Indus Valley Civilisation

The Indus Valley Civilisation is one of the world's earliest urban cultures and the first city-based civilisation of the Indian subcontinent.

• It flourished in the north-western part of the Indian subcontinent between 2500 BC and 1750 BC.
• It was a highly developed civilisation and derived its name from the main river of the region — the River Indus.
• It is also known as the Harappan Civilisation, because Harappa was the first site to be discovered.
• It belonged to the Bronze Age.

The civilisation is named after Harappa, the first site excavated, and the name itself has an interesting word-origin.

• Because Harappa was the first site to be discovered (1921), the whole culture is called the Harappan Civilisation.

The Harappan culture had several distinctive features that are favourite exam topics.

• The script was Boustrophedon — written from right to left in one line, and then from left to right in the next line.
• The script was not alphabetical but pictographic (and remains undeciphered).
• Their pottery was red and black.
• No temples were found; people worshipped Proto-Shiva (Pashupati), Mother Goddess, Linga, Yoni and trees.

The civilisation spread across a huge area covering parts of present-day Pakistan and India, and the four directional limits are frequently asked.

The important Harappan sites, the rivers they stood on, and their modern locations are a high-yield table for the exam.

Each major city was discovered by a particular archaeologist, and each has signature findings — examiners love matching the site to its discovery.

Harappan town planning was remarkably advanced and is the single most famous feature of the civilisation.

• Houses were rectangular, made of burnt bricks, with brick-lined bathrooms, wells and stairways.
• There was a well-developed underground drainage system.
• Cities were fortified and had a raised citadel.

Every major Harappan city was usually divided into two parts — this is best seen as a flow:

Agriculture was the backbone of the Harappan economy, supported by good trade in cotton.

• Proof of rice husk has been found.
• Wheat and barley were majorly cultivated.
• They used the wooden ploughshare but had no idea about iron implements.

The Harappans kept many domestic animals, but one famous animal was conspicuously absent.

• Asses and camels were used as beasts of burden.
• Elephants and rhinoceros were known to them.
• Remains of the horse are found at Surkotada, but the civilisation was NOT horse-centred.
• Evidence of the horse has also been found at Mohenjo-daro and Lothal.

The Harappans were skilled metalworkers and great traders who maintained contact with distant lands.

• The potter's wheel was in full use; bronze-smithing, goldsmithing, boat-making and brick-laying were common occupations.
• The presence of granaries, weights, measures, seals and a uniform script signifies the importance of trade.
• The Barter System was widely prevalent.
• Lothal and Suktagendor were the port cities used for trade.
• Trade destinations included Afghanistan, Iran, Central Asia and Mesopotamia.

The Harappans had no temples, but several objects reveal their beliefs.

• The Pashupati Mahadeva seal shows a figure surrounded by an elephant, tiger, rhino and buffalo, with 2 deer near his feet.
• Worship of Phallus (Linga) and Yoni, and of trees, was common.

The civilisation rose, matured and declined over several centuries, and a number of theories explain its end.

• Sudden floods.
• Earthquakes that changed the course of the River Ravi.
• The Aryan Invasion Theory — invading Aryans may have destroyed the cities.