INDUS VALLEY

CIVILIZATION
• EARLIEST CIVILISATIONS IN INDUS VALLEY WAS DISCOVERED IN 1856
BY A RAILROAD CREW.
- HARAPPA
- MOHENJODARO
 ART & CULTURE

ART:
• A mix of secular and religious motifs.
• Religious motifs have not been found- probably destroyed as they were made of
perishable material.
• Secular motifs were mostly seals that were of steatite, which were used for
trading.
• Gold jewellery, pottery and sculptures were also found.
The Artifacts: Crafts and the Arts

Dice and small

Sculptures of bullock carts were probably
Used as toys and games.

The first known use of cotton as a fiber for

Weaving textiles occurred in the Indus Valley.

Small sculptures in stone, terra cotta, and

Bronze appear to represent priestly or
Governmental officials, dancing girls, and
Perhaps mother goddesses.

Since there are no surviving texts to explain

Identities these can only be guesses.
Culture of Indus Valley Civilization

Arts and Crafts:

• Many crafts “such as shell working, ceramics,

and agate and glazed steatite bead making”
were used in the making of necklaces, bangles,
and other ornaments from all phases of
Harappan sites.

• Some make-up and toiletry items that were

found in Harappan contexts still have similar
counterparts in modern India.

Fragment of Large Deep

Vessel
• Various sculptures, seals, pottery, gold
jewellery, and anatomically detailed
Figurines in terracotta, bronze, and
steatite have been found at excavation
sites.

• A number of gold, terracotta and stone

figurines of girls in dancing poses. These
terra-cotta figurines included cows, bears,
monkeys, and dogs.
 SEWAGE & Water
Management

• City walls functioned as a barrier against floods. The urban areas of the
Indus Valley provided public and private baths, sewage was disposed
through underground drains built with precisely laid bricks, and a
sophisticated water management system with numerous reservoirs were
established.
Water Sewage of Indus Valley
Dholavira – Reservoirs

• One of the unique feature of Dholavira is the

sophisticated water conservation system of
channels and reservoirs earliest found anywhere
in the world.
• Completely built of stone of which 3 are exposed.
• They were used for storing fresh water brought by rains.

Water Supply & Sanitation

• Well integrated system of water supply and Sanitation; Public baths & latrines;
Streets & Drainage system.
• Private Bathrooms provided in individual houses.
• Drainage provided at both sides of streets.
• Lime Gypsum mortar to bind baked bricks for drain.
 Mohenjo‐Daro, a major urban center of the Indus Civilization, dating to the
mid‐third millennium BC has produced evidence of a sophisticated system for
supplying water and expelling sewage. Water came from more than 700 wells
and supplied not only domestic demands but also a system of private baths
and a Great Bath for public use. Drains and sewers were carefully constructed
to facilitate the removal of waste. The system is described and its social
context considered.