Indus Civilization Flashcards
What is the fullform of ASI
Archaeological Survey of India
When was ASI established
1861
Who was the director of ASI
Sir John Marshall
Who discovered the harappan site and where and when
RB Dayaram Sahani 1921
Montgomery district of West Punjab in Pakistan
Who discovered Mohenjodaro? when and where?
dr RD Banaerjee 1922
larkhana district of Sindh in Pakistan
What is the meaning of Mohenjodaro and in which language
Mound of the Dead in Sindhi Language
Date of Civilization
3250 to 2750 bce
Important sites of Indus valley Civilization(6)
Harappa
Mohenjodaro
Chanhudaro
Lothal
Kalibangan
Banawali
[ganawariwala
rakhigarh
dholavira]
Causes for decline(6)
1Aryan invasion-not widely accepted
2Ecological changes and shifts in the monsoon pattern led to the decline of fertile land and agriculture, causing the evacuations of inhabitants
3Increase in population and excessive deforestation led to economic problems
4Changes in the course of the indus and drying up of river Saraswathi
5Migration
6 Invasion of Hill tribes
Burial system 3 types
Fractional burial
Partial/Post cremation Burial
Full/Complete Burial
Fractional Burial
Dead body was partially buried and left for scavengers to feed on
Partial Burial
Dead body was burnt and then buried
Complete burial
Dead was Simply buried
Scripts and writing(4)
more than 3000 seals
written from right to left
discovered in 1923
seals made from terracota, ivory, stone or steatite
Art and sculptures in indus eg
bronze idol of dancing girl
Statue of Bearded man
figures of Pashupati
religious conditions(6)
Mother goddess was their chief deity
nature worshipper
worshipped shiva in form of Pashupati and Linga
also worshipped trees(pipal), animals(humped bull), birds, serpants
feared demons
practiced yoga
Economic condition(13)
1Agriculture main occupation
2Dockyard in lothal, gujarat
3grew wheat barley, cotton and vegetables
4Exported ivory, bead, gold,timber
5had weights and measures[shell scale in mohenjodaro and bronze in harappa]
6important occupations- pottery, weaving and spinning of cotton and wool
7barter system
8metals like gold, silver, copper and bronze used for making vessels and ornaments
9evolved metallurgy
10used touchstones to test the purity of gold
11trade contacts with other countries[harrapan cloth and seals in mesopotamia, egypt,,west asia]- river routes used for import and export
12bullock carts, donkeys, elephants and camels used for road transport
13 knew decimal system
Social condition(11)
1wheat principle food
2both men and women wore a shawl as 3the upper garment and a dhoti as the lower garment
3ornaments by both men and women
4only women wore girdles, nose studs, earrings and anklets
5ate barley, rice, fruits, vegetables, dates, milk
6ate poultry, fish, pork, poultry, flesh of tortoise
7buffaloes, sheep, pigs, elephants, camels, dogs and humped bulls domesticated
8people play dice, marbles, fishing and gambling
9used weapons like bows and arrows, maces, swords, slings, saws and axes(copper and bronze)
10terracotta toys popular among children
11deposed dead by cremation or burial
main centres of trade(6)
harappa
lothal
kalibangan
rupar
surkotada
chanhudaro
Political condition
no written records
assumed to be rules by priests and merchant classs
its clear from granaries
well established administration
no clue on what kind of administration
Town planning(5)
streets
drainage system
great bath
granaries
buildings
street- town planning(6)
straight & cut each other at right angles
13 to 34 feet wide
city divide into rectangular blocks
lamp posts at interval
dustbins provided on the streets
proof of good municipal administration
Drainage system(5)
closed drainage system
each house had its own drainage and soak pit connected to public drainage
brick laid channels flowed through every street[covered and had manholes at interval for cleaning]
large brick culverts with corbelled roofs on outskirts to carry excess water
no other civilization gave so much attention to cleanliness
The great bath(9)
most striking feature of mohenjodaro
large quadrangle
centre is a great swimming pool with remains of galleries and rooms on all four sides
arrangements for hot bath in some rooms
swimming pool 39 feet long and 29 feet wide
flight of steps at either end and is fed by well situated in one of the rooms
water discharged by a huge drain with corbelled roof more than 8 ft in depth
8ft thick outer walla
Granaries
harappa famus for
largest building in mohenjodaro-45.71 mtr long and 15.23m wide
southern kalibangan brick platforms
harappa brick platforms which formed base for 2 rows of 6 granaries
safely stored grains
probably collected as revenue or store houses to be used in emergencies
Buildings(12)
built by side of roads
terraced houses with burnt bricks
roofing bamboo and reed
pasting material- mud mortar and gypsum
every house had 2 or more rooms
more than 1 storied house
designed around inner courtyard and contained pillared halls, bath rooms, paved floors, kitchen, well, etc
biggest hall 80 ft wide and long
workmen quaters
excellent water supply system
public wells by side of streets
every big house had own well
built dockyard at lothal
no of sites in total, in india and in pakistan
1500
1025 ind
475 pak
typical city division
1upper city or citadel or acropolis
place for ruling class
religious structurees, granaries, baths
2lower section or level ground
houses of inhabitants
lothal
important trading centre
dockyard
many seals found
Harappa
bigger city in comparison to mohenjodaro but houses smaller in size
famous for granary and town planning. granary almost same area as granary in mohenjodaro
Mohenjodaro
one of the largest cities
popularly known as nakhilstan or garden of sindh bc of its productivity
successfully destroyed and rebuilt atleast 7 times
famous for town planning and great bath
other sites
Dholavira
lothal
ganawariwala
extent of indus
Punjab in west
UP in east
J&K in north
Narmada in South
who claimed to have deciphered seals
SR Rao
