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?
Ancient Indus
Reasonable generalizations
rapid development: early 2,000s B.C. roughly contemporary with Egypt and
Mesopotamia early village culture changing rapidly to urban civilization
Comparative Timeline
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