One of the world’s first great urban civilisations 3000BCE to 1500BCE. The Indus Valley Civilisation

Geographic Features in India Indus River Ganges River Peninsula or Subcontinent

Where is the Indus valley ?

Why did people decide to live in the Indus Valley?

Seasonal winds known as monsoons bring rain every summer. India is dependent upon monsoons to grow their crops. Not enough rain brings drought. When there is too much rain, rivers rise and cause deadly floods and destruction of crops.

Civilization in the Indus River Valley Begins  About 2500 BC, about the time when the pyramids were rising in Egypt, the first Indian civilizations were forming in the Indus River Valley.  Little is known about these civilizations, but Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro were most likely twin capital cities.

A (short) movie!

You are an (ancient) city designer… Make a list of features that make a town or city well planned.

3300 BC 2600 BC BC 1922 AD 1948 AD 1973 AD 1980 AD Small villages are established in the area around Mohenjo- Daro. Building of a planned city is begun at Mohenjo-Daro. Mohenjo- Daro is a thriving trade city. Mohenjo-Daro falls into decline and is later abandoned. Mohenjo -Daro’s ruins are found. First attempts to conserve Mohenjo-Daro are made. Plans are approved to preserve Mohenjo- Daro. Mohenjo-Daro becomes a World Heritage Site. Mohenjo-Daro timeline

Mohenjo-Daro

City Design 1. A large central store for grain 2. Each city laid out in a grid system

Each city had a large central grain store on a brick platform Excavated ruins of Mohenjo-daro

This is the plug of the great bath. This is the great bath today The Great Bath The great bath was a special place in the Indus Valley. It was used for baptizing babies. Like the drains, the bricks were fired clay to make it waterproof so none of the water could escape. The only way the water could escape was through a special system where it could be drained and refilled if necessary to keep the water clean.

City Design Used oven-baked bricks to build houses a. Homes had flat wooden roofs b. Some homes were several stories high Sewer system beneath the streets a. Some homes had bathrooms and a garbage chute!

The Drainage System The drainage systems were so big that a human would have been able to walk through the middle of one. This was really helpful because if the drain was blocked, the drain could be easily accessed. They were also very clever because they used cement and clay bricks to make the drains, which always sloped downhill. This drain is about 5 meters deep.

Masters of the River 0-1 mins City Design Monsoon

Trade

Lothal (port city)

Another (short) movie…

Seals of the Indus Valley

Not seals as in the animal, but seals as in white fired glazed steatite (a type of rock) with a decoration or writing carved on. The seals are the key which archaeologists used to confirm that the Indus civilization really existed. There were two seals found in 1924 in two different ancient cities six hundred km apart which proved the two cities were linked. The seals were used for trade and some seals have family names carved on. This seal was found 6 metres below the ground! This is a unicorn seal found in Mohenjo daro in 1931 and proved they believed in mythical creatures.

There were more than 2,000 seals discovered by archaeologists in different ancient Indus cities. We think that the symbols on the seals may have been a way of writing. It may also indicate the people kept animals. This seal of a bull is about the size of a large post stamp. The people traded food, pots, jewellery and other valuables.

II. Indus River Civilization (2500 BC – 1500 BC) Language and Religion Pictograms Remain a mystery!

Religion We don’t know much about their religion (no temples or shines have been found) Animal and human figures suggest they worshipped gods associated with natural forces.

Games Physical and written evidence of dice and dominoes have been uncovered. An ancient form of Ludo as well as chess, was played in the Indus valley. A board, uncovered in the area of Mohenjo-Daro, was said to be the oldest chess board discovered in the world.

Games

Gaming pieces The oldest gaming pieces in the world, somewhere in the range of 5,000 years old were found in the Indus Valley. A pair of marble gaming pieces with a distinctive Indus Valley motif carved along the tops of both pieces were found. The tops of each have been partially drilled and are 4.5 cm high.

Models and Figurines Many archaeologists think that Harappan people used figurines when they prayed. Maybe the Harrapan people worshiped a female goddess. If they did, do you think it would affect the women in the Indus Valley civilisation?

Hundreds of small figurines of people, animals, birds and masks provide clues about peoples daily lives and religious beliefs. The people in the Indus Valley carve large numbers of figurines of women. These statues differ from those found in many other cultures in attention to jewellery and hairstyles. Other sites had carts with clay wheels and maybe the earliest toy. Figurines have been found in all shapes and sizes. Some are slim, some fat and some nurse babies. Many female figurines are wearing bangles. Some female figurines are adorned with flowers and lots of jewellery such as bracelets and decorated belts.

Indus Valley Jewellery People of the Indus Valley loved they're jewellery! The Indus valley is rich in many metals and worthy stones such as carnelian, gold, copper, turquoise and other metals/semi precious stones Carnelian

These are some necklaces and bracelet's from the Indus valley. This is a broach found in the Indus valley. The people of the Indus valley didn’t get the precious materials themselves, they traded with other nearby cities who had originally mined these expensive jewels and stones. They then brought them back to their own civilization and then fashioned them into jewellery. They then took the beautiful jewellery to nearby markets and sold them to the public. The jewellers would display their goods using models which are rather like the modern- day mannequins.