Lecture on Indus Civilization

7/31/2019 Lecture on Indus Civilization

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10/17/2012Provided by Ms. Nighat Noureen.


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The creation of Pakistan on 14th Aug. 1947 was the culmination of a

struggle that began in 1857 to overthrow British rule over the

subcontinent.

The British came to subcontinent in 17th century for the purpose of

trade and merchandising.

Soon they displaced the Mughal Muslim rulers, who had been in

the power of 650 years.

Prior to Muslim rulers, the Hindus and British rulers the original

tribes and Dravidians, were ruling the region.

Many cultures and races have been involved in shaping the destinyof this region.

Hence, its important to understand the history of the subcontinent

in order to appreciate how and how Pakistan was created.

Historical Perspective: Subcontinent to

Pakistan



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Indus Civilization



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. in many ways, but it is generallycharacterized by: that dominate the countryside around them -

that takemany forms - They may include temples, palaces, irrigationprojects, city walls, public arenas, government buildings, andaqueducts.



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The Indus River islocated in Pakistan. Itwas along this river thata civilization developed

around 4,000 - 1,000BCE. It is called theIndus Valley Civilization.Two major cities of this

civilization were Harappaand Mohenjo-Daro.

10/17/2012 Provided by Ms. Nighat Noureen.


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The Indus Valley people had an advanced civilizationwith large cities, running water and sewer systems.

They built walls around their cities which indicated thatthey might have had to defend themselves againstother people. A lot about them is yet unknownbecause one cannot yet read their writing.

The picture at the right showsan example of Indus Valleywriting. Linguists are still tryingto decipher the language. It is

known that they traded with thepeople of Mesopotamia andEgypt so perhaps those peopleknew how to read and speakthis language!



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Here are severalexamples of IndusValley writing. It isbelieved that theIndus Valley peoplemay have alsowritten on palmleaves or cloth butno evidence of thishas survived.



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This is a photograph of The Great Bath at MohenjoDaro. This is one of the earliest examples of a public

bath or water storage system found in the world. TheIndus Valley people were great architects and cityplanners.



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The Indus Valley contained numerous naturalresources that were an important part ofHarappan civilization.

Resources included: Fresh water and timber.

Materials such as gold, silver, semi-preciousstones.

Marine resources.


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Nanga Parbat andnumerous othermountains of theHimalaya, Karakorumand Hindu Kushprovide a continuoussource of water for

the Indus and itstributaries.

These mountainranges also providedimportant timber,animal products, andminerals, gold, silver,

tin and semipreciousstones that weretraded throughout

the Indus Valley.


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The Aryans brought with them their ownlanguage, called Sanskrit and religious and

cultural beliefs.

The Indus Valley people eventually becameintermixed with the Aryan people and the

two cultures together make up what is nowmuch of the culture of modern India.Hinduism, the major religion of India, was amixture of Aryan and Indus Valley beliefs.

The caste system, which keeps people instrict social classes, was brought to India bythe Aryans.



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Hindu Religion

The Aryans and the Indus Valley culture eventually

produced what is known today as Hinduism. Thisreligion is polytheistic, which means believing inmany gods. We know about this ancient religionbecause of Aryan books called Vedas that recordthe beliefs of the Aryans.

Caste System



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Around 566 BC, Siddharta Guatama was born intothe warrior or Kshatriya caste. He was a prince whowas kept isolated inside a beautiful palace and notallowed to see the real world. One day he left thewalls of his palace and saw the pain and misery of

life. He decided from then on that he needed to finda way of living that would allow people to find peacein life. He spent many years trying different ways oflife, following different philosophies. Finally hecame up with his own way, which is now calledBuddhism. Gautama became known as Buddha,which means enlightened one. He developed the

Four Noble Truths and The Eightfold Path. These arerules to live by that help people live morally and findthe middle path, without too much pain, or toomuch pleasure.



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Asoka was a famous ruler of India.He became emperor in 268 BC.After fighting a bloody battle, hesickened of war and turned his lifein a different direction. He became

a buddhist, or someone whofollowed the teachings of Buddha.He lived peacefully and built roadsfor travelers, planted trees to giveshade, constructed rest houses anddug wells. He considered all his

subjects his children and tried tocare for them with love andkindness. Many people becamebuddhist after Asokas example.


Lecture on Indus Civilization

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