1. Harappan Civilization
2nd Period

2. Seal of Pashupati (Lord of the Cattle)
General Information
BCE
Existed along the Indus River
Present day Pakistan
Known for their impressive, organized and regular layout
Great engineers
Brick buildings
Impressive drainage system
People of this time worshiped animals and birds
Pashupati, Mother Goddess, Lingam, and Yoni
Seal of Pashupati (Lord of the Cattle)

3. Religion and Religious Developments
Worshipped motherly goddess symbolizing fertility
Swastika symbol representing well-being was found in ruins
Animal statues symbolize gods
Also worshipped male god
Similar to hinduism

4. Political Organization/ Class Systems
Don’t know much
Rich and strategic in how they built
Social Structure were elaborate and very defined
Important part of culture
Called their system a “caste”
Affected the daily lives of citizens
Stayed with the same class their whole life
5 levels: Brahmins, Kshatriyas, Vaisyas, Shudras, Untouchables
Men would do labor and women produce offspring

5. Technological/Artistic Innovations and Contributions
-Utilized materials and resources- wood and and minerals from mountains of northern countries
-Major cities and urban centers were discovered to be located along the major river systems
-Utilization of standardized bricks led to domestic + public architecture
-Baked brick
-Mud brick
-Pottery, clay sealings, and stone were all discovered to be commonly marked with script
-Technological transportation methods developed to connect distant Indus cities and to distribute materials (process known as internal trade)

6. Economic Setup/ Job Specialization
Ruins suggest craftsman and merchants
Large furnace
Copper tools
Jewelry
Making stone querns
Weaving cotton
Making pottery, tools
Ruins also suggest they husked corn
Farmers
Buildings built out of mud bricks
Builders

7. Fun Facts
They belonged to the bronze age. It existed for about 1000 years from 2500 BC to 1500 BC.
People of that era worshiped animals and birds
Their cities were the engineering masterpieces of the time
It had a more advanced sanitation system than many contemporary urban cities
They had knowledge of dentistry
There were no pyramids, tombs, or palaces
They could not read

8. Why so Little is known about the civilization
Invasion by Indo-europeans disrupted culture
Lack of writing (hard to translate)
Disconnected in certain aspects of their society because of a lack of artifacts
Flooding from the river changed the land and builidings over time

9. Citations
"Political System of the Harappa Civilization." History Tuition,
political-system-of-the-harappa-civilization.html.
Kenoyer, Jonathan Mark. "Harappa." Encyclopedia of India, edited by Stanley Wolpert, vol. 2, Charles Scribner's Sons, 2006, pp World History in Context, Accessed 26 Aug
sanujit. (n.d.). Religious Developments in Ancient India. Retrieved from
website:
India, Haadle. “Indus Valley Social Class System.” Prezi.com, 1 May 2015, prezi.com/_usgnfdsnaks/indus-valley-social-class-system/.
“Public Works.” Museum of the Indus River Valley Civilization, indusrivervalley-civilization.weebly.com/public-works.html.
Einfeld, Jann, editor. India. Compiled by Bonnie Szumski, Greenhaven Press.