Indus Valley civilization

Indus civilization, also called Indus valley civilization or Harappan civilization, the
earliest known urban culture of the Indian subcontinent. The nuclear dates of the
civilization appear to be about 2500–1700 BCE, though the southern sites may
have lasted later into the 2nd millennium BCE.

Excavations of Indus cities have produced much evidence of artistic activity.

Such finds are important because they provide insights into the minds, lives,
and religious beliefs of their creators. Stone sculpture is extremely rare, and
much of it is quite crude. The total repertoire cannot compare to the work
done in Mesopotamia during the same periods. The figures are apparently all
intended as images for worship. Such figures include seated men, recumbent
composite animals, or—in unique instances (from Harappa)—a standing nude
male and a dancing figure. The finest pieces are of excellent quality. There is
also a small but notable repertoire of cast-bronze figures, including several
fragments and complete examples of dancing girls, small chariots, carts, and
animals. The technical excellence of the bronzes suggests a highly developed
art, but the number of examples is still small. They appear to be Indian
workmanship rather than imports.

The popular art of the Harappans was in the form of terra-cotta figurines. The

majority is of standing females, often heavily laden with jewelry, but standing
males—some with beard and horns—are also present. It has been generally
agreed that these figures are largely deities (perhaps a Great Mother and a
Great God), but some small figures of mothers with children or of domestic
activities are probably toys. There are varieties of terra-cotta animals, carts,
and toys—such as monkeys pierced to climb a string and cattle that nod their
heads. Painted pottery is the only evidence that there was a tradition of
painting. Much of the work is executed with boldness and delicacy of feeling,
but the restrictions of the art do not leave much scope for creativity.
The pottery of the Indus cities has all the marks of mass production. A substantial
proportion is thrown on the wheel (probably the same kind of foot wheel that is still
found in the Indus region and to the west to this day, as distinguished from the Indian
spun wheel common throughout the remaining parts of the subcontinent). The majority
of the pottery is competent plain ware, well-formed and fired but lacking
in aesthetic appeal. A substantial portion of the pottery has a red slip and is painted with
black decoration. Larger pots were probably built up on a turntable. Among the painted
designs, conventionalized vegetable patterns are common, and the elaborate geometric
designs of the painted pottery of Balochistan give way to simpler motifs, such as
intersecting circles or a scale pattern. Birds, animals, fish, and more interesting scenes
are comparatively rare. Of the vessel forms, a shallow platter on a tall stand (known as
the offering stand) is noteworthy, as is a tall cylindrical vessel perforated with small
holes over its entire length and often open at top and bottom. The function of this latter
vessel remains a mystery.

Although little has survived, very great interest attaches to the fragments of cotton
textiles recovered at Mohenjo-daro. These provide the earliest evidence of a crop and
industry for which India has long been famous. It is assumed that the raw cotton must
have been brought in bales to the cities to be spun, woven, and perhaps dyed, as the
presence of dyers’ vats would seem to indicate.

Stone, although largely absent from the great alluvial plain of the Indus, played a major
role in Harappan material culture. Scattered sources, mostly on the periphery, were
exploited as major factory sites. Thus, the stone blades found in great numbers at
Mohenjo-daro originated in the flint quarries at Sukkur, where they were probably
struck in quantity from prepared cores.