Harappan Civilization, Indus valley civilization More than 500 years from now in the 4th millennium BC, some people from the foothills of baluchistan, started moving into the river valley of Indus and Saraswati. One group reached the costal region and setteled down at sites like Balakot, and one group reached the Punjab and North west rajasthan and setteled down in cities like Harappa and Kuchanwala. Slowly and gradually these people evolved a civilization called Harappan Civilisation (Civilization); the Indus Civilisation (Civilization); the Indus Valley Civilisation (Civilization) and the Indus Saraswati Civilisation (Civilization)., Which was contemporary Egyptian and Mesopotamia civilization but the different from both of them. Archaeologies have so far located around 1400 sites of this civilization in India and Pakistan together. Of these around two dozen very important sites have been excavated. Area of upper town meant for high class and the other, the lower town meant for the common men. Lothal (Distt. Dholavira (Distt.
Indus Civilization Introduction n fact, there seems to have been another large river which ran parallel and west of the Indus in the third and fourth millenium BCE. This was the ancient Saraswati-Ghaggar-Hakra River (which some scholars associate with the Saraswati River of the Rg Veda). Its lost banks are slowly being traced by researchers. Along its now dry bed, archaeologists are discovering a whole new set of ancient towns and cities. Meluhha Ancient Mesopotamian texts speak of trading with at least two seafaring civilizations - Magan and Meluhha - in the neighborhood of South Asia in the third millennium B.C. This site tells the story of the ancient Indus Civilization through the words and photographs of the world's leading scholars in the US, Europe, India and Pakistan. HARP and Indian excavations Since 1986, the joint Pakistani American Harappa Archaeological Research Project (HARP) has been carrying out the first major excavations at the site since before independence in 1946. Harappa.com II.
Cities of the Indus Valley Since the first discovery of this civilization in 1920-21 at Harappa in the Indus Valley, hundreds of sites spread over more than a million square kilometres in the Indian subcontinent have been excavated, many of these are in Northern and Western India. Geographically, it was spread over an area of some 1,260,000 km, comprising the whole of modern day Pakistan and parts of modern-day India and Afghanistan. To date, over 1,052 cities and settlements have been found, mainly in the banks of the Ghaggar-Hakra River and its tributaries. The Indus Valley Civilization was extended from Baluchistan to Gujarat, with an upward reach to the Punjab from east of River Jhelum to Rupar on the upper Sutlej. Kotdiji: Kot Diji, 40 km east of Mohen-jo-Daro on the left bank, is one of the earliest known fortified city. Naushero: The site of Naushero, located six km away from Mehargarh had developed Kotdijian settlement. Kalibangan: This pre-historic town is located 205 Km from Bikaner.
Early Civilization in the Indus Valley Aryans probably used the Khyber Pass to cross the mountains during their Indian invasion. Located in present day Pakistan, the pass is about 16 yards wide at its narrowest point. The phrase "early civilizations" usually conjures up images of Egypt and Mesopotamia, and their pyramids, mummies, and golden tombs. But in the 1920s, a huge discovery in South Asia proved that Egypt and Mesopotamia were not the only "early civilizations." In the vast Indus River plains (located in what is today Pakistan and western India), under layers of land and mounds of dirt, archaeologists discovered the remains of a 4,600 year-old city. A thriving, urban civilization had existed at the same time as Egyptian and Mesopotamian states — in an area twice each of their sizes. The people of this Indus Valley civilization did not build massive monuments like their contemporaries, nor did they bury riches among their dead in golden tombs. Copyright J.M. The Twin Cities Photo courtesy of Carolyn Brown Heinz
History and Politics, Indus Valley Indus Valley Civilization. The earliest traces of civilization in the Indian subcontinent are to be found in places along, or close, to the Indus river. Excavations first conducted in 1921-22, in the ancient cities of Harappa and Mohenjodaro, both now in Pakistan, pointed to a highly complex civilization that first developed some 4,500-5,000 years ago, and subsequent archaeological and historical research has now furnished us with a more detailed picture of the Indus Valley Civilization and its inhabitants. The Indus Valley people were most likely Dravidians, who may have been pushed down into south India when the Aryans, with their more advanced military technology, commenced their migrations to India around 2,000 BCE. Some kind of centralized state, and certainly fairly extensive town planning, is suggested by the layout of the great cities of Harappa and Mohenjodaro. The Indus Valley civilization raises a great many, largely unresolved, questions. Back to Ancient India
The Indus River Valley Civilization: Mohenjo-Daro and Harappa The civilization of the Indus River at Mohenjo-Daro and Harappa arose at about 2500 BCE and ended with apparent destruction about 1500 BCE. It is uncertain whether this civilization had its roots in Sumer or Sumer had its roots in this civilization. Apparently the Indus civillization was likely destroyed by the Indo-European migrants from Iran, the Aryans. The cities of Mohenjo-Daro and Harappa were built of fire-baked bricks. Over the centuries the need for wood for brick-making denuded the country side and this may have contributed to the downfall. The written records of this civilization have not yet been deciphered. The layout of the cities in this civilization of 2500 B.C. is surprisingly neat and orderly. We even have so idea of what the people of this civilization looked like from statuary such as the one below. Statue of a Priest in Mohenjo-Daro The artistic skill involved in the statue and in the seal below is extraordinary for c. 2500 BCE.
Indus Valley - How They Managed Their Water Resources Think of any civilization and it is almost certain that you will find that it thrived along some major river or another. The same is true in the case of the great Indus Valley Civilization. Sometime around 6000 BC nomadic tribes settled down to the west of the River Indus. They lived in small houses and sustained themselves by cultivating wheat and barley. As the years went by the climate began to change bringing along more rainfall. This resulted in a growing population. Domestic water supply The cities of the Indus valley were known for their water management. The inhabitants of Mohenjo-daro were masters in constructing wells. Baths and Wells One of the best-known excavations is the Great Bath of Mohenjo-daro. In addition to wells, archaeologists have also found remains of giant reservoirs for water storage. Drainage system When you have such an extensive domestic water storage system, the next problem that arises is that of drainage.
Mohenjo-daro Location of Mohenjo-daro within the Pakistani province of Sindh. Mohenjo-daro (IPA: [muˑənⁱ dʑoˑ d̪əɽoˑ], (Sindhi: موئن جو دڙو), (Urdu: موئن جودڑو), lit. Mound of the Dead; English pronunciation: /moʊˌhɛn.dʒoʊ ˈdɑː.roʊ/), is an archeological site in the province of Sindh, Pakistan. Built around 2600 BCE, it was one of the largest settlements of the ancient Indus Valley Civilization, and one of the world's earliest major urban settlements, contemporaneous with the civilizations of ancient Egypt, Mesopotamia, and Crete. Name[edit] Mohenjo-daro, the modern name for the site, simply means Mound of the Dead in Sindhi. Location[edit] Mohenjo-daro is located in the Larkana District of Sindh, Pakistan,[5] on a Pleistocene ridge in the middle of the flood plain of the Indus River Valley, around 28 kilometres (17 mi) from the town of Larkana. Historical context[edit] Rediscovery and excavation[edit] Architecture and urban infrastructure[edit] Panorama view of stupa at Mohenjo-daro. Dancing Girl[edit]