Harappan civilization.

Geographical Extent

• Older then chalcolithic culture, but devloped then it.
• Arose in the northwestern part of Indian subcontinent.
• It is called harrapa culture because it discovered first in 1921, Harappa, west Punjab.
• Many sites in Sindh formed the central zone of pre Harappan culture.
• It matured into urban civilization in Sindh and punjab.
• The central zone of this was Indus valley.
•  Punjab, haryana, sindh, Baluchistan, gujrat, rajashthan, fringes of Uttar Pradesh, it extend from , North-jammu, south - Narmada estuary, west - makran coast Baluchistan, northeast - Meerut area formed a triangle 12,99,600sqkm.

Mature Harappan sites 

1. Harappa.
2. Mohenjodaro - mound of dead.
3. Chanhudaro- in Sindh 130 km south of mohenjodaro.
4. Lothal- Gujarat.
5. Kalibangan- black bangles, northern rajasthan.
6. Banawali - haryana, two cultural phase, pre Harappa and Harappan.
7. Rangpur and Rojdi ( Gujarat).
8. Sutkagendar and surkanda:citadel.
9. Dholavira (kutch, Gujarat): Harappan fortification.
10. Rakhigarhi ( Haryana).

 Town planning and structures

Citadel

• Also called acropolis.
• Harappa and mohenjodaro had citadel.
• Occupied by members of rulling class.

Lower town

• Below the citadel.
• Containing brick house.
• Common people.

Big Building

• Harrapa and mohenjodaro had big buildings.
• Extremely rich in structure.
• Prestige and influence of rulers.

Grid system

• Remarkable features.
• Road cut across one another almost at right angles.
• City was divided into many blocks.

Great Bath

• Most important public place.
• Great Bath was found in mohenjodaro.
• Beautiful brick work ( 11.88×7.01mtrs, 2.43 mtrs Deep).
• Flights of steps at either end lead to the surface.
• There were side rooms ( changing cloths).
• Floor made of burnt bricks.
• Water was drawn from a large well in a adjacent room.
• An outlet from the corner of the bath led to a drain.
• Served ritual bathing, religious purposes.

Granary

• In mohenjodaro largest building for store the granary products ( 45.71mtr long and 15.23mts wide).
• In harrapa: 6 granaries located ( 2 rows of 6 granaries).
• Granaries constitute an important part of Harappan cities.
• Food grain stored in huge granaries.

Drainage systems

• In mohenjodaro the drainage systems was very impressive.
• The water flowed from house to the street.
• Street drains were equipped with manholes.
• The drainage system also found at banawali, no other bronze age civilization gave much attention to health and cleanliness.
• All most all cities every house had its own courtyard and bathroom.
• Kalibangan , many houses had its own well.
• The use of burnt bricks in the Harappan cities is remarkable as because in the contemporary buildings of Egypt mainly dried bricks were used. We find use of burnt bricks in contemporary Mesopotamia but not in large extend as Harappan cities.

Agriculture

• Indus region was much fertile in ancient times.
• They made walls using burnt bricks (floods).
• Food took place annually.
• They wowed seed in the flood plains in November when flood water receded, and harvest in April, before the next flood.
• No hoe and ploughshare discovered, but field in Rajasthan was ploughs.
• Furrows discovered in kalibangan.
• They probably used wooden ploughshare, stone sickles used for harvesting.
• Harappan villages situated in flood plains.
• They produced sufficient food grains, not only to them but also for town people.

Products

• Wheat, barley,ragi,peas,sesamum, mustard,rice, cotton, these foods grains stored in huge granaries.

Domestication of Animals

• Oxen, buffaloes,goats,sheep,pig, humbled bull favoured animal,dogs pets, cat, asses and camel beasts of burden, horses, elephants, Rhinoceros.

Technology and crafts

• They belong to bronze age.
• Mainly used implement of stone, bronze, well acquainted with manufacturers and use of bronze.
• It was made by Smiths.
• Mixing tin with copper.
• Both were not available to Harappans
• Copper- khetri mines, Rajashekar and Baluchistan, tin- afganistan.
• They produced images,tools and weapons,axes,saws, knives,spears,woven cotton, textile impression,spindle whorls used for spinning, weaver wove cloths of wool and cotton.
• Existence of a class masons, boat making, seal making, Terracotta manufacturers, goldsmith, gold, silver, and precious stones,bead making,potters wheel,pottery Glassy and shining.

Trade

• Uniform script and regulated weights and measures.
• There cities did not possess necessary row materials.
• They didn't used metal money. Probably barter.
• Practiced navigation, known use of wheel,used some kind of modern ekka, not spoked wheel.
• Trading colony in north Afganistan, central Asia, Tigris, Euphrates, Mesopotamia,they had commercial link with Rajasthan, Iran and Afganistan.

Political organisation

• Cultural homogeneity reveals there was a central authority.
• Probably ruled by a class of merchants.
• Thay were lacking of weapons.

Religious practices

• Numerous Terracotta figurines of women.
• one figurine a plant is shown growing out of embryo of women.
• Possibly image represent goddess of Earth also origin and growth of plants.
• They looked Earth as a fertility goddess.
• The male deity in the Indus valley.
• Represented on a seal, has three hornes heads, sitting posture of a yogi. Placing one foot on the other, surrounded by elephant, tiger, Rhinoceros, buffaloes and two deer.
• Pashupati Mahadev, symbols of phallus and female sex organs, made of stone have been found in Harappa.
• Meant for worship ( veda- nin Aryan as phallus worshipness).

       Tree and animal worship

• They worship trees, The picture of a deity is represented on a seal in the midst of the branches of the pipal.
• This tree continued to worship, animals were also worshiped, one horned animal unicorn, Rhinoceros, humped bull.
• Animals surrounded by pashupati, Mahadev also worshiped, represented on seals,gods were not placed in temple, amulets have been found in large numbers.

Script

• They invented the art of writing.
• Their script have been found but not deciphered.
• so cannot judge their contribution to literature.
• 4000 specimens of Harappan writing on stone seals .
• They did not write long inscriptions. Contain only few words.
• Their script is not alphabetic but picographic.

Sites and rivers

1. Harappa : Ravi (Punjab, Pakistan)
2. Mohenjodaro : Indus (sindh, Pakistan)
3. Chanhodaro : Indus. (Sindh, Pakistan)
4. Lothal : Bhigava, (Gujarat, India)
5. Kalibangan : ghaggar (Rajasthan, India)
6. Banawali : ghaggar (Rajasthan, India)
7. Dholavira : luni (Gujarat, India.)

Important of some sites

1. Largest site : mohenjodaro.
2. Largest site in India : Rakhigarhi.
3. Surkotada : only site with horse remains.
4. Lion:  Animal was not known / found.