The document provides information about the Indus Valley Civilization, including its origins and major sites. Some key points: - The civilization developed between 3300-1300 BCE along the Indus River valley in modern-day Pakistan and northwest India. Major sites included Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro. - Mohenjo-Daro, one of the world's earliest major cities, was a well-planned urban center with structures like the Great Bath. It was discovered in 1922 and excavated in the 1920s-1930s. - The Indus Valley people developed sophisticated urban infrastructure with standardized brick architecture, water and drainage systems, and public buildings. Their culture included trade, agriculture, craft

1. INDUS VALLEY
CIVILIZATION
BY- SAKSHI VASWANI

2. INDUS VALLEYCIVILIZATION

3. INDUS VALLEY CIVILIZATION
🠶 The Indus Valley Civilization was an
ancient civilization located in what is
Pakistan andnorthwest India today, onthe
fertile flood plain of the Indus River and its
vicinity. Evidence of religious practices in
this areadatebackapproximately to 5500
BCE.Farming settlements beganaround
4000 B C E andaround 3000 B C E there
appearedthe first signs of urbanization.B y
2600 B C E , dozensof towns andcities had
beenestablished, and between 2500 and 2000
B C E the Indus Valley Civilization was at
its peak.

4. MOHENJO DARO
Mohenjo Daro, or "Mound of theDead" is anancient Indus Valley
Civilization city that flourished between2600 and1900 B C E . I t was oneof
thefirst world andancient Indian cities. The site was discovered in the 1920s
andlies in Pakistan's Sindh province. Only ahandful of archaeologists have
excavated here, described in the introduction and illustrated essay Mohenjodaro:
A n Ancient Indus Valley Metropolis.

5. DISCOVERY AND MAJOREXCAVATIONS
🠶 Mohenjo-daro was discovered in 1922 by R. D . Banerji, an officer
of the Archaeological Survey of India, two years after major
excavations had begun at Harappa, some 590 km to the north. Large-
scale excavations were carried out at the site under the direction of
John Marshall, K . N . Dikshit, Ernest Mackay, andnumerous
other directors through the 1930s.

6. DISCOVERYOF HARAPPA
🠶 Sir John Marshall was thefirst person to use theterm‘Indus civilisation’.
The Indus or the Harappan civilisation belongsto theChalcolithic or Bronze
Age since the objects of copperandstone were found at the various sites of
this civilisation. Nearly, 1,400 Harappan sites are known so far in thesub-
continent.
🠶 They belongto early, mature andlate phasesof theHarappan culture. B u t the
numberof thesites belongingto the mature phase is limited, and of them only
half a dozen can beregarded as cities.
🠶 Some of thenoteworthy sites which havebeenexcavatedare Harappa (1921)by
Daya Ram Sahni, Mohenjodaro (1922)byR . D . Banerjee, Dholavira (1967-
68) byJ . P . Joshi and(1990-91)by R.S. Bisht, Kalibangan by D r . A .
Ghosh, Lothal (1955-63), Chanhu-daro, Banawali (1975-77), etc.

7. TIMELINE OF INDUS VALLEY CIVILIZATION
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8. FEATURES
🠶 TownPlanning:The excavations of the ruins showed a remarkable skillin town planning. The main streets
and roads were set in a line, sometimes running straight for a mile, and were varying in width from 4
meters to 10 meters. Most of these roads and streets were paved with fire brunt bricks. On the either side
of the street stood houses of various sizeswhich did not protrude into the streets. The main streets
intersected at right angles, dividing the city into squares or rectangular blocks each of which was divided
length wise and cross wise by lanes. Some buildings had a lamp post and a well. There was an elaborate
drainage system which emptied into the river.
🠶 TheDrainageSystem;The Drainage System of the Indus Valley Civilization was far advanced. The drains
were covered with slabs. Water flowed from houses into the street drains. The street drains had manholes
at regular intervals. Housewives were expected to use pits in which heavier part of the rubbish will settle
down while only sewerage water was allowed to drain off. All soak pits and drains were occasionally
cleaned by workmen. Inevery house there was a well-constructed sink, and water flowed from the sink
into the underground sewers in the streets. This elaborate drainage system shows that the Indus Valley
people were fully conversant with the principles of health and sanitation.
🠶 Great Granary: Another large building in the city was the Great Granary which was made about 45
meters long and 15 meters wide. Itwas meant to store food grains. Ithad lines of circular brick platforms
for pounding grain. There were barrack like quarters for workmen. The granary also had smaller halls and
corridors

9. FEATURES
🠶 Houses:The houses were of different sizes varying from a palatial building to one with two small rooms. The houses
had a well, a bathroom, and a covered drain connected to the drain in the street. The buildings were made of burnt
bricks, which have been preserved even to this day. Sun-dried bricks were used for the foundation of the buildings
and the roofs were flat and made of wood. The special feature of the houses was that rooms were built around an
open courtyard. Some houses were double storied. Some buildings had pillared halls; some of them measured 24
square meters. Itis assumed that there also must have been palaces, temples or municipal halls.
🠶 Great Bath: One of the largest buildings was the Great Bath measuring 180 feet by 108 feet. The bathing pool, 39 feet
long, 28 feet wide and 8 feet deep was in the center of the quadrangle, surrounded with verandahs, rooms and
galleries. A flight of steps led to the pool. The pool could be filled and emptied by means of a vaulted culvert, 6 feet
and 6 inches high. The walls of the pool were made of burnt bricks laid on edge, which made the pool watertight.
The pool was filled with water from a large well, situated in the same complex. Periodic cleaning of the pool was
done by draining off the used water into a big drain. The Great Bath building had six entrances. The Great Bath
reflected the engineering genius of those ancient days.
🠶 TheAssembly Hall: An important feature of Mohen-jo-daro was its 24 square meters pillared hall. Ithad five rows of
pillars, with four pillars in each row. Kiln baked bricks were used to construct these pillars. Probably, it was the
Assembly Hall or the ruler's court. Itis said that it also housed the municipal office which had the charge of town
planning and sanitation.

10. FEATURES
🠶 Dress:From the sculptured figures it can be seen that the dress of men and women consisted of two
pieces of cloth-one resembling a dhoti, covering the lower part, and the other worn over the left
shoulder and under the right arm. Men had long hair designed differently. Women wore a fan shaped
head dress covering there hair. The discovery of a large number of spindles showed that they knew
weaving and spinning. Similarly it was concluded, by the discovery of needles and buttons, that the
people of this age knew the art of stitching.
🠶 Ornaments:Both men and women wore ornaments made of gold, silver
, copper and other metals.
Men wore necklaces, finger rings and armlets of various designs and shapes. The women wore a head
dress, ear rings, bangles, girdles, bracelets and anklets. Rich people wore expensive ornaments made
of gold while the poor had ornaments made of shell, bone or copper.
🠶 Cosmetics: The ladies of Mohen-jo-daro were not lagging behind in styles as used by the ladies of the
present day, when it came to the use of cosmetics and the attainment of beauty. Materials made of
ivory and metal for holding and applying cosmetics prove that they knew the use of face paint and
collyrium. Bronze oval mirrors, ivory combs of various shapes, even small dressing tables, have been
found at Mohen-jo-daro and other sites. Women tied the hair into a bun and used hair pins made of
ivory. Toilet jars, found at Mohen-jo-daro, show that women took interest in cosmetics.

11. FEATURES
🠶 Furnitureand Utensils:The furniture and utensils found at Mohen-jo-daro show a high degree of
civilization because of their variety in kind and design. The beautifully painted pottery, numerous
vessels for the kitchen, chairs and beds made of wood, lamps of different material, toys for children,
marbles, balls and dice, indicate what people manufactured in those days.
Conveyance A copper specimen found at Harappa resembles the modern Ekka (cart) with a top-
cover. Bullock carts with or without the roof was the chief means of conveyance.
Amusementsand Recreation:The Indus Valley people liked more of indoor games than outdoor
amusements. They were fond of gambling and playing dice. Dancing and singing were considered
great arts. Boys played with toys made of terracotta, while girls played with dolls.
🠶 Agriculture: Agriculture was the main occupation of the Indus Valley people. Crops such as wheat,
barley, peas and bananas were raised. In the olden days, there was enough rain in that region and
occasional floods brought a great deal of fertile soil to the area. People used to plough the land with
wooden ploughshares drawn by men and oxen. From the existence of granaries it is concluded that
there were surplus food-grains.

12. FEATURES
🠶 Food:Specimens of wheat and barley show that they were cultivated in that region. Rice was also
probably grown. There is evidence to show that date palms were grown in the area. Besides these, the
diet of the people consisted of fruits, vegetables, fish, milk and meat of animals i.e. beef, mutton and
poultry.
🠶 DomesticationofAnimals:The people of Harappa domesticated animals like oxen, buffaloes, pigs,
goats and sheep. Camels and asses were used as means of transport. Dogs and cats were kept as
pets. The humped bull was considered a great asset in the farming community. Crafts The discovery of
spindles at the sites of Harappan culture shows that the people used to spin and weave. Goldsmiths
made jewellery of gold, silver and precious stones. People were also engaged in brick-laying and in the
art of sculpture. The making of seals was developed during this period. Bronze-smiths made various
types of weapons and tools such as knives, spears, saws and axes which were used in daily life.
🠶 Trade:Traders carried on trade in the country as well as with other countries like Egypt, Babylon and
Afghanistan. Many seals of Harappa found in Mesopotamia show that trade existed between the two
countries. The seals were made of terracotta and were used by merchants to stamp their goods.
The people of the Indus Valley used weights and measures in their business transactions. They used 16
and its multiplies: 64,160 and 320, in measurement and weight.

13. ORIGIN AND EVOLUTION OF THE HARAPPAN CIVILIZATION
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14. TOWNPLANNING DURINGTHE HARAPPA PERIOD
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15. ARTS
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16. THE LIFE OF THE INDUS VALLEY CIVILIZATION

17. The great bath
🠶 The most interesting structure of this metropolis of Mohenjo-daro
isthe Great Bath which isabout 55 meters long and 33 meters
wide.
🠶 It is found to contain a large, open space at the centre and
galleries, rooms lie on all sides.
🠶 In the central space, there was the provision of a large swimming
enclosure, having the measurements of 12 meters long, 7 meters
wide and 24 meters deep.
🠶 The water was discharged probably by a huge drain with a cor-
belled roof more than 1.8 meters in height.
🠶 The strength and durability of the constructions of Great Bath of
Mohenjo-daro were superb as they could withstand the ravages
of five thousand years.

18. Grannary
🠶 Built on top of a tapered brick platform, this building had a
solid brick foundation that extended for 50 meters east
west and 27 meters north south. The foundation was
divided into 27 square and rectangular blocks by narrow
passageways, two running east west and eight running
north south. A section of the northern foundation had
hollow sockets for wooden beams used to support a
stairway or wooden structure. Later wells and walls are seen
in the foreground.

19. Room
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20. LARGE COURTYARD W
ITHM
UDBRICKFILLING, DK-GAREA
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21. NARROWLANE, DK-G AREA
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22. FIRST STREET, DK-GAREA
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23. STREET W
ITHLIMESTONECOVERED DRAIN SD AREA

24. STREET W
ITHLIMESTONECOVERED DRAIN SD AREA

25. WELL
🠶 Small well(on left). Large well (on right)

26. WELL
Public well (on left). Well with platform(on right)

27. PRIVATE WELL

28. BATHINGPLATFORM, SD AREA
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29. DECLINE OF THE INDUS VALLEY CIVILIZATION
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