Indus River Valley Civilization

City life and Civilization:

Harappa & Mohenjo-Daro

3,300-1,700 BCE

Ancient River Valley Civilizations

Comparative Timeline

Indus River Valley• Harappan culture existed along the

Indus River in what is now Pakistan.

• The cities of Harappa & Mohenjo-Daro were important centers of the Indus valley civilization.

• The cities were part of larger socioeconomic networks and interacted with other peoples and cultures.

Across Civilizations:

Trading Networks & Routes

Neighboring Settlements

Why would living near the Indus River make these settlements possible?

Think Egypt…

Think Mesopotamia…

Regional Trade

Imports and Exports• Imports: gemstones, gold, silver, textiles • Exports:

– Agriculture: peas, sesame seeds, dates, & grains– Raw Materials: wood, cotton, livestock, copper,

ivory, & shells– Finished goods: beads, ornaments, tools, &

pottery

• Methods: river boats, animal-pulled carts

Terraced Fields for Agriculture

Jewelry for Export

More Jewelry!

Pottery for Export

Harappan Socioeconoimc Integration

• By 2500 BCE, small communities became cities (integration).

• In total, over 1,052 cities and settlements have been found.

• Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro were the largest cities.

Indus Valley Integration

(Review!)Characteristics of Civilization

•Cities (dense populations)•Centralized Government (Leaders and laws)•Job specialization•Social Classes •Organized religion•Art/architecture (how did they use art?)•Writing System•Public Works (streets, defense & irrigation

systems)

Based on what you have learned so far…..

Was the ancient Indus River Valley a true “Civilization”?

Discuss & Explain!

Problems with Evaluating the IRV:• We do NOT have important information:

–Their language remains undeciphered• No tax records or literature• No record of religious beliefs and rituals

–No names of kings, grand palaces, large temples, or ornate tombs

–No warrior class or monuments to military conquests • Little evidence of divided social classes

Indus Writing• The origins of Indus writing can now be traced to c.

3,300-2,800 BCE at Harappa. • Some inscriptions were made on the bottom of

pottery. • This inscription appears to be three plant symbols.

Ancient Indus: Why no Translation?

BUT!The IRV had major cities

with sophisticated infrastructure

Mohenjo-Daro & Harappa• The cities had:

– secure walls, – good plumbing, – indoor plumbing, sewers, and drainage systems– public squares and gathering places.

• Mohenjo-Daro & Harappa had more than 35,000 residents.

• The cities serviced more than 1,000 other towns and villages in the region.

Mohenjo-Daro

Note the high walls and use of mud bricks.

The Great Bath

12 meters high, 7 meters wide, 2.4 meters deep

WhatPurpose did it serve?

The Great Bath• The "great bath" is the earliest public water

tank.

• Two staircases lead down into the tank from the north and south.

• At the foot of the stairs is a small ledge with a brick edging that extends the entire width of the pool.

• Archaeologists believe it was for ritualistic services.

Streets & Alleyways

• At Mohenjo-Daro streets and alleyways led to private neighborhoods.

An Artist’s Conception of Harappa

Wells• Private wells were

rebuilt over many generations for large households and neighborhoods.

• This well stands like a chimney because the surrounding earth has been removed by excavation.

Bathing Areas• Public bathing areas may also have been used

for washing clothes as is common in many traditional cities in Pakistan and India today.

Granary: What was it for?

• This "granary" in Harappa is a brick structure that was built on a massive foundation over 45 meters north-south and 45 meters east-west.

Harappan Workshops

• Large quantities of manufacturing debris have been found in this area indicating the presence of workshops for making beads, ornaments, pottery, & tools.

Harappa’s Layout

Choose a prompt & write!1.The Indus River Valley amounts to a

true civilization because….

OR

2. The Indus River Valley does NOT amount to a true civilization because…

Prepare a well developed paragraph with a completed topic sentence AND evidence.