Saraswati-Sindhi Civilization(Indus).PPT

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1. Early Civilization
What is Civilization:
A group of people who live by a
common ethical code, shared memory
of the past and a common vision for the
future belong to one civilization.

2. Introduction
It existed along the Indus river in what is present day
North-Western Part of India, Pakistan and Eastern part of
Afghanistan.
It was considered to be the first ever urban civilization.
The towns developed during that time were well planned
and well executed.
The spectacular city planning of that time surpassed all present
civilizations as well.
The houses were made of baked bricks and had two or
more stories.
The people of Harappa knew the measuring tools of
length, mass and time. They were the first in the world in
developing a system of uniform weights and measures. Their
measurements were extremely precise.

3. 1. Mesopotamian civilization – Tigris & Euphrates Rivers
(3500 BCE, Invented cuneiform writing)
2. Ancient China – Huang Ho (Yellow) River
(2100 BCE Contributed paper, silk, great wall)
3. Saraswati Sindhu Civilization – Indus River
(8000 BCE Land of Rig Veda)
4. Egyptian Civilization – Nile River
(3100 BCE Known for pyramids, pharaohs, and
hieroglyphics)
Most of the early civilizations grew
near rivers.

5. Why civilizations thrived on the river banks?
Rivers provided water for drinking and agriculture.
River beds had rich alluvial soil that favored agriculture
Rivers served as a means of transportation
Flora and fauna flourished on river banks
Sand from the river banks could be used for building houses
Rivers beds were a source of minerals

6. SARASWATI-SINDU
CIVILIZATION
The Rig Veda mentions a land of seven rivers
called Sapta Sindhava.
It cover parts of present-day Punjab (India
and Pakistan), Haryana, and Parts of
Afghanistan.
The seven rivers flowing in this region were
Sutudri (Sutlej), Vipas (Beas), Purushni
(Ravi), Asikni (Chenab), Vitasta (Jhelum),
Saraswati and Sindhu (Indus)

7. The Vedic
Saraswati

8. The Vedic Saraswati
The Rig Veda refers to a group of the seven rivers.
The Vedic hymn praises the river as “Ambitame
Nanditame Devitame Saraswati”
Which means: The best of mothers, the best rivers, the
best of goddesses.
It flowed through present day Himachal Pradesh,
Haryana, Punjab, Rajasthana and Gujarat, covering
distance of about 1300KM.
The River dried up around 2000BCE due to geological
causes.

9. Early Settlements along Saraswati
The study of ancient texts like Rig Veda, Ramayana and
Mahabharata Prompted the archaeologists to make
exavations in various places connected with these
texts.
Many cities excavated
Kalibangan (Rajasthana), Dolvira (Gujarat), Rakighari
(Haryana), Mohenjo-Daro and Harappa (Present Day
Pakistana)
The most port town in Lothal, Gujarat also discover
The artifacts, seals and others findings that were
excavated.

10. Map showing two important cities

11. Satellite and political Map locating important
sites

13. Town planning
The excavations in Mohenjo-Daro and Harappa reveal
advanced town planning.
Road network
The roads had standard width of 10M for the main
roads and 4M for the streets.
There were no encroachment on roads and streets
Water and sewage management
Rain water harvesting system was a its best.
Reservoirs were interconnected by series of
underground drains that collected every drops of
rain water from all the parts of the city.

14. Harappa

15. Mohenjodaro
Ariel view
Citadel

16. The cities are well known for their impressive,
organized and regular layout.
They have well laid our plumbing and drainage
system, including indoor toilets.
Over one thousand other towns and villages also
existed in this region.

17. Home and Buildings
Houses
Most of the houses had a courtyard in the
centre.
The houses had two rooms.
Many of the brick houses were two storey high,
with thick walls and high ceilings to keep the
rooms cool in the hot summer months.
Besides houses, some other buildings
have also been discovered.

18. Houses of merchants and agriculturists had
large entrance to let bullock carts in and also
park them.
Weight, measures and seals were standardized.

19. Streets

The main roads were wide and the entrance to houses was
from the side streets.

20. Drainage system
They had wide roads and a well-developed drainage system
The bathrooms were well-made.
They had sloping floors to allow the dirty water to drain off.
The drains ran along the streets and were covered.

21. The Great Bath
In Mohenjodaro a big water tank has been found. This had been
named the Great Bath.
The great bath is the earliest public water tank.
It measured 12m north – south and 7 m wide, with a maximum
depth of 2.4 m approximately.
Two staircases lead down into the tank. At the foot of the stairs
was a small ledge with a brick edging that extends the entire
width of the pool.

22. Agriculture
Crisscross ploughing style. Planted between them.
Agriculture flourished as early as 8000 BCE.
Rice, wheat, millets, barley and variety of vegetables were grown
Granary
Harappa has the remains of
a big granary which was
used to store extra grains.
It is a brick structure built on
a massive brick foundation
over 45 m north-south and
45 m east-west.

23. Trade and Technology
Seals excavated from sites in others civilizations (Present Day Iraq)
called cylindrical seals indicated that ancient Bharat traded with them.
In 3000 BCE, there were trade network with Mesopotamia, Egypt,
(Middle Eastern countries) southern India, Afghanistan, and Persia for
gold, silver, copper, bronze, ivory, gemstones, cotton and timber.

24. Art and Crafts

The people of Indus were skilled
craftspeople. Inside the city is an
area that has been identified as a
crafts quarter.
Large quantities of manufacturing debris (Scatter pieces)
have been found in this area indicating the presence of
workshops for beads-making, pottery and ornaments like
bangles and anklets. Early 3000 BCE, artisans produced
sophisticated pots, exquisite jewelry and decorated
terracotta toys.

25. Tools
Stone Tools
Stone Tools
Bronze Tools

26. Pottery
The glazed Harappan potttery is the earliest example of its kind
in the ancient world.
The Harappan pottery includes goblets, dishes, basins, flasks,
narrow necked vases, cylindrical bottles, tumblers, corn
measures, spouted vases and a special type of dish on a stand
which was a offering stand or incense burner.

27. Artifacts
These egg shaped whistles may have been used for music, a
tradition that is still present in rural areas of Pakistan and India.

28. Clay Sculpture

29. Figurines
Three-dimensional representations of living beings in the
Harappan world are confined to a few stone and bronze statues
and some small objects crafted in faience, stone, and other
materials – with one important exception.
Ranging in size from slightly larger than a human thumb to
almost 30 cm in height, the anthropomorphic and animal
terracotta figurines from Harappa and other Indus civilization
sites offer a rich reflection of some of the Harappan ideas about
representing life in the Bronze Age.

30. Statue of a Dancing Girl
A bronze statuette dubbed the “Dancing Girl”, 10.8 cm high and
some 4,500 years old, was found in Mohenjodaro in 1926.
A number of gold, terra-cotta and stone figurines of girls in
dancing poses reveal the presence of some dance form.

31. The Priest
in 1927, a seated male figure, 17.5 cm tall, was found in a
building with unusually ornamental brickwork and a wall-niche.
Though there is no evidence that priests or monarchs ruled the
city, archeologists dubbed this dignified figure a “Priest-King”.
The central ornament worn on the forehead of the famous
“priest –king” sculpture appears to represent an eye bead,
possibly made of gold with steatite inlay in the center.

32. Ornaments
The collection of gold and agate ornaments includes objects
found at both Mohenjodaro and Harappa. At the top are fillets
of hammered gold that would have been worn around the
forehead.
The other ornaments include bangles, chokers, long pendant
necklaces, rings, earrings, conical hair ornaments, and broaches.
These ornaments were never buried with the dead, but were
passed on from one generation to the next.
These ornaments were hidden under the floors in the homes of
wealthy merchants or goldsmith.

33. This civilization gave birth to the oldest literature – Rig
Veda
GLIMPSE OF THE RIG VEDA
With development of language, exchange of Ideas began.
People respected the powers of nature – the Surya (sun),
Vayu (air), Indra (Rain), and worshipped them by singing
hymns in praise of the elements of nature. These hymns are
collectively known as the Rig Veda. Rig Veda contain 10
Mandalas of which the 6
th
, 3
rd
, and 7
th
are the oldest.

34. HISTORICAL INFERENCES FROM THE RIG
VEDA
Socio-Economic: People of the same family lives in clans.
They shared works, and resources among themselves.
Agriculture and cattle rearing were the important occupations.
Hymns for protection of fields, crops, cattle and waterways
rendered.
Political: Clans of people had a protector leading them. Wars
between tribes are mentioned. Purus and Bharatas were the
dominants tribes. A system of Sabha and Samiti helped in
distribution of resource and resolution of conflicts.
Status of Women: Women participated in social gathering and
performed ritual along with their husbands. They participated
in sporting events like chariot, archery and other physical
competitions. Chose their husband and remarry.

35. Universal message Rig Veda: Rig Veda proclaims the
message of oneness of all village beings. Goodwill and
togetherness of Universe are the highlights of Rig Veda.
Rig Veda
United be your purpose, harmonious be your feelings, collected
be your mind, in the same way as all the various aspects of the
universe exist in togetherness, wholeness.

36. Civilizational Continuity
Around 2000 BCE, during the later Rig Veda period, The
river Saraswati began to dry up. This did not mark the
end of civilization

37. Language
The Harappans used a pictographic script.
In addition to the pictographic signs, the seals and amulets often
contain iconographic motifs, mostly realistic pictures of animals
apparently worshipped as sacred, and a few cultic scenes,
including anthropomorphic deities and worshippers.
This material is important to the investigation of the Harappan
language and religion, which continue to be major issues.
Some 3500 specimens of this script survive in stamp seals carved
in stone, in molded terracotta, in fragments of pottery, and in a
few other categories of inscribed objects.

38. Script

39. Religious symbol
Many seals have been discovered with images of different gods
and goddesses people worshipped the Mother goddess and lord
Pashupati (lord of all animals).
A seal discovered during excavation of the Mohenjodaro
archaeological site in the Indus Valley has drawn attention as a
possible representation of a “yogi” or “proto-Shiva” figure.
This “Pashupati” seal shows a seated figure surrounded by
animals.

40. Dockyard – Lothal
A dockyard has been discovered at Lothal, so they must have
built ships and used them for trade with other places.
The hydraulic knowledge of the ancient Harappans can be
judged by the fact that boats could dock at Lothal in the 1850s.
It is said that then the dockyard could hold 30 ships of 60 tons
each or 60 ships of 30 tons each. Harappan seals have been
found here.

41. Burial
The body was placed inside a wooden coffin (which late decayed) and
entombed in a rectangular pit surrounded with burial offerings in
pottery vessels.

42. Coins
Goddess and Elephant

43. Economy – Agriculture
The Mesopotamian model of irrigated agriculture was used to take
advantage of the fertile grounds along the Indus river.
Earthen walls were built to control the river’s annual flooding. Crops
grown included wheat, barley, rice, peas, melons, and sesame.
This civilization was the first to cultivate cotton for the production of
cloth.
Several animals were domesticated including the elephant which was
used for its ivory.

44. Decline of the Indus Valley Civilization
We still don’t know how the civilization came to an end.
Archaeologists have offered four explanations for the collapse of
the Harappa civilization.
The people might have died due to some disease.
There may be Floods.
It may be because of earthquakes which could have also
destroyed them.
They may have been attacked by an enemy. (Invasion of Aryans)

45. Possible route of Aryan Invasion or Migration

46. Conclusion
Thus, the study of Indus Valley Civilization is not
important to the historians and archaeologists but to
a common man as well.