HARAPPAN CIVILIZATION

 Harappa : 2600-1900 BC
 Older than chalcolithic age
 First urban civilization in South Asia
 Forms a part of proto history of India
 Centre zone: Pre Harappan culture-Sindh; Matured Harappan culture-Sindh & Punjab
 Covered Jammu in north, Narmada estuary in south, Meerut in north east & Makran coast Baluchistan in
west
 Harappan culture covered Gujarat, Rajasthan, Punjab, Haryana, fringes of UP, Sindh and Baluchistan
 1,299,600 sq.km covergae
 Larger than Pakisthan, Mesopotamia & Ancient Egypt
 1500 Harappan cities discovered
 City divided into citadel (west) & lower town (east)
 No temples found
 Harappa ruled by class of merchants; Lacked weapons
 Poor in artistic works made of stone
 Majority of people Proto-Australoids and Mediterranean (Dravidians)
 Imported raw materials
 Not in use : Sugarcane, Iron
 Cities
 Early, mature & late phase : Bagavanpura in Hakkra Gaggar channel, Dholovira in Gujarat,
Rakhigarhi in Haryana (largest)
 Mature Phase: Harappa in Punjab, Mohenjodaro in Sindh, Chanhudaro 130 Km south of
Mohenjodaro, Lothal in Gujarat (Gulf of Cambay), Kalibangan in Rajasthan, Banawali in Haryana
 Coastal cities: Surkotada & Sutkagendor
 Late Harappan Phase: Rangpur & Rojdi of Kathiawar peninsula of Gujarat

 Mobilized labor & collected taxes

 Granary : Wheat & Barley; Found in Harappa, Mohenjodaro & Kalibangan
 Egypt-Sundried bricks; Mesopotamia-Baked Bricks; Harappa-Burnt Bricks
 Natural vegetation destroyed by agriculture, large scale grazing, fuel supply & annual inundation of
Indus.
 Pit dwelling – Burzahom & Gufkaral

 Agriculture :
 Wheat (Mehrgarh), Barley, Rai, Peas, lentil, chickpea, sesame, Millets (Gujarat), Rice (Lothal)
 Produced 2 types of wheat & Barley
 Cereals were received as taxes; Analogy to Mesopotamia-Barley as tax
 Earliest people to produce cotton/sindon
 Sowed in November & Harvested in April
 Wooden Ploughshare(kalibangan) & stone sickles used
 Domestication of Animals: Oxen, Buffaloes, Goats, Sheeps, Humped Bulls, cats ,dogs
domesticated. Acquainted with Rhinoceros. Beasts of Burden: Asses & Camels. Elephants –
Gujarat. Oxen- ploughing
  Horse: Superficial layer of Mohenjodaro, Terracota figurine in Lothal & Remains in Surkotada.

 Technology & Crafts: Bronzesmith-important artisan; Weavers wove cloth of cotton & wool; Masons;
Boat making; Seal making, Terracota figure; Goldsmith – Gold, Silver , Precious stones; Bead making
(Chanhudaro & Lothal); Specialised drills found in Chanhudaro, Lothal & Dolavaria

 Pottery: Glossy & Shinning; Redware pottery with black designs; Design of trees & circles mostly seen.
Images of men also appear.
 Pots & spindle whorls made of Faience (a material made of ground sand or silica mixed with color and a
gum and then fired)) are found
 Wheel: Solid wheels, modern ekka; Spoked wheel not in use

 Trade
 Barter system
 Traded stone, metal, shell within Indus culture zone
 Dint use metal money
 Navigated on the coast of Arabian sea
 Commercial links: Rajasthan, Afghanistan, Iran, Land of Tigris, Euphrates
 Mesopotamia : Harappan seals discovered in; Harappans imitated their cosmetics; Their texts
refer to relations with Meluha (ancient name of Indus). Intermediate trading stations:
Dilmun(Bahrain) & Makan. Meluha- Land of seafarers. Products from Meluha: Lapis Lazuli, Gold,
Copper, wood
 Long distance trade: Lapis Lazuli (social prestige of ruling class)

Material Imported from

Gold Afghanistan, Iran, Kolar (South India)
Copper Khetri mines of Rajasthan, Baluchistan, Oman
Tin Afghanistan (Hazaribagh & Bastar), Iran
Lapis Lazuli Afghanistan, Shortugai
Jade Pamir
Turquoise Khorasan
Steatite Tapi Chahya (Iran), Rajasathan
Bitumin Baluchistan, Mesapotamia
Lead South India
Silver Afghanistan
Carnelium Lothal

 Religious Practice
 Goddess of Earth : Plant growing out of embryo ( Fertility Goddess)
 Male deity: Pashupathi Mahadeva (3 horned head; sitting posture-yogi; surrounded by elephant,
tiger, rhinoceros, buffalo, 2 deer)
 Phallus worship (Rig Veda)
 Trees, Animals & Human Beings (Pipal Tree, Rhinoceros, Humped Bull), Unihorn (Ekastringa)
 Atharva Veda (non Aryan tradition)- Use of Amulets
 Script
 Invented art of writing
 Noticed in 1853 & Complete script in 1923
 4000 specimen of writing in seals & other objects found
 Pictographic script
 Boustrophedon script
 250-400 pictographs found
 Weights & Measures: Precise system of weights made of stone called chert which is cubical; weights are
in multiples of 16; Bronze stick with measure marks used.
 Seal: Greatest artistic creation of Harappan culture; made of Steatite (soft stone); 2000 found; Horned
bull, buffalo, tiger, rhinoceros, goat & elephant found. Used to facilitate long distance communication;
usually square/oblong plaque
 Images: woman dancer made of bronze, Steatite statue
 Teracotta Figurines: Toys or Objects of worship; Represented birds, dogs, sheep, cattle, monkey, men,
women; Seals & Images-Upper class; Terracotta-Lower class
 Origin , Maturity & End:
 Same kind of tools, life style, town planning, seals, terracotta works, long chert blades except of
pottery in Mohenjo-Daro
 19 C BC- Harappan culture disappeared; Degenerate phase in Gujarat, Rajasthan, Haryana & west
UP
 Pre-Harappan settlements: Lower Sindh, Kalibangan, Baluchistan
 Contact with Mesopotamia may induce development in harappan culture
 Harappan culture- chess board system, streets, drainage pipes, cess pits, rectangular houses with
brick lined bathrooms, well with staircase
 Bronze used in limited scale; used stone implements
 Reason for Disappearance: Rainfall reduced in 2nd millennium BC, decreasing fertility, increase in
salinity of soil, upliftment of land & floods, Earthquake which change the course of Indus & Aryan
invasion
 Post Urban Phase/Sub Indus/Post Harappan/late Harappan
 1900-1200 BC
 Found in Pakistan, Punjab Rajasthan, west & central India, J&K , Delhi, west UP
 Chalcolithic-used Copper & stones
 Agriculture, stock raising, hunting, fishing
 Direct descendants of Harappan culture: Prabhas Patan & Rangpur
 Harappan elements appear little in chalcolithic culture of Malwa (1700-1200 BC) in Navdatoli,
Jorwe sites in Tapi, Godavari & Bhima valey. Jorwe settlements are villages. Largest Jorwe
settlement – Daimabad
 Swat Valley: Northernmost outpost of late Harappan culture
 Late Harappan site excavations: Manda(Jammu), Chandigarh. Sanghol (Punjab), Daulatpur &
Mittal (Haryana), Alamgirpur & Hulas (UP)
 Harappans used rice when they came to Daulatpur & Hulas
 Ragi not known so far
 No object for length measurement
City Features
Bagavanpura Mature phase sites limited & few cities are found
Burnt Bricks found
Surkotada Marked by citadel
Horse Remains found in 2000 BC
Suthgagendor Marked by citadel
Dholovira Harappan fortification
Divided into 3 parts
Large open area for ceremonies (Stadium)
Large letters of Harappan script
Biggest site until Rakhigarhi
Giant Water reservoir
Unique water harnessing system
First astronomical observatory
Harappa citadel/Acropolis
6 Graneries found
Granary outside the fort
2 cemeteries
2 roomed Barracks- labor accommodation
Mohenjodaro Rich in structures
Public Place/ Ritual spot: Great Bath
Largest Building: Granery
Big/Small house has its own courtyard & bathroom
Woven cotton
700 wells
betray some foreign intrusion
Kalibangan Granery
Black bangles
Wells in many houses
Furrows discovered; Oldest Ploughed field
Wooden ploughshare
Bones of Camels
Fire altars
Wooden drainage
Lower fortified town
3rd capital of Indus
Earliest evidence of surgery
Evidence of earliest recorded earthquake
Banawali Drainage system absent
Only city with radial streets
Good quantity of barley found. Produced sesanum & mustard
Sindh Fertile part of the country
supplied timber fuel for bricks & construction
Baluchistan Gagarbands/ Nalas –water storage
New types of pottery in later period
Afghanistan Gagarbands/ Nalas –water storage
Lothal Port Town
Rice in 1800 BC; Rice husk found
 Terracota figure of Horse
Domesticated Elephants
Great bath & Fire altars
Fortified& citadel not separated by walls
Double burial
Three paired cemetry
House had front entrance
Cubical stones & Terracota cakes absent in later period
Dockyard; Major trading centre of Harappan civilization; Earliest port
Gilund Brick structure dated 2000 BC – 1500 BC discovered
Regional centre of Ahar culture
Swat Valley Practiced Developed agriculture, cattle breeding with pastoralism
Black grey burnished ware on slow wheel (resembled north Iranian
plateau of 3rd millinium BC)
Black on red painted & wheel turned pottery
Alamgirpur Late Harappans produced cotton
No seals found
Balakot & Nageshwar Shells (Bangles, Ladles & inlay)
Shortugai Traces of canals
Chanhudaro Craft Production (Bead making, shell cutting, metal working, seal making
and weight making)
Bangle factory
Traces of lipsticks
Only Harappan cite without citadel
Mehrgarh Wheat
Earliest Evidence of Agriculture (settled life)
Terracotta cart
Rakhigarhi Most extensive Harappan city

City River State

Harappa Ravi West Punjab, Pakistan
Mohenjodaro Indus Sindh
Kalibangan Gaggar Rajasthan
Banawali Gaggar Haryana
Alamgirpur Hondon UP
Lothal Bhogava; beside tributary of Sabarmati river Gujarat
Ropar Sutlej Punjab
Chanhudaro Indus Sindh
Manda Chenab J&K
Dholovira Gujarat

City Excavated by
Harappa Dayaram Sahini (1921)
Mohenjodaro RD Bannerji
Chanhudaro Gopal Majumdar and Mackey (1931)
Kalibangan A.Ghosh (1953)
Lothal S.R. Rao (1957)
Ropar Y.D Sharma (1955)
Dholovira J.P Joshi/Rabindra Singh (1990)

City Findings
Mohenjadaro Bull Seal
Ivory weight balance
Priest king statue
Bearded man in steatite
Terracota female figures
Pasupathi Mahadeva seal
Dancing girl made of Bronze
Harappa Nude male torso
Mother Goddess with plant growing from womb
Cemetry H & R37
Coffin burial
Bull seal
Chanhudaro Ink pot
Daimabad Bronze image of chariot
Bronze buffalo
Lothal Persian Gulf seals
Cholistan & Banawali Terracotta model of plough
Oman (Magan) Harappan jar coated with black clay
Lothal Copper Dog
Ivory Weight balance
Surkotada Stone covered grave
Chanhudaro Carts with a seated driver
Ropar Inscribed steatite seal with Indus pictographs