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Ancient Harappan Civilization

The document summarizes key aspects of the Indus Valley Civilization, including its major cities like Harappa and Dholavira. Harappa was divided into an upper citadel and lower town, with baked brick walls and structures like the Great Bath. Houses had rooms around a courtyard and connected to covered drains. Craftspeople produced goods and scribes kept records. Objects found include tools, weapons, beads and seals depicting animals. Agriculture and herding supported the cities. The decline of Harappa around 3,900 years ago may have been due to environmental factors like deforestation and floods.

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418 views2 pages

Ancient Harappan Civilization

The document summarizes key aspects of the Indus Valley Civilization, including its major cities like Harappa and Dholavira. Harappa was divided into an upper citadel and lower town, with baked brick walls and structures like the Great Bath. Houses had rooms around a courtyard and connected to covered drains. Craftspeople produced goods and scribes kept records. Objects found include tools, weapons, beads and seals depicting animals. Agriculture and herding supported the cities. The decline of Harappa around 3,900 years ago may have been due to environmental factors like deforestation and floods.

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singenaadam
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Chapter 4

In the Earliest Cities


Harappa
The site of one of the oldest cities of the subcontinent that developed 4700
years ago along with other similar cities.
The cities were divided into two or more parts- the lower part was called
the lower town and the higher part to the west was called the citadel.
The walls were made out of baked bricks, which were laid in interlocked
patterns to make them strong.
Special tanks like the Great Bath and store houses were a feature of these
cities.
Cities like Kalibangan and Lothal had fire altars for performing sacrifices.
Lay out of houses, drains and streets
Houses with one or two storeys, rooms built around a courtyard and a
separate bathing area along with wells, were constructed in these cities.
Cities had covered drains that were laid out in straight lines. The drains had a
gentle slope to let the water flow in.
The drains in houses were connected to those on the streets.
City life
Rulers planned the construction of special buildings. They sent people to
distant lands to get precious stones and metals which they kept for
themselves.
Scribes were the people who knew how to write and helped prepare the
seals.
Crafts persons made many things at their homes or in workshops. Terracotta
toys have been found in the remains of the city.
Objects found
Most of the objects that are found were made of stones, shells and metals
like gold, copper, silver and bronze.
These were used to make tools, weapons, ornaments and vessels. Beads,
weights and blades have also been found.
The seals were made out of stone that were rectangular and had animals
carved on them.
Pots with beautiful black designs were also found.
Cotton was grown as evidence in the form of pieces of cloth and spindle
whorls have been discovered at Mohenjodaro.

Specialists performed activities like carving stones and seals and polishing
beads.
Raw materials
The Harappans used raw materials like copper, tin, gold, silver and precious
stones.
They brought the raw materials from local sources and different places like
Rajasthan, Oman, Afghanistan and Iran etc.
Village life
The farmers and herders in the villages provided food for the people in the
city.
Important crops were wheat, barley, pulses, peas, rice, etc.
The plough was used to dig the earth. Irrigation may have also been used to
supply water.
The people of Harappa reared cattle, sheep, goat and buffalo. They also
collected fruits, caught fish and hunted wild animals.
Harappan towns in Gujarat
Dholavira: It was a city located on Khadir Beyt in the Rann of Kutch.
It was divided into three parts and each part was surrounded with huge stone
walls.
There was a large open area for public ceremonies.
Large white stones with letters of Harappan script were also found.
Lothal: It is located near a tributary of Sabarmati River, close to the Gulf of
Khambat.
It was an important centre for making objects out of stone, shell and metal.
A store house containing seals and different workshops were also found in
the city.
End of Harappa
The decline of Harappa started around 3900 years ago with change in the
quality of life of people.
The possible reasons for the decline of Harappa according to scholars include
deforestation, floods, drought, etc.
People abandoned the sites in Sind and west Punjab, and moved to newer
settlements in the eastern and southern parts.
New cities emerged 1400 years after the decline of Harappa.

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