Harappan s

7/31/2019 Harappan s

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Harappans

Indus Valley

Harappa

Mohenjo-Daro


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Indus Valley

The Harappan culture existed along theIndus River in what is present dayPakistan.

It was named after the city of Harappa.Harappa and the city of Mohenjo-Darowere important centers of the Indus valleycivilization.

This Indus Valley civilization flourishedaround 4000-1000 B.C.


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Old World Civilizations


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Comparative Timeline


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Chronology

Ancient Indus Chronology

Period Phase Yrs. (B.C.E.)

5 Late Harappan (Cemetery H) ?1700-1300

4 Harappan/Late Harappan Transitional 1900-?1700

3C Harappan Phase c. 2200-1900

3B Harappan Phase c. 2450-2200

3A Harappan Phase c.2600-2450

2 Early Harappan/Kot Diji Phase c. 2800-2600

1A/B Early Harappan/Ravi Phase c. 3300-2800


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Early Harappan-Ravi Phase

3300-2800 BC

This distinctive, regional culture which emergedis called Early or Pre-Harappan.

Trade networks linked this culture with relatedregional cultures and distant sources of rawmaterials, including lapis lazuli and othermaterials for bead-making.

Domesticated crops included peas, sesame seeds,dates and cotton.

Domestic animals also used, such as the waterbuffalo.

Mud brick for building.


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Earliest Phase-Ravi (3300-2800 B.C.)


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Middle Harappan-Integration Era

2600-1900 BC

By 2500 BCE, communities had been turned intourban centers (integration).

Six such urban centers have been discovered,including: Harappa, Mohenjo Daro and Dicki inPakistan, along with Gonorreala, Dokalingam andMangalore in India.

In total, over 1052 cities and settlements havebeen found, mainly in the general region of the

Ghaggar-Florence River and its tributaries.

Irrigation used to increase crop production andmud brick structures.


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Indus Valley-Integration Era


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Late Harappan-Cemetery H

1700-1300 BC

Cremation of human remains. The bones werestored in painted pottery burial urns. This iscompletely different to the Indus civilizationwhere bodies were buried in wooden coffins.

Reddish pottery, painted in black with antelopes,peacocks etc., sun or star motifs, with differentsurface treatments to the earlier period.

Expansion of settlements into the east. Rice became a main crop.

Apparent breakdown of the widespread trade ofthe Indus civilization, with materials such asmarine shells no longer used.

Continued use of mud brick for building.


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Indus Valley-Cemetery H (1700-1300

BC)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Rigvedic_geography.jpg


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Natural Resources

The Indus Valley contained numerousnatural resources that were an importantpart of Harappan civilization.

Resources included: Fresh water and timber.

Materials such as gold, silver, semi-preciousstones.

Marine resources.


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Himalayan Mountains Nanga Parbat and

numerous othermountains of theHimalaya,Karakorum andHindu Kush provide acontinuous source ofwater for the Indusand its tributaries.

These mountainranges also providedimportant timber,animal products, andminerals, gold,

silver, tin andsemiprecious stonesthat were tradedthroughout the Indus

Valley.


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Valleys Cedar in Chitral valley

is still used to makehouses and coffins,following a traditionthat dates back to thefirst Indus cities.

Beyond themountains in thebackground is theregion ofBadakhshan,Afghanistan, asource of the deepblue lapis lazuli.

This was minedduring the Indusperiod and tradedthroughout the IndusValley and to far offMesopotamia andEgypt.


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Coast The coast of Sindh

and Makran havebays and ancientHarappan siteshave been locatedalong the coast tothe border ofmodern Iran.

These coastalsettlements wereinvolved in fishingand trading, usingthe monsoon windsto travel back and

forth to Oman andthe Persian Gulfregion.


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Major Cities: Mohenjo-Daro and

Harappa

The cities are well known for theirimpressive, organized and regular layout.

They have well laid our plumbing and

drainage system, including indoor toilets. Over one thousand other towns and

villages also existed in this region.


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Mohenjo-Daro and Harappa


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Cities

The similarities in plan and construction betweenMohenjo-Daro and Harappa indicate that theywere part of a unified government with extremeorganization. Both cities were constructed of the same type and shape

of bricks. The two cities may have existed simultaneously and

their sizes suggest that they served as capitals of theirprovinces.

In contrast to other civilizations, burials found fromthese cities are not elaborate; they are more simplistic

and contain few material goods. Remains of palaces or temples in the cities have not

been found. No hard evidence exists indicating military activity,

though the cities did contain fortifications and artifactssuch as copper and bronze knives, spears, and

arrowheads were recovered.


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Mohenjo-Daro

This shows the high western mound made up of a massivemud brick platform and brick houses of the Harappanperiod ( 2600 to 1900 B. C.).

On top of the Harappan structures is a Buddhist periodstupa made of mud brick that dates to the first centuryA.D.


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The Great Bath

The "great bath" is the earliest public water tank. The tank measures approximately 12 meters

north-south and 7 meters wide, with a maximumdepth of 2.4 meters.

Two staircases lead down into the tank from thenorth and south and small sockets at the edgesof the stairs are thought to have held woodenplanks or treads.

At the foot of the stairs is a small ledge with abrick edging that extends the entire width of thepool.


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Great Bath


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Streets

At Mohenjo-Daronarrow streets andalleyways are off ofthe major streets,leading into more

privateneighborhoods.

Many of the brickhouses were twostories high, withthick walls and high

ceilings to keep therooms cool in thehot summermonths.


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Harappa

The high mound at Harappa (Mound AB) is surrounded by a massivemud brick city wall with large square ramparts.

One of these eroding ramparts is visible through the underbrush thatnow covers the site. The flags mark the tomb of a Muslim saint.


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Harappa Site


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Granary The "granary" of Harappa is found on Mound F.

It is a brick structure that was built on a massive brick foundation over 45 metersnorth-south and 45 meters east-west.

Two rows of six rooms that appear to be foundations are arranged along a centralpassageway that is about 7 meters wide and partly paved with baked bricks.

Each room measures 15.2 by 6.1 meters and has three sleeper walls with air spacebetween them.


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Well

A large public well and public bathing platforms were foundin the southern part of Mound AB at Harappa.

These public bathing areas may also have been used forwashing clothes as is common in many traditional cities inPakistan and India today.


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Harappa: Mound E and ET

Inside the city is an area that has been identified as a craftsquarter.

Large quantities of manufacturing debris have been foundin this area indicating the presence of workshops formaking stone beads, shell ornaments, glazed faience

ornaments, stone tools and possibly even gold working.


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Mound E Gateway Artists Conception

by Chris Sloan, courtesy of JM Kenoyer


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Language

The Indus (or Harappan) people used a pictographic script.

Some 3500 specimens of this script survive in stamp sealscarved in stone, in molded terracotta and faience amulets,in fragments of pottery, and in a few other categories ofinscribed objects.

In addition to the pictographic signs, the seals and amuletsoften contain iconographic motifs, mostly realistic picturesof animals apparently worshipped as sacred, and a fewcultic scenes, including anthropomorphic deities andworshippers.

This material is important to the investigation of theHarappan language and religion, which continue to bemajor issues.


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The origins of Indus writing

The origins of Indus writing can now be traced to the RaviPhase (c. 3300-2800 BC) at Harappa.

Some inscriptions were made on the bottom of the potterybefore firing.

This inscription (c. 3300 BC) appears to be three plantsymbols.


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Ancient Indus


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Gharial eating fish on molded terra-cotta tablet from Mohenjo Daro.


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Seals

Silver SealClay Seals


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Economy-Trade

The Harappan civilization was mainlyurban and mercantile.

Inhabitants of the Indus valley traded with

Mesopotamia, southern India,Afghanistan, and Persia for gold, silver,copper, and turquoise.


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Trade

Gold Disc

The central ornament worn onthe forehead of the famous"priest-king" sculpture fromMohenjo-daro appears torepresent an eye bead, possibly

made of gold with steatite inlayin the center.


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Trade


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Economy-Agriculture

The Mesopotamian model of irrigatedagriculture was used to take advantage ofthe fertile grounds along the Indus River.

Earthen walls were built to control theriver's annual flooding. Crops grownincluded wheat, barley, peas, melons, andsesame.

This civilization was the first to cultivatecotton for the production of cloth. Severalanimals were domesticated including theelephant which was used for its ivory.


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Terraced Fields


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Elephants


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Economy Cubical weights in graduated sizes. These weights conform to the standard Harappan binary

weight system that was used in all of the settlements. The smallest weight in this series is 0.856 grams and the

most common weight is approximately 13.7 grams, whichis in the 16th ratio.

These weights were found in recent excavations at Harappaand may have been used for controlling trade and possiblyfor collecting taxes.


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Harappan Astronomy

Although the translation of the Harappan script isstill not complete, there are numerous indicationsthat Harappans were well versed in astronomy.

The straight streets of the Indus cities are orientedtowards the cardinal directions.

Astronomical evidence dates the compilation of theVedic calendar at around the 23rd century B.C.,when the Indus civilization flourished.

Like other urban civilizations, it undoubtedlyneeded a calendar that adjusted to the lunar and

solar transitions.


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Harappan Astronomy cond

The Pleiades hold a prominent place as themothers or wet nurses of the newborn infantin one of the most ancient and central Hindumyths, that of the birth of the war-god

Rudra/Skanda. The Pleiades are said to have been the wives

of the seven sages, who are identified withthe seven stars of the Great Bear.


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The Great Bear

The Great Bear's name ('seven-star)corresponds to the combination of thepictograms '7' + 'fish', which aloneconstitutes the entire text of one finely

carved Indus seal. Another myth states that the six Pleiades

were separated from their husbands onaccount of their infidelity; other textsspecify that only one of the seven wives,

Arundhati, remained faithful and wasallowed to stay with her husband: she is the small star Alcor in the Great Bear

and pointed to as a symbol of marital virtue ofthe bride in Vedic marriage ceremonies


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Astronomy

Evidence for the Harappan origin of thismyth is provided by Indus seals whichshow a row of six human figures.

Their female character is suggested by theone long plait of hair, which has remainedcharacteristic of traditional Indian women.


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Unicorn

This unicorn seal was alsodiscovered during the late1927-31 excavations atMohenjo-Daro.

One theory holds that the

bull actually has two horns,but that these have beenstylized to one because ofthe complexity of depictingthree dimensions.

However the manufacturing

and design process behindseals was so sophisticatedthat the depiction of threedimensions might notnecessarily have been aproblem.


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Artifacts

These egg shaped whistles may have been used for music,a tradition that is still present in rural areas of Pakistan andIndia.


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Clay Sculpture


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Figurines


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Ceramics


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Copper

Copper plate with vertical sides.


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Ornaments

This collection of gold and agate ornaments (seenext slide) includes objects found at bothMohenjo-Daro and Harappa.

At the top are fillets of hammered gold thatwould have been worn around the forehead.

The other ornaments include bangles, chokers,long pendant necklaces, rings, earrings, conicalhair ornaments, and broaches.

These ornaments were never buried with thedead, but were passed on from one generation to

the next. These ornaments were hidden under the floors in

the homes of wealthy merchants or goldsmiths.


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Ornaments


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Necklace

Necklace from Mohenjo-Daro made from gold,agate, jasper, steatiteand green stone.

The gold beads are hollow

and the pendant agateand jasper beads areattached with thick goldwire.

Steatite beads with goldcaps serve to separate

each of the pendantbeads.


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Burial

The body was placed inside a wooden coffin (which later decayed)and entombed in a rectangular pit surrounded with burial offeringsin pottery vessels.

The man was buried wearing a necklace of 340 graduated steatitebeads and three separate pendant beads made of natural stone and

three gold beads. A single copper bead was found at his waist.


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Burial

Burial of woman and infant, Harappa.

This burial was disturbed in antiquity, possibly by ancientHarappan grave robbers.

Besides the fact that the body is flipped and the pottery disturbed,the left arm of the woman is broken and shell bangles that would

normally be found on the left arm are missing. The infant was buried in a small pit beneath the legs of the

mother.
http://www.harappa.com/indus/73.htmlhttp://www.harappa.com/indus/73.html


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Collapse of Harappan Civilization

The de-urbanization period of theHarappan Civilization saw the collapse anddisappearance of the urban phenomena inthe South Asia.

The theme for this period is localization.

Architectural and ceramic forms changedalong with the loss of writing, plannedsettlements, public sanitation,monumental architecture, seaborne andexotic trade, seals, and weights.

(McIntosh, 2002)


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Four Theories of Collapse

Archaeologists have offered four explanations forthe collapse of the Harappan Civilization.

Three are based on ecological factors: intenseflooding, decrease in precipitation, and thedessication of the Sarasvati River.

The fourth hypothesis is that of the AryanInvasion, proposed by Sir R. E. Mortimer Wheelerand Stuart Piggott. Image in text of massacre thought to support this

hypothesis. Later interpreted as peaceful mass burial.

Fourth largely abandoned in the 1940s in favor ofa combination of factors from ecologicaldisasters.


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Civilization?

Criticism of calling it a civilization becauseeven though the culture is fairlyhomogenous, there is a lack of elite (such

as high status burials). Thus, some researchers argue that it was

actually more of a chiefdom, rather than astate-level society.


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References Cited

http://www.harappa.com/har/har0.html

http://www.harappa.com/har/indus-saraswati-geography.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indus_Valley_Civilization

http://www.geocities.com/look4harappan/colapse.htm

Mcintosh, Jane. 2002.A Peaceful realm.Boulder: Westview Press.
http://www.harappa.com/har/har0.htmlhttp://www.harappa.com/har/indus-saraswati-geography.htmlhttp://www.harappa.com/har/indus-saraswati-geography.htmlhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indus_Valley_Civilizationhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indus_Valley_Civilizationhttp://www.geocities.com/look4harappan/colapse.htmhttp://www.geocities.com/look4harappan/colapse.htmhttp://www.geocities.com/look4harappan/colapse.htmhttp://www.geocities.com/look4harappan/colapse.htmhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indus_Valley_Civilizationhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indus_Valley_Civilizationhttp://www.harappa.com/har/indus-saraswati-geography.htmlhttp://www.harappa.com/har/indus-saraswati-geography.htmlhttp://www.harappa.com/har/indus-saraswati-geography.htmlhttp://www.harappa.com/har/indus-saraswati-geography.htmlhttp://www.harappa.com/har/indus-saraswati-geography.htmlhttp://www.harappa.com/har/har0.html

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Harappan s