Harappa History

7/31/2019 Harappa History

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Terra cotta toy carts from the Harappan period site of Nausharo in Baluchistan. Holes

along the length of the cart serve to hold wooden side bars and at the center of the cart two

of the wooden side bars can be extended below the frame to hold the axle. A long stick

inserted into the holes at the end of the cart would have been used to support a yoke. The

two wheels were found lying next to the cart frame. Period III, Harappan, 2300-2200 B. C.Similar carts are still used in rural areas of Pakistan and India

Harappa SealsA collection of seals and tablets from a single house along the main street

leading to the southern gateway of Mound E at Harappa. The association of

these different types of objects together in one house show that some people,

possibly merchants, were using a wide variety of inscribed objects.

Harappa ornaments

A collection of faience ornaments from Harappa. The Harappans developed a very

compact glassy faience that was produced in a variety of colors, ranging from white, to

blue green, deep blue and even red-brown. On the left is a disc shaped ornament of bluegreen faience. Parallel ribbing of light blue green alternates with white paste in the bottom

of each groove. This unique ornament may have been sewn onto cloth or inlaid onto a



metal ornament. At the top center is a bead made of red-brown and white faience. This

bead is possibly an imitation of the bleached carnelian eye beads. The fragments on thelower right are banded with dark blue and come from small jars, possibly used to hold

perfume or medicines.

Harappa ArtThe earliest recorded artistic expression of man in India comes from

Mohenjo-daro, the Harappan period. It includes steatite seals impressedwith diverse animals like the unicorn bull, the Brahmani bull, rhinoceros

etc., earthenware jars painted with birds, and stylized flowers, leaves,and terracotta toys, animals and figurines and the occasional copper

and stone sculpture. The demise of the Harappan civilization is believed

to have been brought about by a major tectonic shift as proved byhydrological studies, which caused wide continuos floods. Following this,

came the Aryan culture which is well known for it's Vedic religion.

Harappa Painted burial pottery.

Painted burial pottery from Harappa. The two largest vessels were found in the same

burial and are described below. The other smaller vessels were found in an earlier

burial and represent an older style of pottery.

Tall jar with concave neck and flaring rim:

http://www.harappa.com/indus/70.html



The rounded base was originally supported in a ring stand. The black painted

geometric designs are arranged in panels with a red slip as background. After initialfiring, the entire painted design was obliterated with a red slip and fired again at a

low temperature that turned the exterior layer of the slip red through oxidation, but

the inner layer remained gray. This overslip was not well bonded to the previouslyslipped surface and was partially eroded when first discovered. After initial

conservation and documentation, one half of the overslip was removed to reveal the

original painted design. The lid and ring stand with this vessel were also coveredwith an overslip. This tall jar was located at the foot of the burial pit for burial 148a.

harappa clothingTextiles are rarely preserved and Harappan figurines are usually unclothed, so there is not

much evidence of Harappan clothing. Small fragments of cloth preserved in the corrosion

products of metal objects show that the Harappans wove a range of grades of cotton cloth.

Flax was grown and may have been used for fibres (alternatively it was grown for its

oilseed). Native Indian species of silkworm may have been utilised for silk (inferior to

Chinese silk), as they were a little later in South Asia.

harappan agricultureThe Indus or Harappan Civilization was based on agricultural surplus



like all other contemporary river-valley civilizations of the Bronze Age.

The annual flooding in the Indus and the rivers of the Punjab broughtdown rich silt making irrigated lands very fertile. There must have

existed administrative machinery to collect the grain as taxes due to the

State or offerings to the temples. The grain would have been stored inlarge granaries for distribution as wages, especially to the army of

workers employed in the construction of massive public works like the

brick platform at Mohenjodaro, fortifications at Harappa, city drainage

systems, irrigation canals etc.

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Harappa History