Homework Bell Ringer What mythological creature is represented for the first time in history in this ancient Indian seal?

Indus River Valley (2500 – 1750 BC)

In 1920s, archaeologist discovered remains of a civilization dated to 3rd millennium BC (contemporary with Egyptian pyramids). It is an area much larger than that of Old Kingdom Egypt or the Sumerians. Since it goes beyond the limits of the Indus River Valley, many want to call it the Harappan civilization. Its two major cities are Mohenjodaro and Harappa. There have been over 1,500 sites found.

Urban Development What elements must be in place for urbanization? i.e. What makes a city a city?

Urban Development - remarkable for its stability. city planning (streets at right angles with covered drains, houses made of baked bricks of same size found across valley, common system of weights & measurements.) Division between public and private (houses, granaries, baths, shops, walled fortresses) Needed to know geometry and surveying. Needed strong central authority.

Streets at Right Angles Covered Drains zh/ /?scrlybrkr=c5d275 84

Almost every house unit at Mohenjo-daro was equipped with a private bathing area with drains to take the dirty water out into a larger drain that emptied into a sewage drain.

Central Sewage Drain

Occupations - Main occupations can be divided into two categories - farmers and traders. Farmed - wheat, barley, peas, honey, dates. Kept camels, goats, water buffaloes, and birds. First known people to grow cotton and weave it into cloth.

Trade - a major activity along the Indus based on sheer number of square seals. Trade with neighboring areas of India and Sumer. Mesopotamia texts speak of trading with two seafaring civilizations - may have referred to the Indus.

weight system of Indus - for trade or taxes

Unicorn seal - first known example of this mythological creature What type of creature is this?

Mohenjo-Daro

Lower city with brick houses (remains several feet high). Houses are plain and utilitarian. They are built around a central courtyard with few external windows for ……….. Why? They are relatively large showing that the middle class was relatively prosperous. Many show rebuilding due to floods - but obviously becoming poorer over time - more subdivisions. 40,000 people lived here. Consisted of a lower city and a citadel.

Granary (150x75’) placed on a platform and constructed like a fortress with slightly sloping-in walls. Air was allowed to circulate beneath to prevent fermentation.

Granary - Acted like local “Bank” for citizens to deposit their grain. Was it a community that shared its profits? [Houses were not ostentatious - prosperous but did not need to show it.] Perhaps the beginnings of a “socialist” culture – socialism is a political system in which wealth and labor is shared equally.

“Great Bath” of Mohenjo-daro is the earliest public water tank in the ancient world. It was water-tight due to finely fitted bricks laid into a gypsum plaster, coated with layer of bitumen (natural tar). Odd, no drains – was this a ritual bath?

Language – Not Translated Yet How do we know about daily life, government and religion?

Believe their government was led by priest-king much like Sumerians. This statue shows trefoil design copied from Sumerians. Indicates trade and possible transference of ritual ideas.

Society – believe it to be somewhat egalitarian. Everyone had same type of house – no ostentatious wealth. Burials were all very similar with again little display of wealth. Communal sharing of wealth? Granary.

What is the gender of this person? How can you probably guess from this photo?