Themes in Indian History Part 1
Theme 1
BRICKS, BEADS AND BONES
The Harappan Civilization
1.BEGINNINGS:
1) Early Harappan (3300 - 2600)
Distinctive pottery, evidence of agriculture and pastoralism and some crafts.
Settlements were generally small with no large buildings.
2)Mature Harappan (2600 - 1900)
Called Indus Valley Civilization, major sites are found around Indus.
Called Harappan Civilization for, the first site was discovered at Harappa.
3)Later Harappan (1900 - 1300)
Decline and disappearance of the Harappan Civilization.
2.SUBSISTENCE STRATEGIES
Agriculture - archaeologists reconstruct dietary practices of the Harappan from finds of
charred grains and seeds.
Grains found at Harappa include wheat, barley, lentils, chickpea, and sesame, millet and rice
rarely.
Animals - sheep, goat, pig, buffalo, etc.
Hunting - bones of wild animals such as boars, deer, fish, fowl, gharial, etc.
Agricultural technologies
Indication of agriculture by finds of grains.
Representation of bull on seals and terracotta sculpture.
Terracotta models of plough found from Cholistan and Banawali.
Archaeologists tried to identify the tools used for harvesting (stone blade with wooden
handles/metal tools?)
Traces of canals, wells and water reservoirs for irrigation.
3.MOHENJODARO - A Planned Urban Centre
The most unique feature of Harappan Civilization was the development of urban centre.
Mohenjodaro was the most well known site. Cities were divided into two:
CITADEL LOWER TOWN
1.Smaller in size but built on higher ground.
2.The Citadel owes its heights to the fact that buildings were constructed on mud brick
platforms.
3.It was walled and physically separated from the lower town.
4.It consisted of building used for special purposes.1.Larger in size but built on lower
ground.
2.It was also walled.
3.Houses were built of baked bricks of standard ratio.
4.Residual areas of the people & several houses were built on platforms.
3.1 Laying out drains
Distinctive feature of Harappan cities was the carefully planned drainage system.
Roads and streets were laid out along grid pattern, intersecting at right angles.
It seems that streets with drains were laid out first and then houses built along them.
Domestic waste water flows into the street drains.
3.2 Domestic architecture
Residential buildings are located at Mohenjodaro. There was courtyard with rooms on all
sides. Courtyard was the centre of activities like cooking, weaving, etc.
Concern for privacy: no windows are found at the ground level and the entrance doesn’t give
direct view of the interior.
Each house had bathroom paved with bricks and drains connected to the street drains.
Remains of staircases suggest of second storey or the roof. Houses had wells that could be
reached from outside perhaps used by passers-by.
3.3 The Citadel
Evidence of structures that were probably used for special public purposes.
1.Warehouse: a massive structure of which the lower brick portions remain, while the upper
portions probably of wood decayed long ago.
2.The Great Bath: a large rectangular tank, surrounded by corridor on all four sides. There
were two flights of steps one on the north and other on the south leading into the tank, which
was water tight by setting bricks on edge and used a mortar gypsum. There was a smaller
building in the north with eight bathrooms four on each side of a corridor with drains
connected to a drain that ran along the corridor. The citadel with distinctive buildings led
scholars suggest that it was meant for some kind of a special ritual bath
