ASSOCIATE DEGREE IN HISTORY

Class: 3rd Year Institution: Al- Zahra Science Academy

Subject: Ancient Indian History Teacher: Engr. Saqib Nawaz

TOPIC: 02
INDUS VALLEY CIVILIZATION, SPECIAL STUDY OF MOHENJO-DARO AND
HARAPPA‫ موہن جودڑو اور ہڑپہ کا خصوصی مطالعہ‬،‫وادی سنده کی تہذيب‬

 INDUS VALLEY CIVILIZATION

The civilization‫ تہذيب‬was first identified‫ شناخت کی گئی‬in 1921 at Harappa in the Punjab region
and then in 1922 at Mohenjo-daro (Mohenjodaro), near the Indus River in the Sindh (Sind)
region. Both sites are in present-day Pakistan, in Punjab and Sindh provinces, respectively.
The ruins‫ کهنڈرات‬of Mohenjo-daro were designated‫ نامزد‬a UNESCO World Heritage site in
1980.

Harappa ruins

Ruins of the ancient settlement‫ بستی‬of Harappa in Punjab, Pakistan.

Subsequently, vestiges‫ نشانات‬of the civilization were found as far apart as Sutkagen Dor in
southwestern Balochistan province, Pakistan, near the shore of the Arabian Sea, about 300
miles (480 km) west of Karachi; and at Ropar (or Rupar), in eastern Punjab state,
northwestern India, at the foot of the Shimla Hills some 1,000 miles (1,600 km) northeast of
Sutkagen Dor. Later exploration established its existence southward down the west coast of
India as far as the Gulf of Khambhat (Cambay), 500 miles (800 km) southeast of Karachi, and
as far east as the Yamuna (Jumna) River basin, 30 miles (50 km) north of Delhi.

The Indus Valley civilization was a collection of ancient cities, towns and cultures which were
all found in the Indus Valley during the Bronze Age (from roughly, 3300 BCE to 1300 BCE).
The culture existed for around 2000 years before disappearing, modern historians still do not
know why they disappeared!

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It was one of the three early major civilizations of humanity, along with the Ancient Egyptians
and Mesopotamia. Of all three, the Indus Valley civilization was the most widespread of the
three. Reaching from modern day Iran, through Pakistan and India, and towards the Himalayan
mountains.

 Where was the Indus Valley?

The Indus Valley civilization was first given its named because of the historical artefacts‫نوادرات‬
found along the ancient Indus River. This river runs down from the Himalayas through India
and Pakistan and eventually reaches the Arabian Sea.
This constant source of water meant that the Indus Valley had lots of fertile ground for growing
crops and lots of water & clay for making houses. Many small communities began to gather
along the banks of the river during the Stone Age and into the early Bronze Age. Eventually
these communities came together to form a single culture based around huge cities.

 Who were the Indus Valley people?

Although there was a ready supply of fresh water, the Indus Valley was very hot, so people
spent a lot of time outside. Most people had small homes made of clay, which would also be
used as a workshop. Richer families might have had a private courtyard where children could
play with their toys and pets.
For a long time, people thought that the Indus Valley was a peaceful civilization, with little
evidence of large scale wars or battles. This was unexpected, as war was common in Egypt or
Mesopotamia. However, archaeologists have recently found skeletons which suggest that the
Indus Valley might not have been such a peaceful place after all!
Historians are now re-evaluating their understanding of the Indus Valley civilization and are
suggesting that the strong walls which surrounded their cities may have been used for defence
as well as protection from flood waters.

 SPECIAL STUDY OF MOHENJO-DARO AND HARAPPA

1. The Cities of Harappa and Mohenjo-daro

The two most famous cities of Harappa and Mohenjo-daro were first uncovered in Modern day
Pakistan and have become an incredible‫ ناﻗابﻞ يﻘيﻦ‬insight into the culture, history and way-of-
life of the Indus Valley people.
The cities of Harappa and Mohenjo-daro first arose at about 2500 BCE and although it is not
known exactly why the civilization disappeared, the cities were destroyed and abandoned‫اجاڑ‬
roughly 1000 years later in 1500 BCE.
The cities were the home of the technological and culture advances of the Indus Valley people,
evidence has been found of pottery, bronze tools, writing and even a sewer-system ‫! ﺳيوريﺞ ﺳسٹم‬

 What did the cities look like?

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The cities both demonstrated advanced architecture and construction methods. In Harappa,
historians have discovered the remains of dockyards, granaries‫ اناج‬, warehouses‫ گودام‬, homes,
and protective walls. These buildings were made of clay with wood weaved through the centre
and scorched‫ جهلسا ہوا‬with fire to harden it.
It is not known yet whether the Indus Valley people built palaces or temples (there is little
evidence of kings or priests yet!) Although, the city of Mohenjo-daro contains the 'Great Bath',
which may have been a large, public bathing and social area - similar to those of Ancient Greece
and Rome many centuries later.
The cities of Harappa and Mohenjo-daro are believed to be the first in the world to clean the
city using drainage and sewer systems. Families were able to get fresh water from wells all
around the city and store it in their homes. Dirty water was poured into covered drains on the
main streets, which connected to a system which took the water away from the city to the sea.
The cities were neatly planned out, they have straight roads and a grid pattern which made it
easy to move around the city. The main streets were almost 10 metres wide! Some cities, such
as Mohenjo-daro, had high walls with gateways.
2. Everyday life in the Indus Valley
Work was at the centre of life in the Indus Valley. For a typical‫ عام‬family, the parents would
either farm land, or if they had a skill such as pottery, they would make objects to sell in the
cities and towns. Children would be taught basic skills by their parents, as we don't know if
there were schools in the Indus Valley.
It wasn't all work though, there is evidence of children playing dice games or simple board
games and playing with pets such as monkeys or parrots.
3. Social And Political System
Despite a growing body of archaeological evidence, the social and political structures of the
Indus “state” remain objects of conjecture‫ ﻗياس‬. The apparent craft‫ ظاہری دﺳتکاری‬specialization
and localized craft groupings at Mohenjo-daro, along with the great divergence in house types
and size, point toward some degree of social stratification ‫موہنجوداڑو ميﮟ ظاہری دﺳتکاری تﺨﺼيﺺ‬
‫ کچه حﺪ تک ﺳماجی ﺳﻄﺢ بنﺪی کی‬،‫ گهروں کی اﻗسام اور ﺳائز ميﮟ بڑے فرق کے ﺳاته‬،‫اور مﻘامی کرافٹ گروپنگ‬
‫طرف اشاره کرتی ہے۔‬. Trade was extensive and apparently well-regulated‫ اچهی طرح ﺳے منظم‬,
providing imported raw materials for use at internal production centres, distributing finished
goods throughout the region, and arguably culminating‫ ﻗابﻞ اعتراض طور پر اختتام پذير‬in the
establishment of Harappan “colonies” in both Mesopotamia and Badakhshan. The remarkable
uniformity of weights and measures throughout the Indus lands, as well as the development of
such presumably‫ ممکنہ طور پر‬civic works as the great granaries, implies a strong degree of
political and administrative control over a wide area. Further, the widespread occurrence of
inscriptions in the Harappan script almost certainly indicates the use of a single lingua franca.
Nevertheless, in the absence of inscriptions that can be read and interpreted, it is inevitable
‫ ناگزير‬that far less is known of these aspects of the Indus civilization than those
of contemporaneous‫ ہم عصر‬Mesopotamia.

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 4. The culture of Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro
The Indus Valley civilization is the earliest known culture that we now call 'urban' - which
means people lived in cities and towns rather than living like hunter-gatherers.
The discovery of the cities of Harappa and Mohenjo-daro has given an important look into the
technology, trade, writing and religion of this ancient civilization.
5. Technology
The people of the Indus Valley (known as Harappan, after the first city discovered) made many
advances in technology. They were able to create giant clay walls to surround their cities.
Strong clay houses to resist the flood waters of the Indus River and clean water systems to
support their people.
The Harappans also developed new ways to work with metal, making artefacts out of copper,
bronze, lead and tin. They performed intricate‫ پيچيﺪه‬craftwork‫ دﺳتکاری‬with the metal to create
jewellery.
The advances in technology also helped the Indus Valley people trade with each other. They
created a system of weights and measures to make sure that when people traded objects, food
or other goods, it was a fair trade.
6. Trade & Transportation
The Indus Valley Civilization is believed to have depended on trade, both between its own
people and with other cultures. Much of the trade was focused on raw materials which could
be used in the workshops of Harappa
Between cities, Harappans built roads of packed mud, which were strong enough to support
large wheeled carts. These carts could move lots of goods from different towns very quickly.
There was also an extensive maritime trade (which means the Harrapans were able to build lots
of boats to sail to other countries and trade). Harappan jewellery has been found at
archaeological sites in modern day Iraq, Kuwait, Syria and all over the Mesopotamian culture.
7. Writing
Some people in Harappa were able to write, and read a language known as Indus Script. It was
a language consisting of over 600 different symbols. These have been found on seals, clay or
stone tablets, ceramic pots and carved‫ کهﺪی ہوئی‬into the sides of buildings.
The inscriptions are thought to have been written from right to left, but it is not yet possible to
translate the language. The language is believed to have developed independently of that of
Mesopotamia and Egypt, as such historians have not been able to find any similar language
which they can use to translate the text.
8. Religion
The Harappan religion is still a topic of speculation among historians. No palaces or temples
have been uncovered yet in the Indus Valley to suggest what types of gods or goddesses the
people believed in, if any.

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Many of the drawings or carvings from Indus Valley artefacts include the forms of animals,
sometimes of animals being carried in festivals. This suggests that the Indus Valley people
believed some of their animals were scared‫ ڈرا ہوا‬, such as the cow or goat. Possibly because
these animals were used for food and drink for people.
9. What happened to the cities of Harappa and Mohenjo Daro?
The decline of the Indus Valley is a great mystery‫ اﺳرار‬for modern historians, evidence
suggests that trade with Mesopotamia started to slow down around 1800 BCE and eventually
stopped altogether. The grand cities of Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro were abandoned and the
'Great Bath' was demolished.
Some historians believe that the Indus Valley was invaded‫ حملہ کيا‬by other cultures from
Mesopotamia or the Aryan culture of India. Other historians believe that a change in the local
climate forced the people of the Indus Valley to move away from their sacred river. If the river
slowed down or even stopped running for a period of time, the fertile land of the valley would
quickly dry up and turn into an arid wasteland.
10. Fascinating ‫ دلکش‬facts about the Indus Valley Civilization
 The Indus Valley civilization was larger than the ancient Egyptian civilization.
 At its peak, around 10% of the world's total population lived in the Indus Valley. This
was as much as five million people!
 Modern historians still do not know why the Indus Valley civilizations came to an end
- it is an ancient mystery!
 It is believed that the Indus Valley people invented buttons... made of seashells!
 Towns and cities were all built in a similar, rectangular pattern. It is thought that this
was because the valley regularly flooded, so they could rebuild easily.

The Stone Age is considered to have begun about two million years ago, and ended sometime
after the end of the last ice age about ten thousand years ago. The Bronze Age in ancient China
started around 1700 BCE. This is when men learned how to mine copper and tin to make bronze
weapons.

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