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Chapter 3: Ancient Indian Civilizations

Harappan Excavations

Section 1: Indus River Valley Civilization

The Story Continues

Thousands of years ago near the Indus River valley there existed a village called Amri, whose citizens were makers of fine

pottery. Indus River valley people like those in Amri helped lay the foundation for

cultures in the modern countries of Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal,

Pakistan, and Sri Lanka.

I. Geography and Climate

Indian civilization developed in the Indus River valley about 4,500 years ago

A. Physical GeographyThe Indian subcontinent extends south from central Asia into the Indian Ocean

A. Physical Geography

High mountain ranges cut India off from immigrants and invaders

A. Physical Geography

Two great rivers - the Ganges and Indus – risein the mountains and drain Indo-Gangetic Plain

A. Physical Geography

Narrow coastal plains lie along the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal

A. Physical GeographyThe peoples of these coastal plains became sea traders

B. ClimateTwo features dominate India’s climate: monsoons and high temperatures

B. ClimateMonsoons - seasonal winds that blow from the NE Nov. to Mar. and from the SW June to Oct.

B. ClimateThe NE (dry) monsoon drops moisture on the Himalayas before reaching India

B. ClimateThe SW (wet) monsoon carries warm, moist air from the Indian Ocean and brings heavy rains

B. ClimateThe wet monsoon brings most of the year’s rainfall and is important for agriculture

20cm = 7.9in

100cm = 39.4in

400cm = 13.2ft

800cm = 26.3ft

1000cm = 32.8ft

B. Climate

If the wet monsoon arrives late or brings little rain, crops fail; too much rain, flooding destroys the countryside

B. ClimateTemperatures can reach 120ºF in the Indo-Gangetic Plain

Aurangabad, India 15 C = 59 F 30 C = 86 F

45 C = 113 F

II. Early Civilizations in the Indus River Valley

2500 BC to 1500 BC – the Harappan Civilization developed in the Indus River valley

An artistic conception of ancient Lothal

II. Early Civilizations in the Indus River Valley

The named derives from one of the two discovered cities - Harappa and Mohenjo Daro ("Mound of the Dead“)

Early settlements

date to 7000 BC

II. Early Civilizations in the Indus River ValleyBoth cities were planned with wide streets, water systems, public baths, and brick sewers

Ruins of Harappa

This map shows the layout of Mohenjo-Daro, one of the principal cities of the Indus Valley civilization. The larger eastern area

contained the residential and commercial sections of the city, which were laid out in a grid of large rectangular blocks. Rising more than twenty feet to the west stood the citadel, built on a mound of mud brick and rubble. Fortified by a brick wall and towers, the citadel contained the city’s shrine, assembly hall, baths, and granary.

The Great Bath was entered using two wide staircases, one from the north and one from the south. The floor of the tank is watertight due to finely fitted bricks laid on edge with gypsum plaster.

II. Early Civilizations in the Indus River Valley

Each city had a strong central fortress, or citadel, on a brick platform

Excavated ruins of Mohenjo-daro

II. Early Civilizations in the Indus River Valley

Storehouses for grain indicate careful planning and a strong central government

Harappa granary

II. Early Civilizations in the Indus River Valley

Harappan farmers grew crops in irrigated fields and raised livestock

Ceramic sculpture of a small cart with vases and tools pulled by

oxen, from Mohenjo-daro

II. Early Civilizations in the Indus River Valley

As early as 2300 B.C., the Harappans traded with the people of the Tigris-Euphrates valley

This seal, found in Mesopotamia, indicates a product was made in Harappa, indicating trade took place between the two regions

Indus Valley Seals

II. Early Civilizations in the Indus River Valley

A written language was developed but it has not been deciphered or connected to other languages

II. Early Civilizations in the Indus River Valley

No temples or religious writings have been found, just animal images and some evidence of a mother goddess of fertility

Terracotta Figurines

II. Early Civilizations in the Indus River Valley

The Harappan civilization disappeared - theories include changes in the Indus River, earthquakes, or invasion

Collapse of Harappan “Civilization”

• The de-urbanization period of the Harappan Civilization saw the collapse and disappearance of the urban phenomena in the South Asia.

• The theme for this period is localization. • Architectural and ceramic forms

changed along with the loss of writing, planned settlements, public sanitation, monumental architecture, seaborne and exotic trade, seals, and weights.

(McIntosh, 2002)

II. Early Civilizations in the Indus River Valley

Harappan Excavations

A Walk through Mohenjo-Daro

A Walk around Harappa