlooked the significance of Harappa


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,ohn Marshall :

4 of 0$I in MDG

0nnounced the discovery of new civili%ation in the Indus

different stratigraphic layers

Hence, valuable info regarding these finds&' lost forever

./.M. 0heeler :

4 of 0$I in MCC

6eali%ed importance of following the stratigraphy rather than

e!cavating hori%ontally +a2or Harappan sites are now in 7akistan

Hence, e!tensive survey was taken up in 5utch

$ome of the recently discovered sites are tabulated below:

SITE LOCATION )ISCOVERE) BY

-holavira ann o1 *utch +ujarat" 6$ /isht

anverivala 7akistan 6afeeq +ugal

6akhi arhi @ind "Haryana# 6afeeq +ugal

1.12 CONNECTING THE )OTS 4LOOING INTO THE PAST5

Harappan script&' not deciphered

Hence, we can say "and as is evident from above e!amples#&' +aterial=vidence&' allows archaeologists to better reconstruct the Harappan life "and

not the Harappan script#

These materials can be pottery, tools, ornaments, household ob2ects etc

1.12.1 Cl%%i+i#g i#,%

0rchaeologists classify their findings in the following terms

I# t!r-% $ -t!ril&' clay, metal, bone, ivory etc

I# t!r-% $ u#cti$#&' eg .hether the artefact is a

tool or an ornament or both or something made for

ritual use


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)nderstanding of function of an artefact&' shaped by

resemblance with present things&' eg /eads, querns,

stone blades and pots

I# t!r-% $ t"! c$#t!t i# 8"ic" it 8% $u#,&' ie

whether it was found in a house, in a drain, in a grave,in a kiln etc

B+ I#,ir!ct Ei,!#c!&' eg Though traces of cotton

found > some Harappan sites but still have to depend

on depictions in the sculptures

1.12.2 Pr$7l!-% i# I#t!r means a single or repeated image forming a design# 2nicorn&' mythical one horned composite creature&' also depicted on

seals

3roto$#hiva&' figure of a man seated crossed legged in a yogic

posture, sometimes surrounded by animals&' an early form of one of

the ma2or Hindu deities&' also depicted on seals

)ingas&' conical stone ob2ects&' worshipped as a symbol of shiva

7repared by: 3OHIT 3030

6eferences:

# IO$ material on 0ncient History

2) ew *=6T Te!tbook A Dth class& Themes in Indian History 7art I "bulk of

the article is from here#

ancient history- the harappan civilization

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