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Indus Valley Indus Valley: 3500-1500 BCE Outside contact more limited Kyber Pass connection to outside via trade Harrappa, Mohenjo- Daro –Largest Cities.

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Presentation on theme: "Indus Valley Indus Valley: 3500-1500 BCE Outside contact more limited Kyber Pass connection to outside via trade Harrappa, Mohenjo- Daro –Largest Cities."— Presentation transcript:

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2 Indus Valley

3 Indus Valley: 3500-1500 BCE Outside contact more limited Kyber Pass connection to outside via trade Harrappa, Mohenjo- Daro –Largest Cities (40K – 100K)

4 Timeline Ancient Indus Chronology Perio d Phase Yrs. (B.C.E.) 5Late Harappan (Cemetery H) ?1700- 1300 4 Harappan/Late Harappan Transitional 1900- ?1700 3CHarappan Phase c. 2200- 1900 3BHarappan Phase c. 2450- 2200 3AHarappan Phase c.2600- 2450 2Early Harappan/Kot Diji Phase c. 2800- 2600 1A/BEarly Harappan/Ravi Phase c. 3300- 2800

5 Indus Valley

6 Mohenjo-daro : aerial view

7 Mohenjo-daro view of the “Citadel”

8 The “Great Bath”

9 another view of the “Great Bath”

10 Cities: Mohenjo Daro and Harappa The cities are well known for their impressive, organized and regular layout. They have well laid our plumbing and drainage system, including indoor toilets. Population of between 100-200k each Over one hundred other towns and villages also existed in this region.

11 view of a small, side street

12 looks like a small tower, but actually it is a neighborhood well

13 A bathroom on a private residence

14 A public well in Harappa, or perhaps an ancient Laundromat...

15 A large drain or sewer

16 Himalayan Mountains Nanga Parbat and numerous other glacier draped mountains of the Himalaya, Karakorum and Hindu Kush provide a continuous source of water for the Indus and its tributaries. These mountain ranges also provided important timber, animal products, and minerals, gold, silver, tin and semiprecious stones that were traded throughout the Indus Valley.

17 Characteristics Literate society (writings on bricks and seals) Master-planned cities as focal point Water system Strong central government Polytheistic Written language Pottery, cotton, cloth Standard weights and measurements Grain storage

18 Cities Artifacts and clues discovered at Mohenjo-Daro have allowed archaeologists to reconstruct this civilization. The similarities in plan and construction between Mohenjo- Daro and Harappa indicate that they were part of a unified government with extreme organization. –Both cities were constructed of the same type and shape of bricks. –The two cities may have existed simultaneously and their sizes suggest that they served as capitals of their provinces. –In contrast to other civilizations, burials found from these cities are not magnificent; they are more simplistic and contain few material goods. –This evidence suggests that this civilization did not have social classes. –Remains of palaces or temples in the cities have not been found. –No hard evidence exists indicating military activity; it is likely that the Harappans were a peaceful civilization. –The cities did contain fortifications and the people used copper and bronze knives, spears, and arrowheads.

19 Language The Harappan people were literate and used the Dravidian language. The Indus (or Harappan) people used a pictographic script. Some 3500 specimens of this script survive in stamp seals carved in stone, in moulded terracotta and faience amulets, in fragments of pottery, and in a few other categories of inscribed objects. In addition to the pictographic signs, the seals and amulets often contain iconographic motifs, mostly realistic pictures of animals apparently worshipped as sacred, and a few cultic scenes, including anthropomorphic deities and worshippers. This material is of key importance to the investigation of the Harappan language and religion, which continue to be among the most vexing problems of South Asian protohistory.

20 Economy-Agriculture The Mesopotamian model of irrigated agriculture was used to take advantage of the fertile grounds along the Indus River. Earthlinks were built to control the river's annual flooding. Crops grown included wheat, barley, peas, melons, and sesame. This civilization was the first to cultivate cotton for the production of cloth. Several animals were domesticated including the elephant which was used for its ivory.

21 Harappan granary

22 Decline Cities abandoned, reason unknown domination of an indigenous people ? –who rebelled ? foreign invasion? gradual decline ? climate shift: the monsoon patterns flooding destruction of the forests migrations of new peoples: the Aryans

23 Recent Developments Climatologists have recently discovered that the monsoon patterns changed dramatically during the period 2000-1500 BC. Long term drought with few monsoon storms Conclusion: Harappan civilization most likely fell victim to climate change Population shifted southward and eastward towards Ganges River basin.

24 Mohenjo-Daro Artist’s computer generated recreation of several excavated buildings and structures

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29 Foreign Invaders Beginning 2000 BC, an Indo-European group began migrating from central Asia (modern Turkmenistan) toward India. One branch settled in modern Iran/Afghanistan, another moved further south and eastward through the Khyber Pass into India/Pakistan.

30 Possible route of the Aryan invasions

31 Aryans arrive 1500 BCE From Caucasus Mtns. Black/Caspian Sea Aryans – Lighter Skinned Dravidians - Darker Nomads who settled Vedas, Upanashads, Rig Veda Sacred/historical texts of Aryans – basis for Hinduism Caste system warriors, priests, peasants later re-ordered: Brahmins (priests), warriors, landowners-merchants, peasants, untouchables (out castes)

32 Caste System, 1000 BC skin color ritual purity “Us--Them” feelings divine order of four castes

33 Caste System (“Varnas”) Brahmins: the priests Kshatriyas: the warriors Vaisyas: merchants and peasants Sudras: non-Aryans

34 Caste system, con’t produced by Brahmins literature emphasized the divine order hierarchical relationship inheritance and marriage the most powerful organizer of Indian society –thousand of castes today

35 Castes define a person’s social universe define a person’s standard of conduct define a person’s expectations define a person’s future define how a person deals with others


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