INDUS RIVER CIVILIZATION

Started about 2500 B.C

Located in the north – western region of Indian subcontinent

The civilization is famous for its large and well-planned cities

1,052 cities and settlements have been found

Harappa and Mohenjo - Daro

OVERVIEW

GEOGRAPHYCovered most of what is today Pakistan

and the Indian states of Gujarat, Rajasthan, Haryana, and Punjab

The huge Indus river system waters a rich agricultural landscape.

Indus plain is surrounded by high mountains, desert and ocean, and at that time dense forest to the east. 

WELL – PLANNED

CITIES

Farming settlements grow into large and sophisticated urban centers

Communities were controlled by efficient governments

The urban planning included the world's first known urban sanitation systems

Sewerage and Drainage systems were far in advance of anything found in contemporary urban sites in the Middle East. 

They built dockyards, granaries, warehouses, brick platforms, and protective walls “CITADELS”

ECONOMY

The development of widespread irrigation systems allowed the indigenous population to provide food for themselves.

Domestication of animals also served as an important tool for cultivation and as a source of food.

Natural borders consisted of mountains and the Arabian Sea, sheltering the civilization from attack and disease.

The economy depended greatly on trade

Bullock carts

Script has not been deciphered.

Over 400 distinct Indus symbols (some say 600) have been found on seals, small tablets, or ceramic pots, and on over a dozen other materials.

Hinduism - some Indus Valley seals show swastikas

- Mother Goddess ”Fertility”

Buddhism

WRITINGS AND RELIGION

 shells, ceramic

glazed beads

Pottery

gold jewellery

anatomically detailed figurines in terra-cotta, bronze, and soapstone

ARTS AND CRAFTS

First civilization in the world to develop precise measurement and weighing equipment

The first to develop a system of uniform weights and measures

The engineering skill of the Indus people was of a very high order

SCIENCE

Men worked within their designated caste social class

Caste system with four main classes

Brahmins (priests and the king) Kshatriyas (warriors and aristocrats - rulers) Vaishyas (cultivators, artisans, and merchants) Shudras (peasants and serfs) 

Women were valued because of their ability to produce offspring and nurse

GENDER ROLES

REFERENCES

http://www.rivervalleycivilizations.com/indus.php

http://www.timemaps.com/civilization/Indus-Valley-civilization