Indus Valley Civilization

Indus Valley Civilization

a Primary Phase Culture little or no continuity with the following

cultures forgotten until the 19th Century

– rediscovered by the British, while building railroads

Harappan society and its neighbors, ca. 2000 B.C.E.

Harappan Culture

Indus valley– not desert– well-watered and heavily forested

500 miles along the river valley– 10-20 times larger than Mesopotamia or

Egypt

Foundations of Harappan Society The Indus River

– Silt-enriched water from mountain ranges Major society built by Dravidian peoples,

3000-2500 BCE– Cultivation of cotton before 5000 BCE, early

cultivation of poultry– Decline after 1900 BCE

Major cities: Harrapa (Punjab region and Mohenjo-Daro (mouth of Indus River)– 70 smaller sites excavated (total 1,500)

India

Harappan culture sites

Hydraulic Culture

like Egypt and Mesopotamia agriculture and flood-control significant industry and trade cities very common

Lack of Sources

literate culture– we cannot read the writing– writing on bricks and seals– did not use paper or clay tablets

“Unicorn” seal + writing

More seals

…and more seals...

Seated “yogi” : early Shiva?

Reasonable generalizations

rapid development: early 2,000s B.C. roughly contemporary with Egypt and

Mesopotamia early village culture changing rapidly to urban civilization

Generalizations, con’t

cities dominated both economic and political activity

origins of the people are unclear– similar to the Mediterranean type

Major Cities

Harappa and Mohenjo-daro– surrounded by smaller cities, towns, and

villages one situated in the north one situated in the south

Mohenjo-Daro Ruins

Population c. 40,000 Regional center

– Layout, architecture suggests public purpose– Broad streets, citadel, pool, sewage

Standardized weights evident throughout region

Specialized labor Trade

Cities, con’t

uniform culture over a wide area cities built on a common plan

– a grid: always NS and EW axes• with twelve smaller grids

– kiln-dried brick

Grid map of Mohenjo-daro

Mohenjo-daro : aerial view

Mohenjo-daro view of the “Citadel”

The “Great Bath”

another view of the “Great Bath”

view of a small, side street

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

A bathroom on a private residence

A public well in Harappa, or perhaps an ancient laundromat...

A large drain or sewer

Monumental architecture

very-large scale building walled cites, with fortified citadels always on the same scale palaces, temples

Architecture, con’t

large grain storage facilities near temples

a theocracy ?? planned economy

Harappan granary

Cities

very densely populated houses: two to three stories every house is laid out the same

Culture and Society

advanced agriculture surplus production textiles: wool and cotton domesticated animals and fish

Bronze Age technology

no swords spears and bows stone arrow heads

Society

dominated by priests ? from the fortified palaces and temples ? power base: fertility ? deities: male and female, both nude bull worship and phallic symbols

A priest? A bull

Trade

with lower Mesopotamia but gradually declined

Decline

domination of an indigenous people ?– who rebelled ?

foreign invasion? gradual decline ?

Combination of Changes

climate shift: the monsoon patterns flooding destruction of the forests migrations of new peoples: the Aryans

The Aryan “Invasion”

Aryans, lighter-skinned invaders from the north

Dravidians, darker-skinned sedentary inhabitants of Harappa

Color Bias Socio-Economic Implications Difficulty of theory: no evidence of

large-scale military conquest

Possible route of the Aryan invasions

The Aryans

not to be confused with Hitler’s “Aryans” these Aryans speak an Indo-European

dialect related to other languages like Greek

and Latin

The Aryans, con’t

they called themselves “Aryans” their land: “Aryavarta”

– land of the Aryans

The Early Aryans Pastoral economy: sheep, goats,

horses, cattle– Vegetarianism not widespread until many

centuries later

Religious and Literary works: The Vedas– Sanskrit: sacred tongue– Prakrit: everyday language, evolved into

Hindi, Urdu, Bengali– Four Vedas, most important Rig Veda

• 1,028 hymms to gods

Gradual settlement

over a long period of time gradual infiltration more primitive than the earlier culture

Settlement, con’t

new society by 1,200 B.C. or so little evidence not literate no record system

Oral Tradition

passed down from priests and singers written down in the 500’s The Vedas

– “Veda” means “knowledge”

The Vedas

our primary source– early Aryan tradition– later Hindu religion

four “vedas”– the Rig Veda is the oldest

Krishna with Arjuna on the battlefield of Kuruksketra

2 points to the first person who can tell whether this is a modern or ancient painting and why?

Krishna reveals himself to Arjuna in his manifold aspects

The Vedas

oral poetry come to have a sacred character provide some historical information

The Aryans

restless, warlike people tall, blue-eyed, fair-skinned describe the indigenous population as

– short, “black”, noseless, and slaves

The Aryans, con’t

villages and kingdoms constantly fighting

warchiefs and kings aristocrats and freemen

The Aryans, con’t

fond of fighting, drinking, chariot racing, gambling chasing women and bragging about their spears– any modern comparisons ???

fond of taking soma– a psychedelic drug– probably psychotropic mushrooms

Aryans and Hindus

Aryans give rise to Hindu society but different characteristics

– cows: they ate them– classes, but no castes– priests subordinate to the nobility

the Mahabharata

The Iron Age: new sources

the Vedas: passed on orally the Brahamanas: interpretations on the

Vedas the Upanishads: interpretations and

symbolic studies– forerunners of later dissenting literature

Strain of change

Iron Age change causes strain on the class system

blurring of lines between Aryans and Daas– answered with the caste system

Caste System, 1000 BC

skin color ritual purity “Us--Them” feelings divine order of four castes

Caste System (“Varnas”)

Brahmins: the priests Kshatriyas: the warriors Vaisyas: merchants and peasants Sudras: non-Aryans

Caste system, con’t

produced by Brahmins literature emphasized the divine order hierarchical relationship inheritance and marriage

Caste system in practice

warrior class did not always accept it nor the other classes the process of evolution is still going on the most powerful organizer of Indian

society– thousand of castes today

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

Books you can read, if you read

Bridget and Raymond Allchin. The Rise of Civilization in India and Pakistan.

A.L. Basham. The Wonder That Was India. Walter A. Fairservis. The Roots of Indian Tradition Jonathana Mark Kenoyer. Ancient Cities of the Indus

Valley Civilization Juan Mascaro, trans. The Upanishads Stuart Piggott. Prehistoric India Romila Thapar. A History of India Romila Thapar. Recent Perspectives of Early Indian

History