Indus Valley 3200 B.C.

Geography Indian Subcontinent Sacred rivers Northern Plain Thar Desert Deccan Plateau Himalayan Mtns Hindu Kush Mtns Ghat Mtns (E & W) Vindhya Mtns Sacred rivers Indus River Ganges River Brahmaputra River Nannada River

How did geography affect the Indus Valley? Monsoons Winter October to May Dry air Spring June to September Moisture How did geography affect the Indus Valley?

Cities Mohenjo-Daro Harappa

Urban Planning At Mohenjo-daro, narrow streets and alleyways branch off of the major streets, leading into more private neighborhoods. Many of the brick houses were two stories high, with thick walls and high ceilings to keep the rooms cool in the hot summer months.

Public Works Wells were rebuilt over many generations to serve the needs of a large household or neighborhood. This well at Mohenjo-daro stands like a chimney because all of the surrounding earth has been removed by excavation.

Plumbing 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. Many of these bathing areas had water tight floors to keep moisture from seeping into the other rooms nearby or below.

Drainage Excavated by the Harappa Archaeological Research Project in 1993, this large corbelled drain was built in the middle of an abandoned gateway at Harappa to dispose of rainwater and sewage.

Afterlife? The body may have been wrapped in a shroud & was then placed inside a wooden coffin, which was entombed in a rectangular pit surrounded with burial offerings in pottery vessels. The man was buried wearing a long necklace of 340 graduated steatite beads and three separate pendant beads made of natural stone and three gold beads. A single copper bead was found at his waist.

Trade Cubical weights in graduated sizes. These weights conform to the standard Harappan weight system that was used in all of the settlements. They were found in recent excavations at Harappa and may have been used for controlling trade and possibly for collecting taxes.

How does Indus writing compare with cuneiform or hieroglyphics? A collection of inscribed objects found along the main street leading to the southern gateway at Harappa. The fragmented seal on the left is the earliest seal found to date, and depicts a bovine carved in a very archaic style. How does Indus writing compare with cuneiform or hieroglyphics?

Art Terra cotta toy boat from Harappa. Such toys may have been used by children. Painted burial pottery from Harappa. The two largest vessels were found in the same burial. What evidence suggests contact with another civilization?

What do you think happened to the Indus? Religion? Figurines show what may be early depictions of Shiva (a major Hindu God) Mother goddess figures Fertility images Cattle worship What happened? About 1750 B.C. buildings declined Indus River changed course? Overused land? Natural disaster? Aryan invasion? What do you think happened to the Indus?