Indus Valley Civilization

• survey of Mortimer Wheeler in the 1840s postulated there might be some underlying civilization in the Punjab province
• later in 1870s when railway line was laid down b/w Lahore & Karachi, something unusual was found by ppl who reported it to ASI
  • no decision taken though
• in 1920s, ASI hoad John Marshall $⟹$ excavation in Montgomary district of Punjab and Sindh
• indian archaeologist
  • Dayaram Sahni excavated site of Harappa in 1921
  • R D Bannerjee excavated Mohenjodaro in 1922
• now clear that IVC was most advanced civilization
• mainly attributed to:
  • usage of burnt bricks
    • 4:2:1 size
  • immaculate urban planning

Boundaries of IVC

• North: Shortugai (earlier Manda)
• East: Alamgirpur
• West: Suktagendor
• South: Daimabad

View full size image or download

View full size image or download

• sites dump: Mohenjodaro, Harappa, Kotdiji, Chanudaro, Amri, Suktagendor, Shortugai, Manda, Ganeriwala, Suttakoh, Balakot, Allahdino, Dholavira, Desalpur, Ropar, Rakhiharhi (Bhirana), Kalibangan, Lothal, Rangpur, Surkatoda, Patan, Daimabad, Balathal, Mithavali, Amri

General features

• generally divided into 2 parts
  • upper town: administrative buildings, provision of common bath and storage for grains (granaries)
  • lower town: habitation of commoners
• ppl of all income categories lived inside centres of lower town
• well planned out and very good network of roads in lower town
  • roads used to cut each other at right angle
  • both sides of roads: drains covered with stone or brick slabs

Polity during IVC

Caution

IVC pictographic script still not deciphered $⟹$ most inferences not conclusive, but just a probability

• from urban planning of IVC
  • no monarchial sytem
  • but definite centraized administration
• believed that IVC ruled by group of rich merchants and traders
• no standing army

Dholavira

Dholavira was an exception in many ways. Had 3 layers of urban planning: upper, middle and lower. Believed that middle town was a military garrison where army stationed. Another unique feature $\to$ radial drainage system.

Recently included in UNESCO Heritage Site list.

Economy during IVC

Keywords for revision

agri, rice, cotton, wheat, bead, bangle, bronze casting, terracotta, trade relations. Export - agri. Import - metal, semi-precious stones

• mainly dependent on agri
  • cultivated variety of crops
  • cotton, wheat, barley, peas, sesamum, mustard, rye, melons 🍈
  • Rice was cultivated in stretch of Lothal, Rangpur and Surkotoda
• cotton textile industry heavily developed in Mohenjodaro and Harappa
• Chanudaro: bead production
• Kalibangan: bangle production
• Mohenjodaro + Daimabad: bronze casting
• terracotta & pottery production was happening in almost all towns
• metals known:
  • copper, tin, silver, bronze, gold
• Trade Relatons
  • very good long distance trade with areas like Kolar, Afghanistan, Magan Country (coastal area of Persian Gulf), Mesopotamia, Sumer (Baghdad), Dilmun (Bahrain) and Oman
  • agri commodities and cotton textiles were major exports from IVC
  • imports mainly metals (copper, gold, silver, tin) and semi precious stones (jade, zasper, amethyst, carnelian, lapis lazuli)

Society of IVC

Keywords for revision

matriarchal, non-discriminatory, inequal, fashion (mercury use), tincture

• believed to be matriarchal
  • on the basis of most abundant image found from indus towns $\to$ Mother Goddess
• inequal but not discriminatory
  • deduced from urban planning
  • different sizes of houses in same region
  • mobility in society
• fashion
  • very good, 10/10 👍
    • (rating by history books, not me)
  • jewelry: necklaces, pendants, earrings, bangles, rings, waistbands
  • cosmetics: lipstick, soap, sinduur, kajal
• used tincture of cleaning and healing the wounds

Religious practices during IVC

Keywords for revision

Seals. Nature worship, male & female deity, burial

• source of info: seals
  • diff images and symbols on seals provide clues about religious practices
• nature worship prevalent $\to$ depicted in many artifacts
• male deity also worshipped (Pashupati seal)
• mother deity also present (Goddess of Fertility)
• after death practices:
  • instances of full burial, fractional burial, partial burial, urn burial
  • some sites $\to$ bodies buried in middle of house; some places outside house
  • direction sense not in burial practices
  • along with dead person, his used materials also buried
    • indicative of otherworldly beliefs of IVC

Decline & Disintegration

• Aryan Invasion Theory
  • Battle of Haryupiya mentioned in Rigveda: Aryans defeated IVC
  • rejected lately
• Most historians believe decline happened in long phase due to climate change, flood, inundation, frequent changes in course of rivers
• said that at height of its culture, IVC was inhabited by 60L people