# INDUS VALLEY CIVILISATION

- 2500 BC to 1700 BC

- aka, first urban civilization of South Asia.

- Harappa was the first site to be discovered by Dayaram Sahni

in 1921 so this civilization is named Harappa civilsation as well.

- older than even Bronze Age.
- Father of Indian archaeology = Alexander Cunningham

was the 1st general director of ASI (archaeological survey of india).

- first to produce cotton.

> some info:

- largest site = Mohenjo Dario

- largest Indian site = Rakhigarh (Haryana)

- oldest script in Indian subcontinent = Harappa script (not decoded yet)

Manda (JK)

Sutkagendor Alamgirpur (UP)

(Baluch)

Daimabad
(MAH)
> Town Planning

- most of the city sites are divided in 2 parts

• citadel = West of the city

= rulers and mainly rich merchants live there

= contains public buildings, granaries & imp Workshops.

• Lower part = where common people and labour live and work.

- main streets are 10m wide.

- bricks ratio was 1:2:4 (T:W:L), size of 7x14x28 cm for houses

and 10x20x40 for city walls.

- Drainage system made up of mortar, lime and gypsum and have brick slab
as a covers.

- no window of the houses face the street.

> Society:

- urban society of middle class.

- appears Matriarchal.

> Script:
- pictographic and logosyllabic
- boustrophedon ( left to right then right to left in alternate line) script

not decoded yet.

2
> Imports:
- gold = Afghan, Iran, Kolar

- Copper = Khetri, Baluch, Oman.

- tin = Afghan, Iran.

- Lapis = Shortughai (afg)

- Turquoise = Khorasan.

- steatite = Tapi Chahya (Iran)

- Bitumin = Baluch, Mesopotamia
- lead = south india
- Silver = Mesopotamia, Jwar mines (Raj)

> Famous Sites:

(1) Harappa

- Punjab (pak)

- Ravi river
- Dayaram Sahani 1921

- Discoveries:

• 6 Granaries
• coffin burials, cemetery
• Single room barrack.
 • Lingam and Yoni

• Red stone male torso

• red stone 2 dancing girls

• Dice
• mother goddess (tick this if Mohenjo daro is not in the option)

(2) Mohenjo-Daro

- sindh (pak)
- Indus River

- RD Banerji 1922

John Marshall 1930

- Discoveries

• Assembly hall
• great bath (for rituals)

• College of priest

• priest King (modi)

• Large granary
• bronze dancing girl
• seals of Pashupati

• post cermation burials.

• terracotta model of mother goddess. (Main)
• bangles of clay, evidence of horse*
(3) Lothal

- Ahmedabad, near gulf of khambat

- Bhogava and Sabarmati river confluence

- SR Rao 1957

- Discoveries:
- Dockyard

- Sea trade centre

- bead making factory

- city divided in 6 sector instead of 2 sector like all others

- lower sector is also walled.

- Rice husks
- houses entrances on the Main Street.

- double burial of male and female

- brick tank
- seal of Mesopotamia

- ivory scale
- terracotta model of ship
- Fire altars

- Cunning fox on jar.

(4) Kalibangan
- Ganganagar (RAJ)

- Ghaggar river

- Amlanand Ghosh 1953

- Discoveries:

- Ploughed field
- bangle factory

- bones of camel
- no drainage system

- Decorative flooring bricks

- fire altars

(5) Chanhu-Daro

- Sindh (PAK), near Mohenjo-Daro

- Indus river
- NG Mazumdar, E.Makay 1931

- Discoveries:
- bead, seals, ornaments at site

- no fortified structure
- only city without citadel
- Clay model of four wheeler
 - bronze model of roof chariot (Bronze toy)
- link pot, lipstick, terracotta model of bullock cart

- dog paw impression on brick

(6) Rangpur
- Gujarat,near lothal

- Madar river
- MS Vatsa 1931, SR Rao 1953

- Discoveries:

- Flakes

- yellow and grey pots

(7) Banwali

- Hisar(HAR)
- Rangoi river
- RS Bist 1973

- Discoveries:
- High quality barley, fire altars, clay model of plough,

ceramic and steatite seals

(8) Alamgirpur
- Meerut (UP)

- Hindon river

- YD Sharma 1958

- Discoveries:

- impression of cloth on a through

- bronze copper blade

(9) Koti-Diji

- Sindh (PAK)

- Sindh river

- Ghurey 1835
Fazal Ahmed 1955

- Discoveries:
- house made of stones

- city destroyed by force

- bronze images.
- only city of radial street (Oval shaped settlement)

- centre of pre harappan

- lapis
(10) Amri

- Sindh (PAK)

- Sindh river
- Ghurey 1835

Fazal Ahmed 1955

- Discoveries:

- Actual remains of rhinoceros.

- Jhangar Culture traces.

(11) Ropar
- Punjab

- Sutlej river
- YD Sharma 1955

- Discoveries:
- dog buried with human
- oval pit burials

- first site to excavate after independence

(12) Surkotada

- Bhuj(GUJ)

- JP Joshi 1964

- Discoveries:

- Bones of a horse and graveyard

- oval graves

- soldiers sign on potsherd (broken pot).

(13) Dholavira

- kachchh (GUJ)
- JP Joshi 1990

- Discoveries:
- Giant water reservoir

- unique water harvesting system

- inscription of 10 large sign of Harappa script
- use of sandstone

- only site divided in 3 parts.

- megalithic stone structure.
(14) Suktagendor
- Sindh (PAK)

- Dashak river

- A.Stein,George Dales.

- Discoveries:

- Ash filled pot

- copper axe

- earthen Bangles
- once was a port but later cutoff due to coastal upliftment

- trade links with Babylon.

(15) Rakhigiri
- at Haryana

- Discoveries:
- largest Indus Valley site
- 3 phase of Harappa culture.

(16) Daimabad
- Maharashtra

- Parvana river
- Discoveries:
bronze image.
> Seals

- square in shape made up of steatite stone.

having many animals depicted on it except horse.

- harappan seals have been found in Mesopotamian cities like Susa and Ur.

- in Nippur, a seal of harappan script and unicorn depicted.

- in lothal, button seal was found.

- in Mohenjo Daro, 3 cylinder seal of Mesopotamian type was found.

- shell scale found at Mohenjo-daro.

shell object to measure angle found at Saurashtra

ivory scale found at lothal.

- cubical weight were made up of chert, limestone and steatite.

of 1,2,8,16,32,64,160,320,640,1600,3200.