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Harappans

Indus Valley

Harappa

Mohenjo-Daro



Indus Valley The Harappan culture existed along the

Indus River in what is present dayPakistan

It was na!ed a"ter the city o" HarappaHarappa and the city o" Mohenjo-Darowere i!portant centers o" the Indus valleycivili#ation

This Indus Valley $civili#ation% "lourishedaround &'''-(''' )*



Old World Civilizations



Comparative Timeline



Chronology

Ancient Indus Chronology

Period Phase Yrs. (B.C.E.)

5 Late Harappan (Cemetery H) ?1700-1300

4 Harappan/Late Harappan Transitional 1900-?1700

3C Harappan Phase c. 00-1900

3B Harappan Phase c. !"0-00

3A Harappan Phase c.#00-!"0

2 $arly Harappan/%ot &i'i Phase c. 00-#00

1AB $arly Harappan/a*i Phase c. 3300-00



Early Harappan-Ravi Phase33-!" #C This distinctive+ regional culture which e!erged is

called ,arly or Pre-Harappan

Trade networks linked this culture with relatedregional cultures and distant sources o" raw!aterials+ including lapis la#uli and other!aterials "or ead-!aking

Do!esticated crops included peas+ sesa!e seeds+dates and cotton

Do!estic ani!als also used+ such as the wateru""alo

Mud rick "or uilding



Earliest Phase-Ravi $33-

!" #%C%&



'iddle Harappan-IntegrationEra!(-)* #C )y ./'' )*,+ co!!unities had een turned into

uran centers 0integration1

2ix such uran centers have een discovered+including3 Harappa+ Mohenjo Daro and Dicki inPakistan+ along with 4onorreala+ Dokalinga! andMangalore in India

In total+ over ('/. cities and settle!ents haveeen "ound+ !ainly in the general region o" the

4haggar-5lorence River and its triutaries Irrigation used to increase crop production and

!ud rick structures



Indus Valley-Integration Era



+ate Harappan-Cemetery H),-)3 #C *re!ation o" hu!an re!ains The ones were

stored in painted pottery urial urns This isco!pletely di""erent to the Indus civili#ationwhere odies were uried in wooden co""ins

Reddish pottery+ painted in lack with antelopes+peacocks etc+ sun or star !oti"s+ with di""erentsur"ace treat!ents to the earlier period

,xpansion o" settle!ents into the east Rice eca!e a !ain crop

6pparent reakdown o" the widespread trade o"the Indus civili#ation+ with !aterials such as!arine shells no longer used

*ontinued use o" !ud rick "or uilding



Indus Valley-Cemetery H$),-)3 #C&



atural Resour.es The Indus Valley contained nu!erous

natural resources that were an i!portantpart o" Harappan civili#ation

Resources included3 5resh water and ti!er

Materials such as gold+ silver+ se!i-preciousstones

Marine resources



Himalayan 'ountains 7anga Parat and

nu!erous other!ountains o" theHi!alaya+ 8arakoru!and Hindu 8ushprovide a continuoussource o" water "orthe Indus and itstriutaries

These !ountainranges also providedi!portant ti!er+ani!al products+ and!inerals+ gold+ silver+tin and se!ipreciousstones that weretraded throughout

the Indus Valley



Valleys *edar in *hitral valley

is still used to !akehouses and co""ins+"ollowing a traditionthat dates ack to the"irst Indus cities

)eyond the !ountainsin the ackground isthe region o")adakhshan+6"ghanistan+ a sourceo" the deep lue lapisla#uli

This was !inedduring the Indusperiod and tradedthroughout the IndusValley and to "ar o""Mesopota!ia and,gypt



Coast The coast o" 2indh

and Makran haveays and ancientHarappan siteshave een locatedalong the coast to

the order o"!odern Iran These coastal

settle!ents wereinvolved in "ishingand trading+ usingthe !onsoon winds

to travel ack and"orth to 9!an andthe Persian 4ul"region



'a/or Cities0 'ohen/o-1aroand Harappa The cities are well known "or their

i!pressive+ organi#ed and regular layout

They have well laid our plu!ing and

drainage syste!+ including indoor toilets 9ver one thousand other towns and

villages also existed in this region



'ohen/o-1aro and Harappa



Cities

The si!ilarities in plan and construction etweenMohenjo-Daro and Harappa indicate that theywere part o" a uni"ied govern!ent with extre!eorgani#ation )oth cities were constructed o" the sa!e type and shape

o" ricks The two cities !ay have existed si!ultaneously and

their si#es suggest that they served as capitals o" theirprovinces

In contrast to other civili#ations+ urials "ound "ro!these cities are not elaorate: they are !ore si!plisticand contain "ew !aterial goods

Re!ains o" palaces or te!ples in the cities have noteen "ound

7o hard evidence exists indicating !ilitary activity+though the cities did contain "orti"ications and arti"actssuch as copper and ron#e knives+ spears+ andarrowheads were recovered



'ohen/o-1aro This shows the high western !ound !ade up o" a !assive

!ud rick plat"or! and rick houses o" the Harappanperiod 0 .;'' to (<'' ) *1

9n top o" the Harappan structures is a )uddhist periodstupa !ade o" !ud rick that dates to the "irst century6D



The 2reat #ath The =great ath= is the earliest pulic water tank The tank !easures approxi!ately (. !eters

north-south and > !eters wide+ with a !axi!u!depth o" .& !eters

Two staircases lead down into the tank "ro! thenorth and south and s!all sockets at the edges o"the stairs are thought to have held woodenplanks or treads

6t the "oot o" the stairs is a s!all ledge with a

rick edging that extends the entire width o" thepool



2reat #ath



treets 6t Mohenjo-Daro

narrow streets andalleyways are o"" o"the !ajor streets+leading into !ore

privateneighorhoods Many o" the rick

houses were twostories high+ withthick walls and high

ceilings to keep theroo!s cool in thehot su!!er!onths



Wells Private wells were

reuilt over !anygenerations "or largehouseholds and

neighorhoods This well in D8 4

area at Mohenjo-daro stands like achi!ney ecause all

o" the surroundingearth has eenre!oved yexcavation



Harappa The high !ound at Harappa 0Mound 6)1 is surrounded y a !assive

!ud rick city wall with large s?uare ra!parts

9ne o" these eroding ra!parts is visile through the underrush thatnow covers the site The "lags !ark the to! o" a Musli! saint



Harappa ite



2ranary The =granary= o" Harappa is "ound on Mound 5 It is a rick structure that was uilt on a !assive rick "oundation over &/ !eters

north-south and &/ !eters east-west Two rows o" six roo!s that appear to e "oundations are arranged along a central

passageway that is aout > !eters wide and partly paved with aked ricks ,ach roo! !easures (/. y ;( !eters and has three sleeper walls with air space

etween the!



Well 6 large pulic well and pulic athing plat"or!s were "ound

in the southern part o" Mound 6) at Harappa

These pulic athing areas !ay also have een used "orwashing clothes as is co!!on in !any traditional cities inPakistan and India today



Harappa0 'ound E and ET Inside the city is an area that has een identi"ied as a

cra"ts ?uarter @arge ?uantities o" !anu"acturing deris have een "ound

in this area indicating the presence o" workshops "or!aking stone eads+ shell orna!ents+ gla#ed "aience

orna!ents+ stone tools and possily even gold working



'ound E 2ate4ay 5rtistsCon.eption6y Chris loan7 .ourtesy o8 9' :enoyer



+anguage The Indus 0or Harappan1 people used a pictographic script 2o!e A/'' speci!ens o" this script survive in sta!p seals

carved in stone+ in !olded terracotta and "aience a!ulets+in "rag!ents o" pottery+ and in a "ew other categories o"inscried ojects

In addition to the pictographic signs+ the seals and a!uletso"ten contain iconographic !oti"s+ !ostly realistic pictureso" ani!als apparently worshipped as sacred+ and a "ewcultic scenes+ including anthropo!orphic deities andworshippers

This !aterial is i!portant to the investigation o" theHarappan language and religion+ which continue to e!ajor issues



The origins o8 Indus 4riting

The origins o" Indus writing can now e traced to the RaviPhase 0c AA''-.B'' )*1 at Harappa

2o!e inscriptions were !ade on the otto! o" the potterye"ore "iring

This inscription 0c AA'' )*1 appears to e three plantsy!ols



5n.ient Indus



4harial eating "ish on !olded terra-cotta talet "ro! Mohenjo Daro



eals

2ilver 2eal*lay 2eals



E.onomy-Trade The Harappan civili#ation was !ainly

uran and !ercantile

Inhaitants o" the Indus valley traded with

Mesopota!ia+ southern India+6"ghanistan+ and Persia "or gold+ silver+copper+ and tur?uoise



Trade

4old Disc

The central orna!ent worn onthe "orehead o" the "a!ous=priest-king= sculpture "ro!Mohenjo-daro appears torepresent an eye ead+ possily

!ade o" gold with steatite inlayin the center



Trade



E.onomy-5gri.ulture The Mesopota!ian !odel o" irrigated

agriculture was used to take advantage o"the "ertile grounds along the Indus River

,arthen walls were uilt to control theriverCs annual "looding *rops grownincluded wheat+ arley+ peas+ !elons+ andsesa!e

This civili#ation was the "irst to cultivatecotton "or the production o" cloth 2everalani!als were do!esticated including theelephant which was used "or its ivory



Terra.ed ;ields



Elephants



E.onomy *uical weights in graduated si#es These weights con"or! to the standard Harappan inary

weight syste! that was used in all o" the settle!ents The s!allest weight in this series is 'B/; gra!s and the

!ost co!!on weight is approxi!ately (A> gra!s+ which

is in the (;th ratio These weights were "ound in recent excavations at Harappaand !ay have een used "or controlling trade and possily"or collecting taxes



Harappan Astronomy 6lthough the translation o" the Harappan script is

still not co!plete+ there are nu!erous indicationsthat Harappans were well versed in astrono!y

The straight streets o" the Indus cities are orientedtowards the cardinal directions

6strono!ical evidence dates the co!pilation o" theVedic calendar at around the .Ard century )*+when the Indus civili#ation "lourished

@ike other uran civili#ations+ it undoutedlyneeded a calendar that adjusted to the lunar andsolar transitions



Harappan Astronomycon’d The Pleiades hold a pro!inent place as the

!others or wet nurses o" the neworn in"antin one o" the !ost ancient and central Hindu!yths+ that o" the irth o" the war-god

Rudra2kanda The Pleiades are said to have een the wives

o" the seven sages+ who are identi"ied withthe seven stars o" the 4reat )ear



The 2reat #ear The 4reat )earCs na!e 0Cseven-starE1

corresponds to the co!ination o" thepictogra!s C>C F C"ishC+ which alone constitutesthe entire text o" one "inely carved Indus seal

6nother !yth states that the six Pleiadeswere separated "ro! their husands onaccount o" their in"idelity: other texts speci"ythat only one o" the seven wives+ 6rundhati+re!ained "aith"ul and was allowed to stay with

her husand3 she is the s!all star 6lcor in the 4reat )ear andpointed to as a sy!ol o" !arital virtue o" the ridein Vedic !arriage cere!onies



5stronomy ,vidence "or the Harappan origin o" this

!yth is provided y Indus seals whichshow a row o" six hu!an "igures

Their "e!ale character is suggested y theone long plait o" hair+ which has re!ainedcharacteristic o" traditional Indian wo!en



<=ni.orn> This unicorn seal was also

discovered during the late(<.>-A( excavations atMohenjo-Daro

9ne theory holds that the

ull actually has two horns+ut that these have eenstyli#ed to one ecause o"the co!plexity o" depictingthree di!ensions

However the !anu"acturing

and design process ehindseals was so sophisticatedthat the depiction o" threedi!ensions !ight notnecessarily have een aprole!



5rti8a.ts These egg shaped whistles !ay have een used "or !usic+

a tradition that is still present in rural areas o" Pakistan andIndia



Clay .ulpture



;igurines



Cerami.s



Copper *opper plate with vertical sides



Ornaments This collection o" gold and agate orna!ents 0see

next slide1 includes ojects "ound at othMohenjo-Daro and Harappa

6t the top are "illets o" ha!!ered gold that wouldhave een worn around the "orehead

The other orna!ents include angles+ chokers+long pendant necklaces+ rings+ earrings+ conicalhair orna!ents+ and roaches

These orna!ents were never uried with thedead+ ut were passed on "ro! one generation tothe next

These orna!ents were hidden under the "loors inthe ho!es o" wealthy !erchants or golds!iths



Ornaments



e.?la.e 7ecklace "ro! Mohenjo-

Daro !ade "ro! gold+agate+ jasper+ steatite andgreen stone

The gold eads are hollow

and the pendant agateand jasper eads areattached with thick goldwire

2teatite eads with goldcaps serve to separate

each o" the pendanteads



#urial The ody was placed inside a wooden co""in 0which later decayed1

and ento!ed in a rectangular pit surrounded with urial o""eringsin pottery vessels

The !an was uried wearing a necklace o" A&' graduated steatiteeads and three separate pendant eads !ade o" natural stone and

three gold eads 6 single copper ead was "ound at his waist



#urial )urial o" wo!an and in"ant+ Harappa

This urial was distured in anti?uity+ possily y ancientHarappan grave roers

)esides the "act that the ody is "lipped and the pottery distured+the le"t ar! o" the wo!an is roken and shell angles that would

nor!ally e "ound on the le"t ar! are !issing The in"ant was uried in a s!all pit eneath the legs o" the

!other

C ll 8



Collapse o8 Harappan<Civilization> The de-urani#ation period o" the

Harappan *ivili#ation saw the collapse anddisappearance o" the uran pheno!ena inthe 2outh 6sia

The the!e "or this period is locali#ation 6rchitectural and cera!ic "or!s changed

along with the loss o" writing+ planned

settle!ents+ pulic sanitation+!onu!ental architecture+ seaorne andexotic trade+ seals+ and weights

0McIntosh+ .''.1



;our Theories o8 Collapse 6rchaeologists have o""ered "our explanations "or

the collapse o" the Harappan $*ivili#ation% Three are ased on ecological "actors3 intense

"looding+ decrease in precipitation+ and thedessication o" the 2arasvati River

The "ourth hypothesis is that o" the 6ryanInvasion+ proposed y 2ir R , Morti!er Gheelerand 2tuart Piggott I!age in text o" $!assacre% thought to support this

hypothesis @ater interpreted as $peace"ul% !ass urial

5ourth largely aandoned in the (<&'s in "avor o"a co!ination o" "actors "ro! ecological disasters



Civilization@ *riticis! o" calling it a civili#ation ecause

even though the culture is "airlyho!ogenous+ there is a lack o" elite 0such

as high status urials1 Thus+ so!e researchers argue that it was

actually !ore o" a chie"do!+ rather than astate-level society



Re8eren.es Cited http3wwwharappaco!harhar'ht!l

http3wwwharappaco!harindus-saraswati-geographyht!l

http3enwikipediaorgwikiIndusValley*ivili#ation

http3wwwgeocitiesco!look&harappancolapseht!

Mcintosh+ ane .''. A Peaceful realm)oulder3 Gestview Press