The Indus Valley civilization flourished between 2600-1900 BC along the Indus River valley. At its peak, it had over 5 million inhabitants living in well-planned cities like Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro, which featured advanced architecture including water and sewage systems. The civilization engaged in extensive trade and developed new techniques in metallurgy. While much remains unknown about the Indus Valley civilization, archaeologists have uncovered artifacts that provide insights into its writing system, religious practices, and material culture, including tools, clothing, and pottery.

1. Introduction to World
Art and Culture
Topic: INDUS VALLEY CIVILISATION
Made By
Neha Singh
NIFT Kolkata

2. WHAT IS CIVILISATION?
The stage of human social
development and organisation
which is considered most
advanced.
Or simply, the society, culture and
lifestyle of people in a particular
area.

3. INDUS VALLEY CIVILISATION AT A
GLANCE
The Harappan Civilization or the Indus Valley
Civilization was the most fascinating and first urban
civilization in the world that flourished in the vast
plains created by the River Indus and its tributaries.
The Harappan Civilization thrived between 2600 –
1900 BC in the region that is now in Pakistan and
India. With the population of over five million, this
civilization had a well developed trade system,
cities, sewerage system, metallurgy techniques with
many other mathematical and scientific
achievements.

4. There are two major Harappan city ruins that
provide a great deal of insight into the Harappan
way of life as well as displaying the advanced and
well organized Harappan architecture. Harappa
(after which the civilization was named) was the
largest city and is thought to have been the capital.
Mohenjodaro was the second largest city and was
most likely the capital of one Harappa’s provinces.
Each city is estimated to have housed up to 80,000
people, quite large for that time period. They also
had a precise measuring system as well as a written
language.

5. Who found the Indus cities?
In 1826, a British traveller in India called Charles
Masson came across some mysterious brick
mounds. He thought they looked like old castles.
Thirty years later in 1856, engineers building a
railway found more bricks, and carted them off to
build the railway. This was the first people knew of
the lost Indus city of Harappa.
In the 1920s, archaeologists began to excavate the
sites of Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro. They
uncovered the remains of long-forgotten cities. They
had found the Indus Valley civilisation

6. 3000 BC
THE EARLIEST CIVILIZATION IN INDIA WERE GROWN OUT OF
SMALL COMMUNITIES THAT HAD SETTLED IN THE INDUS
VALLEY.
3000 BC
FARMING COMMUNITIES WERE ESTABLISHED IN
NORTHWEST INDIA
2500 BC
THE FIRST TOYS WERE MADE OF BAKED CLAY.
2400 BC
THE INDUS VALLEY CIVILIZATION REACHED IT'S PEAK.
1800 BC
SIGNS OF DECLINE APPEARED IN SOME INDUS VALLEY SITES.
TIMELINE

7. WHICH COUNTRY/
COUNTRIES NOW
OCCUPY THE AREA OF
INDUS VALLEY
CIVILISATION?
SITES COVER MOST OF
THE MODERN
PAKISTAN AND
NORTHWEST INDIA.
THERE ARE AROUND
1050 SITES SCATTERED
ACROSS THE AREA
GEOGRAPHY

8. Architecture
The architecture of the Harappan civilization was
unique for its day. The cities were designed in an
extremely uniform and organized manner on a grand
scale. It appears that the engineers planned the city
before they built it, resulting in much more
organization than is typically seen in ancient cities.
Their structures were also uniform; they used bricks of
the same material and shape for all of their structures.
It wasn’t just one city that was built the same way; the
two major cities (i.e. Harappa and Mohenjodaro) both
had bricks the same size. This consistent engineering is
very impressive.

9. Some pictures which show some architecture of
Harappan
Ruins of Harappa Gateway of Harappa *reconstructed*
(this is an illustration)

10. The Harappan irrigation system was another architectural feat. Instead of
using canals or waterways all year round, they would instead merely use the
flood season to their advantage. Their style of irrigation would simply control
the water from heavy rainfalls, which caused floods throughout the year. This
control of such violent natural disasters is quite impressive coming from such
an ancient civilization.
Top :The great bath (public bath tank)
Right: A well in Harappa

11. Mystery of The Great Granary
At first archaeologists
thought the building was a
grain-store or 'granary', and it
was built above ground level
so air could flow underneath
to keep wheat dry. They
thought the platforms were
for carts to load and unload.
But there is no evidence of
any grain! Also, the platforms
and the main building were
built at different times.
Perhaps it was a palace, or
maybe a temple?
The Great Granary is a 'mystery-building' at Harappa. It is over 60 metres long, with six
large halls, raised above the ground on walls. Close by were a number of circular brick
platforms.

12. Material Culture
Most Indus Valley cities were made from mud
bricks. First the brick-makers mixed soil, clay and
water to make squishy mud. Next they squashed the
mud into a wooden mould which was the shape of a
brick. And then they turned out the mud-brick, like
you would turn out a sand-castle.
Tools Used
Indus Valley people used some tools like the ones
we use today - hammers, knives, needles, fish-
hooks, axes, razors and saws. But many Indus tools
were made of stone called flint. The metal Indus
Valley people used most was copper. They made
sharp copper tools. They mixed copper and tin to
make bronze..

13. Clothes and hairstyles
Pictures on seals and other artefact show us how some Indus
people dressed. It was hot all year round, so people did not need
thick clothes to keep warm.
Many workmen probably just wore a loincloth, which looked a
bit like baggy shorts. Rich men wore tunics. Women wore
dresses that probably covered much of the body though some
might have been topless..
Both men and women
wore jewellery, especially
beads and arm-bangles.
Some women had elegant
hairstyles, with braids and
beads. Some arranged
their hair in headdresses
shaped like fans.

14. Making pots
At home, Indus Valley people used bowls,
dishes, cups, and vases made of terracotta.
They had metal dishes made from copper,
silver and bronze.
Making jewellery
Archaeologists have found evidence that Indus Valley
people wore lots of jewellery, especially beads, necklaces,
ear-rings and ear-studs, amulets, bangles and brooches.

15. Writing and Scriptures
Writing was done using a pointed stick in soft clay, or with a sharp tool to
scratch marks on stone or metal. It is likely that only a few people could
read and write, like scribes*. But perhaps traders could read enough to
tell what was written on seals.
Most Indus Valley writing was probably to do with trade, government or
religion. People wrote the first line from right to left, the second line from
left to right, and so on.
What does Indus Valley writing tell us?
Not very much. Indus Valley writing used at least 400 picture-signs (they
were not letters, as in our alphabet). But the longest bit of writing found
has only 26 characters. No one knows what language the Indus people
spoke, and no one has yet been able to read their writing. There are no
Indus Valley books, no laws carved in stone, no stories about kings and
battles.
** a person who copies out documents, especially one
employed to do this before printing was invented

16. Left : Seals from Mohenjodaro. The top
seal has seven signs in Indus script
(writing).
Right : A square seal with a figure,
probably an Indus god . He has three
faces, a horned headdress, and lots of
arm-bangles.
Left (down): A skeleton from an Indus
grave. This man was buried wearing a
necklace.

17. Depiction of human body
Indus Valley people made small figures of people and animals
using metal and clay.
Only a few small statues
survive. One is the Priest-
King, with his beard, and his
patterned robe.
Probably the most famous piece of Indus
Valley art. The little 'dancing girl' is made of
bronze metal. The dancing girl wears very
little, but has lots of bangles on her arms. Her
hair is in a plait.

18. References
• http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/primaryhistory
/indus_valley/
• http://www.mapsofindia.com/my-
india/history/possible-reasons-for-the-
decline-of-the-harappan-civilization
• http://geniusofancientman.blogspot.in/2013/
07/the-harappan-civilization-ancient-
mans.html

19. Thank you