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Indus CivilizationMergarh, Political and Economic System,
Religion, Social System, System of Writing, Fall of Civilization
Fertile land along the rivers of Indus, Ganges and Brahmaputra in the north
Dry Deccan Plateau in central India Low mountain ranges called the Western
and Eastern Ghats on the either side of India facing the seas
3 Divisions of South Asia
Melting snow from Himalayas Heavy rains
◦ Silt deposit is left along the riverbanks after every flooding. The deposits make the land fertile and suitable for agriculture
Water source of Ganges, Indus and Brahmaputra
Pre-Indus Neolithic village Appeared in Baluchistan region (now
Pakistan) Sedentary (sitting or nonmigratory) Engaged in agriculture and raised sheep,
goats and oxen Painted pottery, baked bread and made
cereal Their houses were made of clay bricks like
the Sumerians
Mergarh
Archaeologists(1922) discovered the remains of one of the cities in the Indus River◦ Monumental buildings◦ Houses made of bricks◦ Clay seals
Political and Economic Systems
Two most important cities of the Indus civilization (Dravidians)
Economic Activities◦ Agriculture
Built irrigation systems, canals and dikes to control flooding of the Indus River
Products: wheat, barley, melon, dates and cotton
Mohenjo-Daro and Harappa
Economic Activities◦ Cotton was woven into cloth◦ Pottery, jewelry and tools
Sold in government bazaars Carried by Dravidian ships, traded with the regions in
the Arabian Sea and Persian Gulf
Continuation
2 main areas:◦ Citadel(the elevated fortress of the city)◦ Lower city proper
City
Found in the western region of the city, erected on the brick platform with a height or 40 feet or 12 meters and is surrounded by walls
Inside, will find a large granary for grains, a marketplace and public bath
Citadel
Has streets in a grid-pattern arrangement and with residential blocks of almost the same size Houses are made of baked bricks The roof is flat and often constructed against the street. Houses have one or more baths which is connected to the city’s underground plumbing system
Lower part of the City
Has streets in a grid-pattern arrangement and with residential blocks of almost the same size
Houses are made of baked bricks
The roof is flat and often constructed against the street.
Houses have one or more baths which is connected to the city’s underground plumbing system
Mohenjo-Daro
Excavated toys that indicates leisure and play
No weapons found imply absence of war and conflict
Dravidians have organized and centralized government
Dravidians had priest-kings as leaders They were able to construct public works
(irrigation, plumbing system and regular residential blocks)
Other facts
Dravidians worshipped gods and goddesses who represented forces of nature.
Animal and human-shaped statues were found. Ex. Bull
They worshiped a fertility goddess from whom all things sprung forth
Regilion
Social Stratification◦ Those who lived in the citadels may have been
members of the ruling class – priest-king and city officials
◦ The traders, artisans and farmers lived outside the citadel
◦ Farmers were tasked to build the dikes and canals for irrigations while the artisans made products out of bronze, silver, gold, copper, ivory, cotton and shells
Social System
Scholars believed that the traders were the first to use the Indus system of writing.
Clay seals with pictograms of products Evidence that there exist a trade between
Sumer and Indus
System of Writing
Dravidian traders and engineers had developed a uniform way of measuring and weighing things.
This is very evident in their same-sized residential blocks and grid-patterned streets.
Continuation
After 1000 years of prosperity, Indus civilization slowly decayed.
Around 1750BCE, there was a decline in their quality of life.
Pottery became courser in their texture before
Fall of Civilization
Caused by ecological factors such as deforestation, changes in flood occurrences and abrupt change in climate
New migrants came to the Indus valley in the later period◦ Nomadic groups from Northwestern Asia arrived
sometime 1500 BCE◦ Among them were the Aryans who crossed the
passes of Hindu Kush but not clearly whether they destroyed the Indus civilization
Theories of the Fall
The cities of Mohenjo-Daro and Harappa were slowly buried in mud.
Their legacy was recently excavated by archaeologists.
Continuation