Indus Valley Civilization

Indus Valley
Civilization - Study
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Indus Valley Civilization
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Indus Valley Civilisation
Indus Valley Civilisation(BC 2500-1500) was the period in which the development of human
culture was witnessed when people started looking beyond the satisfaction of material needs.
What is the Indus Valley civilization?
It was the first modern civilization ever witnessed around BC 2500.
It was extended from Kabul in Afghanistan, Kashmir in the North to the Gulf of Khambhat
in Gujrat in the South. While at the east it extended up to Uttar Pradesh and towards the
Iran border at the west.
Westmost site: Sutkagendor (Pakistan); Eastmost site: Alamgirpur (UP); Northernmost

site: Manda, Jammu; Southmost site: Daimabad (Maharashtra)
It was the first civilization whose archaeological evidence is well identified and under
exploration.
The sites existed mostly across the rivers or near coasts.
It showed the connection of trade with other parts of civilization like Pharaohs(Egypt)
and Sumerians (Iraq).
The livelihood was similar to what we are living today.
Modern archaeologists have established a probable chronology and periodization:
1. Pre-Harappan – BC 7000 - 3500
2. Early Harappan – BC 3500 - 2800
3. Mature Harappan – BC 2800 - 1900
4. Late Harappan – BC 1900 - 1500
5. Post Harappan/ Vedic Age – BC 1500 - 600 AD
Important Sites
1. Mohenjodaro
2. Harappan
SUBJECT | Indus Valley Civilization 1 of 17

3. Kalibangan
4. Kuchchh
5. Lothal
6. Alamgirpur
7. Dholavira
8. Chahnudaro
9. Kot Diji
10. Desalpur
11. Surkotada
Sites Significance

Excavated by RD Bannerji in 1922.
The following items had been found,
Pashupati seal
Stone figure of a priest
Dancing girl: bronze figure

Mohenjodaro
Great bath
(Pakistan)
Granaries for storing grains
Terracotta figure of a Mother goddess
Bearded man
Cotton production was there.
It is located on the banks of the Indus River.
Excavated by Daya Ram Sahni in 1921-1923.
Graveyard popularly called ‘R-37’ burial

Harappan
Coffin burials
(Punjab region
of Pakistan) Granaries with small quarters
In the burials, children were found with a head having a hole in the
skull. There is research going on regarding its significance.
It is situated on the banks of the Ravi River.

Excavated by BB Lal in 1961.
Priest quarters
Fire pits
Kalibangan
Plough marks
(Rajasthan)
Double cropping pattern
Bronze bull
It is located on the banks of the Ghaggar River, also known as the

ancient Sarasvati River.
Excavated by SR Rao in 1954.
Twin burials
Lothal
Terracotta model of plough
(Gujrat)
Manchester of India: Highest crop production was
Witnessed.
It is situated near the Bhogavo River, a tributary of the Sabarmati River.
Cotton production was there.
Alamgirpur The following items had been found,
(UP) Broken blade made up of copper
Ceramic items

Excavated by JP Joshi in 1967-68.
Jaws of a horse were found.

Dholavira, Stone constructions for houses and granaries were there.
Kuchchh
It is situated on the banks of the Manhar River, a tributary of the Luni
(Gujrat) River.
It is India's 40th World's Heritage announced by UNESCO on 27 July

2021.
● Excavated by NG Majumdar in 1931.
The site was along the Indus River.
Bangle Factory.
Chanhudaro Ink Pot.
(Pakistan) Bead makers shop.
The footprint of a dog chasing a cat.
It is the only city without a citadel

Excavated Dr. Amarendra Nath of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI)

in the 1960s.
Stone tools and weapons, such as axes, chisels, and blades
Rakhigarhi Copper and bronze objects, such as beads, bangles, and figurines
(Haryana) Terracotta figurines of people, animals, and objects
Seals and amulets
Rakhigarhi is the largest sites of the Indus Valley Civilization.
It is situated near the Drishadvati River, a now-dried-up river believed to

be a part of the ancient Sarasvati River system.
● Site excavated at Sindh region.

Kot Diji
● Mother goddess statue was found.
(Pakistan)
● A Bull statue was found.
● Found at Kutch district Gujrat.
● The massive stone fortification was found.

Desalpur
● Harappan pottery was a famous thing.
(Gujrat)
● Three script-bearing seals such as one of steatite, one of copper, and one of
terracotta were found.
Excavated by JP Joshi in 1967-68.
It was a coastal city at Kuchh Gujrat.

Surkotada
It was a trade dock.

Art and Architecture:
Architecture:
Town Planning:
Roads:
Rectangular grid pattern planning.
Roads met at right angles.
The big grid road was divided into small roads connected to the small lanes to the
individual houses.
A grid pattern of roads.
Buildings:
Dwelling houses, public buildings, and public baths.

Burnt mud bricks were used for the construction.
City Division:
Got divided into the upraised citadel and lower part into the west and east sides
respectively.
Upraised citadel composed of It consists of granaries, administrative buildings,

courtyards, and pillared halls.
Lower part: small one-room quarters for working-class people, Public baths. Eg. Great
Bath at the Mohenjodaro site.
Drainage System:
Small drains from each house were connected to larger drains running alongside the
main roads.
Drains were covered loosely to allow regular cleaning and maintenance.
Cesspits were placed at regular intervals.

Drainage system
Sculptures:
Seals:
A seal is a small portable artifact mostly made of stone but also found in other materials,
such as bone/ivory, metal, and various artificial pastes. It displays engraved motifs and is
generally perforated so that it can be suspended.
Seals were made of Steatite, a soft stone found in river beds.
Seals made of copper, gold, faience, ivory, and terracotta were also found.
Shapes: square, triangular, rectangular, and circular.
Some seals have an impression of animals eg. Bull.
Some seals have an impression of half man and half animal. Eg. Pashupati seal.
Use: primarily for trade, identification marks, or educational purposes. Eg. Seals having
mathematical images like Swastik on it.

Trade seals
Language:
The script was in pictographic language written from right to left side and then from left
to the right side. This is called a boustrophedon type of writing.
The writings have not been deciphered yet.
Bronze figures:
Cire perdue technique is also known as a lost wax method used to make bronze figures.
In this technique, holes are made to fill the liquid metal. After drying the wax is removed
from a metal structure.
Dancing girl: Tribhanga posture, is one of its makings. (Refer: To image 2 in the evidence
heading.)
Terracotta:
Use of fire-baked clay for making sculptures.
Use: make toys, animal figures, miniature carts, wheels, etc.
Pottery:
Excavation sites found 2 kinds of pottery: plain pottery and painted pottery.

Painted pottery also called Red and Black pottery in which red color is used in the
background and black color is used to draw designs and figures on it.
Trees, birds, animal figures, and geometrical patterns were some of the themes.
All are wheel-made decorative potteries.
Use for household purposes, decorative purposes, and pouring liquid.
Red & black Potteries
Stone figures:
The skill of craftsmanship was at its best.
Eg. Bearded priest stone figure: draped in a shawl with trefoil patterns. The eyes are
elongated and half-closed as in meditation.
The red sandstone figure of the male torso is another example.

Beared priest
1. Pashupati Seal:

Source: NCERT Book
2. Dancing girl, bronze figure:
Source: NCERT Book
3. Great Bath:
Source: NCERT Book
4. Fire pits:

5) Burial systems:
Livelihood:

Let’s understand the living style of the Indus Valley Civilization people.
Food habits:
The crops taken were Wheat and Barley.
Fruits: Pomegranates and bananas
Non-veg: Meat and fish
Costumes & ornaments:
Clothes are mostly made of wool and cotton.
Women wore short skirts.
Men wore a long piece of cloth around themselves.
Women had used bracelets and necklaces made up of shells, gold, and silver.
Men were used to wearing amulets to protect themselves from wrong influences.
Ornaments:
Amusements:
Children used to play with small clay carts, dolls, rattle, marbles, etc.
Figures of animals were made like puppets.

Whistles were made in the form of birds.
Old people used to enjoy gambling.
Occupations:
The weaving of clothes.
Trading with the Persian Gulf and Sumerians.
Making of beads like clay, stone, paste, shell, and Ivory; and amulets.
Metalworks.
Trade:
Seals and small objects of Mohenjodaro were found in sites of Iraq.
At Lothal dock, weights and measures have been found in various shapes and were
accurate.
Traces of trading with Afghanistan for Blue gemstone and Lapis Lazuli.
Religion:
People believed in god.
Inscriptions of clay figures of mother-goddess and seated figures of male gods carved on
a small stone seal. Eg. Pashupati seal.
They had few things believed to be sacred. Eg. Peepal Tree seal, Horned Bull seal, is, etc.
Fall of Harrappans:
Around 1500 B.C. fall of the Harappan civilization was predicted. It was the same period
that is considered the arrival of Aryans.

The various prediction theories were made as follows:
1. Massive flood to the Indus River which led to the drowning of cities. (Movie Mohenjodaro
by Ashutosh Govarikar used this reference at the end of the film). Another disastrous
change in the Harappan climate might have been eastward-moving monsoons or winds
that bring heavy rains. Monsoons can be both helpful and detrimental to a climate,
depending on whether they support or destroy vegetation and agriculture.
2. One theory suggested that a nomadic, Indo-European tribe called the Aryans invaded and
conquered the Indus Valley Civilization.
3. Some experts believe the drying of the Saraswati River, which began around 1900 BCE,
was the main cause of climate change led to a massive drought for long years.
4. Some say due to droughts there were famines.
5. It is suspected that some pandemic diseases had spread (like COVID-19 for today) which
eliminated the population.
6. By 1800 BCE, the Indus Valley climate grew cooler and drier, and a tectonic event may
have diverted or disrupted river systems, which were the lifelines of the Indus Valley
Civilization. The Harappans may have migrated toward the Ganges basin in the east,
where they could have established villages and isolated farms.
But, there is no conclusive evidence yet.

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Indus Valley

Indus Valley Civilisation

What is the Indus Valley civilization?

It was the first modern civilization ever witnessed around BC 2500.

Westmost site: Sutkagendor (Pakistan); Eastmost site: Alamgirpur (UP); Northernmost

The sites existed mostly across the rivers or near coasts.

The livelihood was similar to what we are living today.

Modern archaeologists have established a probable chronology and periodization:

1. Pre-Harappan – BC 7000 - 3500

2. Early Harappan – BC 3500 - 2800

3. Mature Harappan – BC 2800 - 1900

4. Late Harappan – BC 1900 - 1500

5. Post Harappan/ Vedic Age – BC 1500 - 600 AD

SUBJECT | Indus Valley Civilization 1 of 17

SUBJECT | Indus Valley Civilization 2 of 17

Excavated by RD Bannerji in 1922.

The following items had been found,

Stone figure of a priest

Dancing girl: bronze figure

Terracotta figure of a Mother goddess

Cotton production was there.

It is located on the banks of the Indus River.

Excavated by Daya Ram Sahni in 1921-1923.

The following items had been found,

Graveyard popularly called ‘R-37’ burial

It is situated on the banks of the Ravi River.

SUBJECT | Indus Valley Civilization 3 of 17

Excavated by BB Lal in 1961.

The following items had been found,

It is located on the banks of the Ghaggar River, also known as the

Excavated by SR Rao in 1954.

The following items had been found,

It is situated near the Bhogavo River, a tributary of the Sabarmati River.

Cotton production was there.

Alamgirpur The following items had been found,

(UP) Broken blade made up of copper

SUBJECT | Indus Valley Civilization 4 of 17

Excavated by JP Joshi in 1967-68.

Jaws of a horse were found.

It is India's 40th World's Heritage announced by UNESCO on 27 July

● Excavated by NG Majumdar in 1931.

The site was along the Indus River.

The following items had been found,

The footprint of a dog chasing a cat.

It is the only city without a citadel

SUBJECT | Indus Valley Civilization 5 of 17

Excavated Dr. Amarendra Nath of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI)

The following items had been found,

Stone tools and weapons, such as axes, chisels, and blades

(Haryana) Terracotta figurines of people, animals, and objects

Seals and amulets

Rakhigarhi is the largest sites of the Indus Valley Civilization.

It is situated near the Drishadvati River, a now-dried-up river believed to

● Site excavated at Sindh region.

● Found at Kutch district Gujrat.

● The massive stone fortification was found.

Excavated by JP Joshi in 1967-68.

It was a coastal city at Kuchh Gujrat.