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1. INDUS VALLEY
CIVILIZATION
BY-SAKSHI VASWANI

2. INDUS VALLEYCIVILIZATION

3. INDUSVALLEYCIVILIZATION
??????The Indus Valley Civilizationwas an
ancientcivilizationlocatedin what is
Pakistan andnorthwest Indiatoday,onthe
fertilefloodplainoftheIndusRiverandits
vicinity. Evidenceof religious practicesin
this areadatebackapproximately to 5500
BCE.Farmingsettlementsbeganaround
4000 BCE and around 3000 BCE there
appearedthefirst signs of urbanization.By
2600 BCE, dozensof towns andcitieshad
beenestablished,andbetween2500and2000
BCEtheIndus ValleyCivilizationwasat
itspeak.

4. MOHENJODARO
Mohenjo Daro, or "Mound of theDead" is anancientIndus Valley
Civilization city that flourished between2600 and1900 BCE. It was oneof
thefirst world andancientIndian cities. The site was discoveredin the1920s
andlies in Pakistan's Sindh province.Only ahandfulof archaeologistshave
excavatedhere,describedintheintroductionandillustratedessayMohenjodaro:
AnAncient IndusValleyMetropolis.

5. DISCOVERYANDMAJOREXCAVATIONS
??????Mohenjo-daro was discoveredin 1922byR. D. Banerji, anofficer
oftheArchaeological Survey ofIndia, two yearsafter major
excavationshadbegunatHarappa,some590kmtothenorth.Large-
scaleexcavationswerecarried out at thesite underthedirection of
John Marshall, K. N. Dikshit, Ernest Mackay, and numerous
otherdirectorsthroughthe1930s.

6. DISCOVERY OFHARAPPA
??????Sir John Marshall was thefirst persontousetheterm‘Indus civilisation’.
The Indus or theHarappancivilisation belongsto theChalcolithic or Bronze
Age sincetheobjects of copperandstonewerefound at thevarious sites of
this civilisation. Nearly, 1,400 Harappansites areknownso far in thesub-
continent.
??????They belongto early, matureandlate phasesof theHarappanculture. But the
numberof thesites belongingto themature phaseis limited, andof themonly
halfadozencanberegardedascities.
??????Some of thenoteworthy sites which havebeenexcavatedareHarappa(1921)by
Daya Ram Sahni, Mohenjodaro (1922)byR.D. Banerjee, Dholavira (1967-
68) by J.P. Joshi and(1990-91)by R.S. Bisht, Kalibangan by Dr. A .
Ghosh,Lothal(1955-63),Chanhu-daro,Banawali(1975-77),etc.

7. TIMELINEOFINDUSVALLEYCIVILIZATION
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8. FEATURES
??????Town Planning: The excavations of the ruins showed a remarkable skill in town planning. The main streets
and roads were set in a line, sometimes running straight for a mile, and were varying in width from 4
metersto10meters.Mostoftheseroadsandstreetswerepavedwithfirebruntbricks.Ontheeitherside
of the street stood houses of various sizes which did not protrude into the streets. The main streets
intersectedatrightangles,dividingthecityintosquaresorrectangularblockseachofwhichwasdivided
lengthwiseandcrosswisebylanes.Somebuildingshadalamppostandawell.Therewasanelaborate
drainagesystemwhichemptiedintotheriver.
??????The Drainage System; The Drainage System of the Indus Valley Civilization was far advanced. The drains
werecoveredwithslabs.Waterflowedfromhousesintothestreetdrains.Thestreetdrainshadmanholes
atregularintervals.Housewiveswereexpectedtousepitsinwhichheavierpartoftherubbishwillsettle
down while only sewerage water was allowed to drain off. All soak pits and drains were occasionally
cleanedbyworkmen.Ineveryhousetherewasawell-constructedsink,andwaterflowedfromthesink
into the underground sewers in the streets. This elaborate drainage system shows that the Indus Valley
peoplewerefullyconversantwiththeprinciplesofhealthandsanitation.
??????Great Granary: Another large building in the city was the Great Granary which was made about 45
meterslongand15meterswide.Itwasmeanttostorefoodgrains.Ithadlinesofcircularbrickplatforms
forpoundinggrain.Therewerebarracklikequartersforworkmen.Thegranaryalsohadsmallerhallsand
corridors

9. FEATURES
??????Houses: The houses were of different sizes varying from a palatial building to one with two small rooms. The houses
hadawell,abathroom,andacovereddrainconnectedtothedraininthestreet.Thebuildingsweremadeofburnt
bricks, which have been preserved even to this day. Sun-dried bricks were used for the foundation of the buildings
and the roofs were flat and made of wood. The special feature of the houses was that rooms were built around an
open courtyard. Some houses were double storied. Some buildings had pillared halls; some of them measured 24
squaremeters.Itisassumedthattherealsomusthavebeenpalaces,templesormunicipalhalls.
??????GreatBath:OneofthelargestbuildingswastheGreatBathmeasuring180feetby108feet.Thebathingpool,39feet
long, 28 feet wide and 8 feet deep was in the center of the quadrangle, surrounded with verandahs, rooms and
galleries.Aflightofstepsledtothepool.Thepoolcouldbefilledandemptiedbymeansofavaultedculvert,6feet
and6incheshigh.Thewallsofthepoolweremadeofburntbrickslaidonedge,whichmadethepoolwatertight.
Thepoolwasfilledwithwaterfromalargewell,situatedinthesamecomplex.Periodiccleaningofthepoolwas
donebydrainingofftheusedwaterintoabigdrain.TheGreatBathbuildinghadsixentrances.TheGreatBath
reflectedtheengineeringgeniusofthoseancientdays.
??????TheAssemblyHall:AnimportantfeatureofMohen-jo-darowasits24squaremeterspillaredhall.Ithadfiverowsof
pillars, with four pillars in each row. Kiln baked bricks were used to construct these pillars. Probably, it was the
Assembly Hall or the ruler's court. It is said that it also housed the municipal office which had the charge of town
planningandsanitation.

10. FEATURES
??????Dress:Fromthesculpturedfiguresitcanbeseenthatthedressofmenandwomenconsistedoftwo
pieces of cloth-one resembling a dhoti, covering the lower part, and the other worn over the left
shoulderandundertherightarm.Menhadlonghairdesigneddifferently.Womenworeafanshaped
head dress covering there hair. The discovery of a large number of spindles showed that they knew
weaving and spinning. Similarly it was concluded, by the discovery of needles and buttons, that the
peopleofthisageknewtheartofstitching.
??????Ornaments:Bothmenandwomenworeornamentsmadeofgold,silver,copperandothermetals.
Menworenecklaces,fingerringsandarmletsofvariousdesignsandshapes.Thewomenworeahead
dress,earrings,bangles,girdles,braceletsandanklets.Richpeopleworeexpensiveornamentsmade
ofgoldwhilethepoorhadornamentsmadeofshell,boneorcopper.
??????Cosmetics:TheladiesofMohen-jo-darowerenotlaggingbehindinstyles asusedbytheladiesofthe
presentday,whenitcametotheuseofcosmeticsandtheattainmentofbeauty.Materialsmadeof
ivoryandmetalforholdingandapplyingcosmeticsprovethattheyknewtheuseoffacepaintand
collyrium. Bronze oval mirrors, ivory combs of various shapes, even small dressing tables, have been
foundatMohen-jo-daroandothersites. Womentiedthehairintoabunandusedhairpinsmadeof
ivory.Toiletjars,foundatMohen-jo-daro,showthatwomentookinterestincosmetics.

11. FEATURES
??????Furniture and Utensils: The furniture and utensils found at Mohen-jo-daro show a high degree of
civilization because of their variety in kind and design. The beautifully painted pottery, numerous
vesselsforthekitchen,chairsandbedsmadeofwood,lampsofdifferentmaterial,toysforchildren,
marbles,ballsanddice,indicatewhatpeoplemanufacturedinthosedays.
ConveyanceAcopperspecimenfoundatHarapparesemblesthemodernEkka(cart)withatop-
cover.Bullockcartswithorwithouttheroofwasthechiefmeansofconveyance.
Amusements and Recreation: The Indus Valley people liked more of indoor games than outdoor
amusements.Theywerefondofgamblingandplayingdice.Dancingandsingingwereconsidered
greatarts.Boysplayedwithtoysmadeofterracotta,whilegirlsplayedwithdolls.
??????Agriculture: Agriculture was the main occupation of the Indus Valley people. Crops such as wheat,
barley,peasandbananaswereraised.Intheoldendays,therewasenoughraininthatregionand
occasionalfloodsbroughtagreatdealoffertilesoiltothearea.Peopleusedtoploughthelandwith
woodenploughsharesdrawnbymenandoxen.Fromtheexistenceofgranariesitisconcludedthat
thereweresurplus food-grains.

12. FEATURES
??????Food: Specimens of wheat and barley show that they were cultivated in that region. Rice was also
probablygrown.Thereisevidencetoshowthatdatepalmsweregrowninthearea.Besidesthese,the
dietofthepeopleconsistedoffruits,vegetables,fish,milk andmeatofanimalsi.e.beef,muttonand
poultry.
??????Domestication of Animals: The people of Harappa domesticated animals like oxen, buffaloes, pigs,
goats and sheep. Camels and asses were used as means of transport. Dogs and cats were kept as
pets.Thehumpedbullwasconsideredagreatassetinthefarmingcommunity.CraftsThediscoveryof
spindles at the sites of Harappan culture shows that the people used to spin and weave. Goldsmiths
madejewelleryofgold,silverandpreciousstones.Peoplewerealsoengagedinbrick-layingandinthe
art of sculpture. The making of seals was developed during this period. Bronze-smiths made various
typesofweaponsandtoolssuchasknives,spears,sawsandaxeswhichwereusedindailylife.
??????Trade: Traders carried on trade in the country as well as with other countries like Egypt, Babylon and
Afghanistan.ManysealsofHarappafoundinMesopotamiashowthattradeexistedbetweenthetwo
countries.Thesealsweremadeofterracottaandwereusedbymerchantstostamptheirgoods.
ThepeopleoftheIndusValleyusedweightsandmeasuresintheirbusinesstransactions.Theyused16
anditsmultiplies:64, 160and320,inmeasurementandweight.

13. ORIGINANDEVOLUTIONOFTHEHARAPPANCIVILIZATION
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14. TOWNPLANNINGDURINGTHEHARAPPAPERIOD
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15. ARTS
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16. THE LIFEOFTHEINDUSVALLEYCIVILIZATION

17. Thegreatbath
??????Themostinterestingstructureofthis metropolisofMohenjo-daro
is the Great Bath which is about 55 meters long and 33 meters
wide.
??????Itisfoundtocontainalarge,openspaceatthecentreand
galleries,roomslieonallsides.
??????Inthecentralspace,therewastheprovisionofalargeswimming
enclosure, having the measurements of 12 meters long, 7 meters
wideand24metersdeep.
??????Thewaterwasdischargedprobablybyahugedrainwithacor-
belledroofmorethan1.8metersinheight.
??????ThestrengthanddurabilityoftheconstructionsofGreatBathof
Mohenjo-daroweresuperbastheycouldwithstandtheravages
offivethousandyears.

18. Grannary
??????Builtontopofataperedbrickplatform,thisbuildinghada
solid brick foundation that extended for 50 meters east
west and 27 meters north south. The foundation was
divided into 27 square and rectangular blocks by narrow
passageways, two running east west and eight running
north south. A section of the northern foundation had
hollowsocketsforwoodenbeamsusedtosupporta
stairwayorwoodenstructure.Laterwellsandwallsareseen
intheforeground.

19. Room
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20. LARGECOURTYARDWITHMUDBRICKFILLING,DK-GAREA
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21. NARROWLANE,DK-GAREA
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22. FIRSTSTREET,DK-GAREA
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23. STREETWITHLIMESTONECOVEREDDRAINSDAREA

24. STREETWITHLIMESTONECOVEREDDRAINSDAREA

25. WELL
??????Smallwell(onleft).Largewell(onright)

26. WELL
Publicwell(onleft).Wellwithplatform(onright)

27. PRIVATEWELL

28. BATHINGPLATFORM,SDAREA
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29. DECLINEOFTHEINDUSVALLEYCIVILIZATION
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