India's history stretches back over 5,000 years. The earliest major civilisation to develop in the Indian subcontinent was the Indus Valley Civilisation (also called the Harappan Civilisation), one of the world's first urban civilisations.
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Key Concepts
Indus Valley Civilisation (IVC): A Bronze Age civilisation that flourished from about 3300 BCE to 1300 BCE, with its mature period around 2600–1900 BCE. It developed along the Indus River and its tributaries.
Harappan Civilisation: Named after Harappa, the first site to be excavated (1921). Key cities include Harappa, Mohenjo-daro, Dholavira, Lothal, Kalibangan, and Rakhigarhi.
Bronze Age: A period when bronze (an alloy of copper and tin) was widely used for tools and weapons.
Urban Civilisation: A society with organised cities, planned streets, trade, specialised occupations, and some form of governance.
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Features of the Indus Valley Civilisation
- Town Planning:
- Cities had grid-pattern streets — streets ran at right angles.
- Buildings were made of standardised fired bricks.
- Sophisticated drainage system — covered drains ran along streets (first such system in the world).
- Separate areas for the Citadel (higher platform, possibly for rulers/priests) and the Lower Town (homes of common people).
Great Bath: Found at Mohenjo-daro, it is the world's earliest known public water tank, possibly used for ritual bathing.
- Economy and Trade:
- Agriculture: wheat, barley, cotton, sesame were grown.
- Trade with Mesopotamia (modern Iraq) — seals found in both regions prove this.
- Seals (small carved stone tablets) were used to mark goods and as identifiers — typically showing animals or figures with a script above.
Script: The Indus script has been found on seals and pottery but has not yet been fully deciphered.
- Arts and Crafts:
- Famous figurines: Dancing Girl (bronze, Mohenjo-daro) and Priest-King (steatite sculpture).
- Beads, pottery, cotton cloth, and ornaments.
Decline: Around 1900 BCE, the civilisation declined. Possible reasons: climate change, drought, flooding, or migration.
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Worked Examples
What makes the Indus Valley Civilisation an "urban" civilisation?
- It had planned cities with grid streets, specialised workers (potters, traders, craftsmen), public buildings (Great Bath), standardised weights and measures, and evidence of trade. These are hallmarks of an urban society.
What does the grid pattern of Indus cities tell us about town planning?
- Streets were laid out in a north-south and east-west grid, meaning city planners had advanced knowledge of alignment and measurement. This indicates organised governance and collective decision-making.
How do we know the Indus people traded with Mesopotamia?
- Indus seals have been found at Mesopotamian sites (modern Iraq), and Mesopotamian objects have been found at Indus sites. This physical evidence proves long-distance trade existed around 2500 BCE.
What was the Great Bath and why is it significant?
- The Great Bath at Mohenjo-daro was a large waterproofed tank (about 12 m x 7 m). It is the world's earliest known public water tank and may have been used for ritual purification, suggesting a form of religious practice.
Why has the Indus Valley script not been "deciphered"?
- The Indus script appears on around 4,000 objects but has no bilingual inscription (like the Rosetta Stone for Egyptian). Scholars have not yet found the key to match the symbols to a known language, so the meaning remains unknown.
Name three important sites of the Indus Valley Civilisation and their modern locations.
- Harappa — Punjab, Pakistan
- Mohenjo-daro — Sindh, Pakistan
- Dholavira — Gujarat, India (a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2021)
What crop did the Indus people grow that made India famous in ancient trade?
- The Indus people were among the first in the world to grow cotton. Ancient Greeks called India "Sindon" (from Sindhu) and referred to cotton as "sindon" — showing how strongly India was associated with cotton.
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Common mistakes
Common mistakes
Students often say the Indus Valley Civilisation was "in India only" — but major sites like Harappa and Mohenjo-daro are in present-day Pakistan. Also, the script has NOT been deciphered — do not say "the Indus people wrote in Sanskrit."
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Summary
The Indus Valley Civilisation (c. 2600–1900 BCE) was one of the world's earliest urban civilisations. It had planned cities, advanced drainage, trade links with Mesopotamia, and a unique script. Major sites include Harappa, Mohenjo-daro, and Dholavira. Its decline around 1900 BCE remains partly unexplained.