Chapter 1
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Harappan civilization is also known as the Indus valley civilization.It is the oldest civilization of India
There is no consensus about the Chronology of the Harappan Civilizatiion.
Various scholar have given different dates about this period.
According to Sir John Marshall "This is the Civilization flourished between 3250 and 2750 BCE"
It was Dayaram Sahni, who first discovered the sites of Harappan in 1921.
The main centre of this civilization are in Pakistan. the same famous sites of this civilization (now in Pakistan)are Mohenjodaro and Chanhudaro.
The main centres where this Civilization flourished in India are Kali bangan, Sangol, pengplor, Lothal, banawali and dholavira
The urban planning of this civilization was very magnificent. The houses were built in a systematic manner. Road were wide and cut each other at right angle
The people of Indus valley civilization had also made best planning for the drainage of rainwater and dirty water.
The caste system was not present in the society. All the people lived together with mutual love and understanding. the women held a high position or rank in the society
They were found of fashion. The economic life of the people was very prosperous
The main occupations of the people were the agriculture and domestication of animals.
Trade was well developed. Both maternal and external trade was carried out.
The people worshipped many gods and goddesses. They worshipped mother mother goddess, Lord shiva and animals, trees and the sun.
They know arts and craft.They knew the art of making beautiful structures, toys, poetry, ornaments, etc. They were skilled in the production of seals.
The language used by them on the seals is still to be deciphered. If one is able to decipher their script is inscribed on the seals. IT will be throw a flood of the light on the various aspects of the Harappan civilization.
The main sources of our information of Harappan civilization is archeological material. The excavation carried out at indus sites tries to reconstruct the history of the civilization
During the acid resistance of Indus site many tools, pottery,seals, household, objects, etc have excavated.
All these excavated materials are deeply examined by the archaeologists..
Many historians like Cunningham, R.E.M wheeler and John Marshall and G.F
Dates have played a valuable role in reconstructing the history of the Ancient past including the Indus valley civilization sites.
Many Indian archaeologists like Dayaram Sahni, SR. Rao R.S. Bisht and B.K. Thapar have played a great role in the excavations of the Indus sites.
Indus valley civilization is also known as the bronze age Civilization, because people used bronze extensively for making their pottery, figure lines and ornaments.
Almost 1900 BCE, these were explicit signs about the decline of this civilization.
By this time the two most important cities of Indus Valley- Mohenjo Daro and Harappa have been completely declined.
Around 1200 BCE. this Civilization had completely vanished. Epidemic, Aryan invasion, change in the course of the river Indus, excessive floods, earthquakes, etc. may be the main reason for the decline of this civilization
ARCHEOLOGICAL EVIDENCES OF THE HARAPPAN CIVILIZATION
The Harappan civilization is also known as the Indus valley civilization.
This Civilization is dated between BCE 2600 and 1990 BCE.
It is the oldest civilization of India.
We know about the Civilization from archeological evidences like houses, pots, ornaments, tools and seals used by the people of that period.
There were also earlier and later cultures, known as early harappan and late Harappan civilization.
Cunningham was the first director general of archeological Survey of India who began arecheological excavations in the Harappan Civilization and thought that Indian history began with the first cities in the Ganga valley.
Dayaram Sahni, Rakhal Das baneiji, John Marshall were some of the important archeologists associated with the discovery of Harappan civilization.
The frontiers of the Harappan Civilization have no connection with present day National boundaries. The major sites are now in Pakistani territory.
In India, a number of harappan settlements were found in punjab and haryana. The main centres where this Civilizations flourished in India are Kali bangan, Lothal, dholavira,Rakhi garhi and banawali.
Archeologists tried to classify artefacts in terms of material and in terms of function by comparing the with present day things.The problems of Archaeological interpretation are most evident in attempts to reconstruct religious pratices of the Harappan.
Unusual objects like Terracotta figurines of women, stone statuary of men, motif of Unicorn and figure in Yogic posture on seals and structures like the great bath and fire altars have had a religious significance. Several reconstructions regarding the Harappan Civilizations the remain speculative at present and there is a vast scope for future work.
SEALS, SCRIPTS, WEIGHTS OF HARAPPAN CIVILIZATION
Seals and sealings were used to facilitate long distance communication. If the bag of goods reached with its sealing intact, it meant that it had not been tampered with seals also conveyed the identity of the sender.
The Harappan script remains undeciphered to date. The script was not alphabetical and had many Science between 375 and 400.
Exchange was regulated by a precise system of weights, usually made of a Stone called chert with no marking. The lower denominations of weights were binary 7 and higher denominations followed the decimal system
FOOD HABITS OF HARAPPAN PEOPLE
The People of Harappan Civilization ate a wide range of plants and animals products including fish and meat, wheat, maize, millet, pulses, rice and another eatables. For this, cattle, sheep, goat, buffalo and pig domesticated by the harappans.
AGRICULTURAL TECHNIQUES USING BY HARAPPAN PEOPLE
Archaeological evidences suggested that oxen were used for ploughing and two different crops grown together. As most of the Harappan site are located in semi-arid lands, it is evident that water from canals and wells was used for irrigation.
SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC DIFFERENCES AMONG HARAPPAN PEOPLE
Archaeologists use certain strategies to find out social and economic differences among people. These include studying burials and artefacts which can be divided into untilitarian and luxurious.
Valuable materials are generally concentrated in large settlements, but rarely found in smallest settlements.
CRAFT PRODUCTION OF HARAPPAN PEOPLE
Harappans knew the art of making beautiful sculptures toys, pottery, ornaments, etc. Chanhudaro was a tiny settlement exclusively devoted to craft production, including bead making, shell-cutting metal-working, seal-making weight-making,
Grinding, polishing and drilling were done for making beads. Nageshwar and balakot were specialised centres for making shells object both these settlement are near the coast apart smaller settlements, larger cities like Mohenjo Daro and Harappa were also specialised centres for crafts production.
ACQUIRING MATERIALS FOR CRAFTS
The harappans procured materials for crafts production in various ways. Sometimes they established settlements where raw materials work available. Another strategy for procuring raw materials may have been to send Expeditions to areas where these were available e.g. Khetri region for copper (Rajasthan) and South India for gold.
The Harappan made contact with distant land like Oman for procuring copper. The Harappan seals, weights, dice and beads were found in other countries Oman Bahrain and Mesopotamia.
ECONOMIC LIFE AND TRADE DURING HARAPPAN CIVILIZATION
Economic life of the people was very prosperous.The main occupations of the people were agriculture and domestication of animals.
Trade was well developed. Both internal and external trade work carried out. Pictures of ships, both have also been found on seals which throw light on Harappan contacts with far off places.
RELIGIOUS BELIEF OF HARPPAN PEOPLE
People of this civilization worshipped many gods and goddess They worshipped Lord Shiva, mother Goddess, animals, birds, trees and the sun.
CASTE SYSTEM IN HARAPPAN CIVILIZATION
The caste system was not present in society. All people live together with mutual love and understanding. Women held a high position or rank in society
A PLANNED TOWN OF HARAPPAN CIVILIZATION MOHENJODARO
Mohenjo Daro was the most well known urban site of the Harappan civilization. Although Harappa was first site to be discovered, was badly destroyed by brick robbers.
The settlement in Harappan civilization was divided into two sections one smaller in terms of land but higher in terms of power known as the Citadel, the Other much larger in term of area but lower in terms of power was known as lower town.
All the Harappan cities had carefully planned drainage system the residential buildings at Mohenjo Daro were centred on a courtyard, had its own bathroom, the drains of which were connected to the street drains.
In Mohenjo Daro, many houses had well and their estimated number was about 700 structure like warehouse and the great bath were used for public purposes.
THE END OF HARAPPAN CIVILIZATION
By 1800 BCE , most of mature harappan sites were abandoned. Around 1200 BCE, this Civilization has completely vanished. After 1900 BCE, A rural way of life what was known as 'Late HARAPPAN' or 'Successor Culture' emerged.
The reason for the end of the civilization range from climatic change, deforestation excessive floods, the shifting and drying up of river and to overuse of landscape. All these factors may have weakened the civilization, but its ultimate extinction is more likely to have been completely by deliberate and large scale destruction or by an invasion.
We hope the given CBSE/MP Board Class 12th History Notes Chapter 1 "Bricks , Beads and Bones The Harappan Civilization" will help you.
Written By- Satyam Dohare