Mr. Korinek 7 th Grade Social Studies Early Settlement of
India
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Introduction The first walled towns appeared on the Indian
subcontinent in about 2500 B.C.E. Over the next 2000 years, a
unique civilization developed in India.
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How Indias rivers and other physical features spurred human
settlement According to an ancient Indian story a river god and
goddess once lived in the snow-covered Himalayas, a mountain range
north of the valleys. One day, they decided to race down the
mountains to the plains below. The goddess sped straight down and
won the race. But her joy soon turned to worry, where was the river
god? The river god had slowed down to admire the snow capped
mountains and the rich brown earth in the valleys. In time, he
flowed down to meet his beloved goddess. The two rivers became one,
joined forever on Indias plains.
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Indus River The Indus River begins in the Himalaya Mountains.
It gets water from melting snow from the Hindu Kush mountains and
other mountain ranges. The melting snow and ice from the mountains
keep the rivers water level high. The Indus River valley contains
some of the best farmland in the world. The Indus carries sediment
from the mountains to the plains. The sediment leaves the
surrounding soil rich and fertile.
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Early Settlements Like many ancient peoples, the first people
in India settled by rivers. The rivers provided plenty of water.
The fertile soil was ideal for farming. The rivers could also be
used for travel and trade. Indias first settlers lived along the
Indus River. Farming settlements sprang up in the Indus river
region as early as 6500 B.C.E. By 5000 B.C.E. By 2500 B.C.E., there
were walled settlements.
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The Secrets of Mohenjodaro Mohenjodaro was located in the Indus
River valley, in northern India. It is also called the Harappan
civilization, after another city, Harappa. The civilization lasted
for 800 years, from 2700 B.C.E to 1900 B.C.E. Harappa and
Mohenjodaro were the two great centers of this civilization.
Mohenjodaro means place of the dead. Archeologists found its ruins
in 1922. Carefully the excavated the ruins. They learned that the
city had two main parts.
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The Mystery of Mohenjodaro The city was carefully planned. To
the west, the citadel (fortress) rose up on a platform of mud and
brick. Below the citadel, nine streets divided the lower city into
blocks, like those of a modern city. The streets were lined with
houses and workshops made of mud bricks. Mohenjodaro was a large
city. At one time, as many as 50,000 people lived there. What
happened to this civilization? No one knows for sure, but by 1900
B.C.E., the great cities of the Indus River Dissapeared. Some
believe it was invaders, and some believe that an earthquake
changed the path of the river that allowed the civilization to
thrive.
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Weights and Scales Stone weights and scales have been found
near a large building filled with grain. This leads archeologist to
theorize that ancient Indians may have used grain like money.
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The Great Bath The most dramatic feature of Mohenjodaros
citadel was the Great Bath. The Great Bath was a pool built of
water proofed brick. Small dressing rooms circled the pool. One of
the rooms contained a well that supplied the bath with water. Dirty
water was removed through a drain that ran alongside the bath. The
bath was used to: Bathe Religious rituals
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Statue and Beads: What do these items tell us about
mohenjodaro?
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Seals Small stone seals are among the most mysterious of
Mohenjodaros artifacts. They have been found in large numbers
throughout the ruins. The seals are carved with pictographs
(pictures that stand for objects, sounds or ideas). No one knows
how the seals were used, but because they have loops on the back,
scientists believe they were used to as charms to keep evil away.
They may have also been pressed into wax to make a wax tag to show
ownership of goods.
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Sewer system A great achievement of Mohenjodaro was its sewer
system. It carries waste away from there houses. It was a complex
system of drains, pipes, wells, and bathrooms. Two thousand years
would pass before the technology was replicated by ancient rome.
Sewage emptied into the Indus River. The system made it possible
for both the rich and the poor to have bathrooms in their
homes.
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Games They crafted many objects as toys and games.
Archeologists uncovered dice, stone balls, groved clay tracks and
stone game boards. Chess was invented in ancient india.
