Indus Civilization… (1)

• The Indus Civilization had the first farmingcultures in South Asia, which emerged inthe hills of what is now called Baluchistan,to the west of the Indus Valley.

• The farmers took part in the so-calledNeolithic Revolution, which took place inthe Fertile Crescent around 7500 to 6500BCE.

• These early farmers domesticated wheatand a variety of animals, including cattle.

• In the "Era" terminology, the Neolithic isknown as the "Early Food Producing Era".

Indus Civilization… (2)

• The fertile alluvium of Indus Valley(Indus and its five tributaries) led to thedevelopment of numerous peasantsettlements in the urban complexes bytheir rich agricultural produce. Thesettlements nearer to urban site wereclustered densely. The boundary ismarked by mud-bunds for theprotection of settlement from naturalcalamities.

Indus Civilization… (3)

• The settlements are distinguished bytheir small extent of area, even in somecases as holdings of a single family.

• The population of Mohenjo-Daro at therate of 800 sq. feet per person or 133persons per hectare.

Indus Civilization… (4)

• Pastoralism and agriculture were givenequal importance.

• Fishing is also presumed from differentfishing equipments.

• This phase In Indian agrarian system isdistinguished by temple proprietorshipof land.

Indus Civilization… (5)

• The development of these farmingcommunities ultimately led to theformation of larger settlements fromthe later 4th millennium BCE.

• Indus valley civilization was compositeproduct of different races that livedand worked together in a particularenvironment.

Indus Civilization… (6)

• By 3000 BCE, the Early Harappancommunities had been turned into urbancenters.

• Thus far, six such urban centers havebeen discovered during late Harappanperiod, including: Harappa, Mohenjo-Daro and Dicki in Pakistan, along withGonorreala, Dokalingam andMangalore in India.

Crop cultivation• The evidences of early Harappan Chalcolithic period was

observed in India at important four sites, namely, Harappa, Mohenjo-Daro, Chanhu-Daro and Rohira.

• Cereals (a) Wheat (b) Barley (c) Millet (Jowar, Sorghum),

• (ii) Legume: (a) Field peas (Pisum arvense from Harappa

• (iii) Oilseeds: (a) Seasame (Seasamum indicum from Harappa) and (b) Mustard (Brassica juncea from Chanhu-daro)

• (iv) Fibrous plants: Cotton (Mohenjo-daro and Harappa)

• (v) Fruit & other crops: melon-seeds (Cucumis melo from Harappa) and stones of date-palm (Harappa), and banana, sugarcane pomegranate, coconut and lemon (Mohenjo-daroand Harappa).

• (vi) Spice: Fenugreek (Rohira in Punjab).

Crop cultivation

Lothal and Rangpur of Sourashtra region and Surkotada which belonged to Kutch, Gujarat evidenced the following crop specimens :

Cereal: Rice; pearl millet (Bajra, Pennisetum typhoides); Foxtail millet (Setaria indica and S. verticullata).

Farm tools & farming operations

• The people of Indus Valley Civilizationutilized the pots, utensils and ornaments.During this period the people identified theimportance of ploughing for the propersowing of crop i.e. soil has to be stirred andseed has to be covered. Differentarchaeological evidences showed two typesof tilling operations : (a) by ploughing formaking a necessary depth in the field, and(b) harrowing for stirring the soil atcomparatively shallow depth. They used ox-drawn wheel cart for transport.

Great Granary

• The most remarkable discovery inHarappa is the Great Granary used forstoring food grain.

• Well-built body of baked brick, well-ventilated to prevent sweating andmildew and vivid provision of loadingfacilities from outside.

• These granaries, each 50 X 20 feet[15.2 X 6.1 metres] overall.

Great Granary

• From the size of the granary it can beconcluded that the peasants paid theirdues to the Government in kind, usedthe kinds in granary for payments toemployees. The artisans, carpenters andothers received their wages in kind fromthe farmers.

Irrigation

• Flood-flushing was practiced. AtMohenjo-Daro which state: Two canalswere constructed in the month of Kudam(Aquarius= November) and Mina (Pisces= March to April).

• These canals were cut at low gradientand waters were allowed to mergeultimately into low ground in a directionoblique to the river so as to secure agreat fall as possible.

Irrigation

• Irrigation system was consisting oflifting of water by water-wheel andby means of Shaduf from adjoiningwater sources.

• There was also provision of tankirrigation.

• Rice cultivation shows necessarymoisture of soil probably retained bynow using contour-bunding for lockingup monsoon rain-waters by tank-irrigation.

Horticulture

• During the Indus Civilization horticulturalcrops like fruits were also cultivatednamely melon, date palm, banana,pomegranate, coconut, lemon whichwere confined to Punjab and Indusbasin.

Wild animals• Elephant, rhinoceros, wolf, jackal,

nilgai, gaur (Indian bison), wild buffaloand species of deer (hangul orKashmir stag, chital, sambhar,barasingha, four-horned antelope,black buck, hog deer, sambhar,barasingha and chital).

• Monkeys, squirrels, mongooses,snakes, pangolins, wild boar andcrocodiles.

• Amongst the birds, the duck, peacock,hen, kite, pigeon, dove and parakeet.

Livestock

• Cattle: Zebu or Brahmani type (Basindicus); and a little grey cattle-breed.

• Elephant: Two breeds having identitywith modern Momooria and Dhundia.

• Dog: Two breeds, a kin to modemParish and Mastiff types of varieties.

• Fowl: Two types.

Fishery

• The farmers of the Indus used to harvest(a) fresh-water species: (i) Three types

of cat fishes, (ii) carp; and(b) Marine species: Arius.

• Different fishing equipments were usedlike hooks of two types, barbed and un-barbed net, traps and baskets.

• Use of fishing boat.

Farm tools

• (i) Tools for forest-clearance

• (ii) Soil-treatment-cum-tilling

• (iii) Tillage and other implements

• (iv) Harvesting tools

• (v) Corn un-husking / shelling equipment

Meteorological studies

Archaeological evidences supported byrecent meteorological studies speak ofthe current of South-western monsoonalrain throughout the North-western Indiaduring this period.

The duration of rain tallies with the nowpresenting monsoonal rains i.e. fromJune to October.

Farm Tax

A kind of tax was presumed to havebeen paid to the temple, the State'streasury, enjoying the power of overallownership of land and of state's granary.

Trade

• Mesopotamia, Sumer, Egypt, CentralAsia, north-eastern Persia and north-eastern Afghanistan, Abyssinia.

• Cotton appears to be the only exportarticle.

• Fruit-crops like date, coconut andbanana were supposed to have comefrom Iran and South Asia.