Harappan Civilization

Harappan Civilization

From about 2600 B.C. to 1700 B.C. a vast number of settlements were built on the banks of the Indus River and surrounding areas. These settlements cover a remarkable region, almost 1.25 million kilometres of land which is today part of Afghanistan, Pakistan and north-western India.

The Indus Valley region was home to one of the great ancient civilisations, which was on par with the Sumerians and Egyptians and at the same time. It ended suddenly as did the Sumerians. It was not discovered until the 1920's. Most of its ruins, even its major cities, remain to be excavated.

The discovery of Harappan civilization proved well developed urban civilisation before the arrival of the Aryans. General Cunningham done the preliminary investigation. Mr. R.B.Daya Ram Sahni discovered Harappa in 1921 Mr. R.D. Banerjee dug out the ruins of the pre-historic city of Mohen-jo-Daro in 1922.

• Mohen-jo-Daro means the Mound of the Dead . located in the Larkana district of Sindh (now in Pakistan). Important findings are great bath, granary,      workmen cottages, assembly hall, bronze dancing girl, statue of priest and Pasupati seal. This city is flooded more than once. { Read More...(External Site) }

• Harappa was situated on the bank of the river Ravi in the Montgomery district of West Punjab (now in Pakistan). Major finding are granary, single rooms for work men, working platform,red sand stone male torso, proto type of Yaksha or jina , cemeteries and bronze models of ikkas. { Read More (External Link) }

• Kalibangan situated on saraswathi (Ghaggar),Rajasthan.evidence of brick fortification, furrows, pre Harappan and Harappan phases and fire altars.

• Lothal in Gujarat was an important trade centre. dockyard, rice husks, terra cotta figurine of horse, fire altars, cleaver fox depicted in a pot were the major findings.

• Other important sites were Chanu daro in Sindh (Pakistan) about 130 kilomatres south of Mohen-jo-daro, Alamgir near Hatinapur in U.P. and Ropar in the Punjab, at the foothills of Shivalik, Dholvaria in Gujarat and Rakhigarhi in Haryana.

• Mediterranean
• Proto Austrolids
• Mongloids
• Alpines.

• Town Planning: cities were big and were built on grid planning. houses had a well, bathroom and drains. built mostly on burnt bricks. the roofs were flat and made of wood. rooms were built around an open courtyard. Some houses were double storied. Some buildings had pillared halls.. It is assumed that there also must have been palaces, temples or municipal halls.

• The Drainage System: They had a well advanced drainagesystem. The drains were covered with slabs. Water flowed from houses into the street drains. The street drains had manholes at regular intervals.

• Food: wheat and barley were cultivated. Rice (Rangpur & Lothal) and date palm was also probably grown. Besides these, the diet of the people consisted of fruits, vegetables, fish, milk and meat of animals i.e. beef, mutton and poultry.

• Ornaments: Both men and women wore ornaments made of gold, silver, copper and other metals. Men wore necklaces, finger rings and armlets of various designs and shapes. The women wore a head dress, ear rings, bangles, girdles, bracelets and anklets. Rich people wore expensive ornaments made of gold while the poor had ornaments made of shell, bone or copper.

• Furniture and Utensils: The furniture and utensils found at Mohen-jo-daro show a high degree of civilization because of their variety in kind and design. The beautifully painted pottery, numerous vessels for the kitchen, chairs and beds made of wood, lamps of different material, toys for children, marbles, balls and dice, indicate what people manufactured in those days.

• Domestication of Animals: The people of Harappa domesticated animals like oxen, buffaloes, pigs, goats and sheep. Camels and asses were used as means of transport. Dogs and cats were kept as pets. The humped bull was considered a great asset in the farming community. Crafts The discovery of spindles at the sites of Harappan culture shows that the people used to spin and weave. Goldsmiths made jewellery of gold, silver and precious stones. People were also engaged in brick-laying and in the art of sculpture. The making of seals was developed during this period. Bronze-smiths made various types of weapons and tools such as knives, spears, saws and axes which were used in daily life.

• Trade: Traders carried on trade in the country as well as with other countries like Egypt, Babylon and Afghanistan. Many seals of Harappa found in Mesopotamia show that trade existed between the two countries. Mesopotomian literature records refer Indus region as Meluha and two trading stations Dilmun (Baharin) and Makan.

• The people of the Indus Valley used weights and measures in their business transactions. They used 16 and its multiplies: 64, 160 and 320, in measurement and weight.

• Sculpture in Stone: Among the stone images found in Harappa two male statues are noteworthy. The first statue is that of a yogi, the other figure is a torso of a human male in red sand stone.

• Sculpture in Metal: The Harappan artists knew the art of bronze casting. A figure of a female naked dancer was found at Mohen-jo-daro. Besides the figurine, bronze figures of a buffalo and a humped bull are very artistically designed.

• Sculpture in Terracotta: The Indus Valley people practiced sculpture in terracotta. The teracota figure of the Mother Goddess was discovered in Mohen-jo-daro.

• Pottery and Painting: Pottery found in large quantities shows that with the potter's wheel the craftsman produced pottery of various artistic shapes. Figures of birds, animals and men were depicted on the pots. Paintings on the pots show, that these men were equally good at painting.

• Script: The Indus Valley people had some knowledge of the art of writing, though in a rudimentary way. The script is pictographic, but still remains un-deciphered though there are nearly four hundred signs. The writing was generally from left to right, but in some cases it was in the opposite direction i.e., right to left in the first line and left to right in the second.

• Seals: The most interesting part of the discovery relates to the seals-more than 2000 in number, made of softstone (steatite), terracotta and copper.. Most of the seals have the figures of real animals while a few bear the figure of      mythical animals. The seals are rectangular, circular or even cylindrical in shape. It is said that these seals were used by different associations or merchants for stamping purposes. The seals even have an inscription of a sort of pictorial writing.

• Important Seals: The Pashupati Seal: This seal depicts a yogi, probably Lord Shiva surrounded by a rhino, a buffalo, an elephant and a tiger. Under his throne are two deer. This seal shows that Shiva was worshipped and he was considered as the Lord of animals (Pashupati).The Unicorn Seal: The unicorn is a mythological animal. The Bull Seal This seal depicts a humped bull of great vigour. The figure shows the artistic skill and a good knowledge of animal anatomy.