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 16-Jun-2025

Harappan Civilisation

History

Why in News? 

Archaeologists from the University of Kerala have discovered a 5,300-year-old Early Harappan settlement near Lakhapar village in Kachchh, Gujarat. 

About Harappan Civilisation 

Introduction to Harappan Civilisation 

  • Also called the Indus Valley Civilisation. 
  • Time span: 6000 BCE to 1300 BCE 
    • Early Harappan: 6000–2600 BCE (Formative) 
    • Mature Harappan: 2600–1900 BCE (Urban peak) 
    • Late Harappan: 1900–1300 BCE (Decline phase) 
  • Major artefacts: Seals (steatite), bricks (baked & unbaked), beads, copper & bronze tools.

Settlements and Planning 

  • Over 2000 sites found; majority in Saraswati-Indus region. 
  • Major cities: Harappa, Mohenjodaro, Rakhigarhi, Dholavira, Ganweriwala. 
  • Divided into Citadel (higher, possibly ceremonial) and Lower Town (residential). 
  • Notable site: Mohenjodaro had The Great Bath, warehouse, grid pattern streets, drainage system. 

The Great Bath 

Subsistence and Agriculture 

  • Crops: Wheat, barley, lentil, chickpea, sesame; millets in Gujarat; rice rare. 
  • Animals: Cattle, sheep, goat, buffalo, pig; wild species like boar and deer. 
  • Tools & techniques: Terracotta ploughs found (e.g., Kalibangan), canal traces (Shortughai), irrigation through reservoirs (e.g., Dholavira).

Society and Economy 

  • Burials: Generally simple; some had ornaments (e.g., shell rings, copper mirror). 
  • Artefacts 
    • Utilitarian: Pottery, querns, needles. 
    • Luxury items: Faience pots, gold jewellery, rare beads. 
  • Luxury artefacts mostly in major cities (e.g., Mohenjodaro), not in smaller ones. 

Craft and Production 

  • Chanhudaro: Famous for bead-making, metal work, seals. 
  • Materials: Carnelian, jasper, shell, faience, terracotta. 
  • Centres like Balakot and Nageshwar specialised in shell objects. 
  • Waste material (e.g., stone chips) used to identify production sites. 

Trade and Raw Material Procurement 

  • Sources 
    • Lapis lazuli (Afghanistan – Shortughai) 
    • Carnelian (Bharuch, Gujarat) 
    • Copper (Khetri, Rajasthan) 
    • Gold (South India) 
  • Oman (Magan): Harappan jars found; evidence of maritime trade with Mesopotamia. 
  • Meluhha (likely Harappan region) mentioned in Mesopotamian texts.

Seals, Script and Weights 

  • Seals: Carried symbols and writing; used for trade authentication. 
  • Script: Undeciphered; 375–400 signs; likely written right to left. 
  • Weights: Cubical chert stones, binary and decimal systems, standardised. 

 

Harappan Seal

Decline of Harappan Civilisation: Probable causes were climate change, river shifts, overuse of resources.

Archaeological Discoveries 

  • Early explorer: Alexander Cunningham. 
  • Discovery 
    • 1921: Daya Ram Sahni – Harappa 
    • 1922: R.D. Banerji – Mohenjodaro 
    • 1924: John Marshall announces Indus Valley Civilisation 
  • Post-1947: Indian archaeologists focused on sites in India like Kalibangan, Lothal, Dholavir, Rakhigarhi. 

Preparing Through MCQ 

Q. Which site is famous for bead-making and metalwork in the Harappan Civilisation?

(1) Lothal 
(2) Dholavira 
(3) Chanhudaro 
(4) Kalibangan 

Answer: (3)