HISTORY ASSIGNMENT

SUBMITTED TO : MS . ARSHIYA MAM

SUBMITTED BY : RISHABH

COURSE : BA PROGRAMME ( PHYSICAL

EDUCATION AND HISTORY )

ROLL NUMBER : 12769

 Harappan Civilization
The Indus valley civilization is also called the Harappan culture. Harappan civilization is one
of the most ancient civilizations of the world. It was believed to be a hub of art and culture
and architecture. The discoveries made at these architectural sights give us great insight into
the lives and lifestyles of our ancestors. Archaeologists use the term culture for a group of
objects, distinctive in style, that are usually found together within a specific geographical area
and period of time. In the case of the Harappan culture, these distinctive objects include seals,
beads, weights, stone blades and even baked bricks.

these objects were found from areas as far apart as Afghanistan, Jammu, Baluchistan Named
after Harappa , the first site where this unique culture was discovered , the civilisation is
dated between c . 2600 and 1900 BCE. (approx) There were earlier and later cultures, often
called Early Harappan and Later Harappan, in the same area. The Harappan civilisation is
sometimes called the Mature Harappan culture to distinguish it from other cultures. which is
considered large for its time. Per archaeological convention of naming a previously unknown
civilisation by its first excavated site, the Indus Valley Civilisation is also called the
Harappan Civilisation . Harappa is known to be a 4700 years old city in the subcontinent
which was discovered around the time 1920. Soon after the discovery of cities like Lothal,
Dholavira, Mohenjodaro, and Kalibangan have also been discovered and were come to be
known as the Harappan cities or also the advent of Harappan Civilization. These cities were
discovered around the river Indus henceforth proving the existence of the Indus Valley
Civilization
 Features Of Harappan
Urbanisation
The Harappan sites diverse a great deal in size and function, from large cities to small
pastoral camps. The largest settlements includeMohenjodaro (over 200 ha), Harappa (over
150 ha), Ganweriwala (over 81.5ha), Rakhigarhi (over 80 ha), and Dholavira (about 100
ha). Lurewala inCholistan, with an estimated population of about 35,000, seems to have
been aslarge as Mohenjodaro. Other large sites (about 50 ha) are Nagoor, Tharo
WaroDaro, and Lakhueenjo-Daro in Sindh, and Nondowri in Baluchistan. Recently,some
very large Harappan sites have been report in Punjab—Dhalewan (about150 ha) in Mansa
district and Gurni Kalan I (144 ha), Hasanpur II (about 100ha), Lakhmirwala (225 ha), and
Baglian Da Theh (about 100 ha) in Bhatindadistrict, but details are so far lacking. The
second rung of Harappan settlements are moderate-sized sites ranging between 10 and 50
ha, such as Judeirjodaro andKalibangan. Then, there are the even smaller sites of 5–10 ha,
such as Amri, Lothal, Chanhudaro, and Rojdi. The many settlements in the 1–5 ha range
include Allahdino, Kot Diji, Rupar, Balakot, Surkotada, Nageshwar, Nausharo,
and Ghazi Shah. There are also settlements even smaller than these . The streets and houses
of Harappan cities were once thought to be laid on agrid-pattern oriented north–south and
east–west. Actually, even Mohenjodaro does not show a perfect grid system. Roads in the
Harappan cities were notalways absolutely straight and did not always cross one another at
right angles.But the settlements were clearly planned. There is no strict correlation between
the level of planning and the size of a settlement. For example, the relatively small site of
Lothal shows a much higher level of planning than Kalibangan,which is twice its size. The
details of the plans differ. Mohenjodaro, Harappa,and Kalibangan have a similar
layout ,consisting of a raised citadel complex and a lower city. At Lothal and Surkotada, the
citadel complex is not separate; it is located within the main settlement. In its most fully
developed phase, Dholavira consisted of not two but three parts—the citadel, middle town,
and lower town. People lived in houses of different sizes, mostly consisting of rooms
arranged around a central courtyard. Doorways and windows generally faced the side lanes
and rarely opened onto the main streets. The view from the lane into the courtyard was
blocked off by a wall. There are remains of staircases that mayhave led to the roof or a
second storey. The fact that some of the houses at Mohenjodaro were two stories high or
more is also suggested by the thickness of their walls. Floors were usually made of hard-
packed earth, often re-plastered or covered with sand. The ceilings were probably over 3 m
high. Roofs may have been made of wooden beams covered with reeds and packed clay.

Drainage
the drainage was well planned in harappan culture .it was well Efficient and was good
structured . Toilets have been found on various places at the time of excavation . They
ranged from the simple hole in the ground above a cesspit to more elaborate arrangements.
Recent excavations at Harappa have uncovered toilets in almost every house .The commodes
were made of big pots sunk into the floor, many of them associated with a small lota - type
jar, no doubt for washing up. Most of the potshad a small hole in the base, through which
water could seep into the ground .The waste from the toilets was in some cases discharged
though a sloping channel into a jar or drain in the street outside. Some people must have had
the job of cleaning the toilets and drains on a regular basis. Many houses or groups of
houses had separate bathing areas and toilets. Bathing platforms with drains were often
located in rooms next to a well. The floor of the bathing area was usually made of tightly
fitted bricks, frequently set on edge, to make a carefully sloped watertight surface. A small
drain led from here, cut through the house wall, and went out into the street, connecting
ultimately with a Large sewage Drains . A Small went from here and went out to the Main
street Drain relatively connecting with large sewage drain bathing areas were properly
efficient . Many houses or groups of houses had separate bathing areas and toilets. Bathing

platforms with drains were often located in rooms next to a well. The floor of the
bathing area was usually made of tightly fitted bricks, frequently set on edge, to
make a carefully sloped watertight surface

Great Bath
A wide staircase leads down into the tank from the north and south. The floor and walls of
the tank were made watertight by finely fitted bricks laid edge to edge with gypsum mortar.
A thick layer of bitumen was laid along the sides of the tank and probably also below the
floor, making this one of the earliest examples of waterproofing in the world. The floor
slopes towards the southwest corner, where a small outlet leads to a large corbelled brick
drain, which would have taken the water out to the edge of the mound. Remains of brick
colonnades were discovered on the eastern, northern, and
southern sides of the bath and a similar colonnade must have existed on the
western side as well. Two large doors lead into the complex from the south and
there were also entrances from the north and east. There are a series of rooms
along the eastern edge of the building. One of them has a well that may have
supplied water to the tank. Immediately to the north of the Great Bath is a large
building consisting of eight small rooms with common bathing platforms. Across the street
from the Great Bath are the remains of a large, imposing
building (69 × 23.4 m) consisting of several rooms, a 10 m square courtyard, and
three verandahs. Two staircases led either to the roof or an upper storey. Because
of its size and proximity to the Great Bath, it was tentatively identified as the
house of the chief priest or several priests, and was labelled the ‘college of priests
.

Town
The lower town to the east, covering over 80 ha, may also have been
surrounded by a fortification wall. It was divided into major blocks by four
north–south and east–west streets and numerous smaller streets and alleys. The
main streets were about 9 m in width, the rest in the range of 1.5–3 m. The
houses varied in size, suggesting differences in wealth and status These were tentatively
identified as shops or workers’ quarters. A number of shops and workshops associated with
copper working, bead making, dyeing, pottery making, and shell working were
identified in the lower town The buildings on the citadel mound of Mohen jodaro are among
the things we associate most closely with the Harappan civilization. In the north are the
Great Bath, the so-called ‘granary’, and ‘college of priests’ The mounds of Harappa cover an
extensive area of about 150 ha. The Ravi river flows some 10 km away from the site. The
higher citadel mound lies to the west, with a lower but larger lower town to its south-east.
South of the citadel mound is a cemetery of the mature Harappan phase. The citadel at
Harappa was shaped roughly like a parallelogram, about 415 m north–south and 195 m east –
west. It was surrounded by a mud-brick wall with massive towers and gateways, and the
structures inside were raised on one or more high platforms. Because of the damaged nature
of the mound, clear profiles of the main citadel structures, such as those available for
Mohenjodaro, are lacking in the harappan cities

Dockyard
The most distinctive feature of Lothal is the dockyard, which lies on the

eastern edge of the site. This is a roughly trapezoidal basin, enclosed by walls of
burnt bricks. The eastern and western walls measured 212 m and 215 m
respectively in length, while those on the north and south measured 37 m and 35
m. The dockyard had provisions for maintaining a regular level of water by
means of a sluice gate and a spill channel. A mud-brick platform along the
western embankment may have been the wharf where goods were loaded and
unloaded. An alternative interpretation of this structure as a water reservoir is
not convincing. Dholavira is located on Kadir island in the Rann of Kutch in Gujarat.
protohistoric times, water levels in the Rann may have been higher than they are
today, allowing boats to sail from the coast right up to the site. The architecture
of Dholavira shows a large-scale use of sandstone, combined in places with
mud-brick—a feature of the Harappan sites of Gujarat. The layout of this
settlement is unlike that of any other Harappan site. It is surrounded by an outer
fortification wall made of mud-brick with a veneer of stone blocks on the outer
face, with imposing bastions and two major gateways in the middle of the
northern and southern walls. Within the outer walls, at least three different
sections were identified. There was a small ‘castle’ area, a ‘bailey’ area to its
west, and a larger ‘middle town’ to the north, all with their own enclosing walls.
A lower town lay to the east. An interesting feature is a large open area (called
the ‘stadium’) between the castle–bailey and the middle town, which may have
been used for special ceremonial occasions. There was also substantial evidence
of habitation outside the fortification wall, which may represent a suburb of the
city. The site seems to be looking out towards the sea and it must have been an
important stopping point on busy maritime trade route .

Craft
The Harappan pottery reflects efficient mass-production.Pottery kilns were found at
Mohenjodaro, Harappa, Nausharo, and Chanhudaro. The pots were fired in funnel-
shaped up-draft closed kilns, although open-firing kilns may also have been used. There
is a great variety of pottery, including black-on-red, grey, buff, and black-and-red
wares. Most pots were wheel turned .Both fine and coarse fabrics occur and their
thickness varies. The typical Harappan pottery is a fine, sturdy, wheel-made ware with
a bright red slip , decorated with painted black designs. Polychrome painting is rare.
The red colour for the slip was made from red ochre (iron oxide, known as geru), while
black was made by combining dark reddish-brown iron oxide with black manganese.
Distinctive shapes include the dish-on-stand, vase with s-profile,small vessel with
knobbed decoration, large slender-footed bowl, cylindricalperforated jar, and goblet
with pointed foot. The decorative patterns range from simple horizontal lines to
geometric patterns and pictorial motifs. Some of the designs such as fish scales , pipal
leaves, and intersecting circles have their roots in the early Harappan phase. Human
figures are rare and crude. At the earliest levels of Mohenjodaro, a burnished grey
ware with a dark purplish slip and vitreous glaze may represent one of the earliest
examples of glazing in the world. Although there is a certain level of uniformity in
pottery styles and techniques across the Harappan culture zone, there are also
differences between regions .

SEALS

the greatest artistic creations of the Harappan culture are seals. About 2000 seals have been
found, and of these a great majority carry short inscriptions with pictures of one horned
animals called unicorns, buffaloes, tigers, rhinoceroses, goats, elephants, antelopes, and
crocodiles.

Seals were made of steatite or faience and served as symbols of authority. They were hence
used for stamping. However, there are few stamped objects, called sealings, in contrast to
Egypt and Mesopotamia. Seals were also used as amulets.

Trade

The importance of trade in the life of the Indus people is supported not only by granaries
found at Harappa, Mohenjo-daro, and Lothal but also by finds of numerous seals, a uniform
script, and regulated weights and measures covering a wide area. The Harappans conducted
considerable trade in stone, metal, shell, etc., within the Indus culture zone. However, their
cities did not have the necessary raw material for the commodities they produced.

They did not use metal money, and in all probability carried exchanges through a barter
system. In return for finished goods and possibly food grains, they procured metals from the
neighbouring areas by boat (they navigated the coast of the Arabian Sea) and bullock-cart.
They were aware of the use of the wheel, and carts with solid wheels were in use in Harappa.
It appears that the Harappans used a form of the modern ekka but not with the spoked wheel.

The Harappans had commercial links with Rajasthan, and also with Afghanistan and Iran.
They set up a trading colony in northern Afghanistan which evidently facilitated trade with
Central Asia. Their cities also had commercial links with the people of the Tigris and the
Euphrates basins. Many Harappan seals have been discovered in Mesopotamia, and it appears
that the Harappans imitated some cosmetics used by the urban people of Mesopotamia.

Polity
As the Harappan culture is more or less uniform over a large area, a central authority may
have contributed to this. We may identify some important elements of the state in the Indus
Valley. The Arthasbastra of Kautilya considers sovereignty, ministers, populated territory,
forts, treasury, force, and friends to be the organs of the state. In the Harappan culture, the
citadel may have been the seat of sovereign power, the middle town may have been the area
where the bureaucrats lived or the seat of government, and the great granary at Mohenjo-daro
may have been the treasury. It appears that taxes were collected in grain.

Also, the entire Harappan area was a well-populated territory. Fortification was a feature of
several cities. Dholavira, in particular, had forts within forts. We have no clear idea of an
organized force or standing army, but a heap of sling stones and the depiction of a soldier on
a potsherd at Surkotada may suggest a standing army. In any case, the state was well
established in the mature Harappan phase.

In sharp contrast to Egypt and Mesopotamia, no temples have been found at any Harappan
site. No religious structures of any kind have been excavated apart from the great bath, which
may have been used for ablution. It would, therefore, be wrong to think that priests ruled in
Harappa as they did in the cities of lower Mesopotamia. The Harappan rulers were more
concerned with commerce than with conquest, and Harappa was possibly ruled by a class of
merchants. However, the Harappans did not have many weapons which might mean the lack
of an effective warrior class.

Conclusion
The Indus Valley people gave to the world its earliest cities, its town planning, its
architecture in stone and clay, and showed their concern for health and sanitation. They built
a scientific drainage system in their cities.

There is enough evidence to show that some of the early conceptions of Hinduism are derived
from this culture. On the whole, the present civilization is a composite product resulting from
a fusion of several cultures where the contribution of the Indus Valley is of utmost
importance

The people belonging to the Harappan civilization gave the world the structure of advanced
towns, city planning, the use of stone and mud in the construction and presented their interest
in hygiene and wellness. They designed systematic drainage conformity in their towns.

There is enough evidence to conclude that some of the ancient symbols of Hinduism are
received from this civilization. Overall it may be said that the modern civilization is a
composite consequence arising from an amalgamation of diverse cultures where the growth
of the Harappan civilization is of most importance.
 Bibliography

● history book ( upinder Singh )

● Wikipedia

● Byjus .com

● Harappan.com

● Class 12 NCERT

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