Indus Valley Civilizations

Indus Valley Civilizations By Damien Lipsky, Lauren Berg, Yara Kassamani, Kacie Lynch, Elie B-K D.L

Summary of Key Events • The First Indian civilization arose in the Indus valley 4,500 years ago • People settled throughout the entire subcontinent • Regions included modern countries of India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, and Sri Lanka • Many people made their living through trade. Indian goods included silks, cottons, cashmere, ivory, spices and precious gems that could be found in the far east. Y.K

Lasting contributions • -Around 2500 B.C strong leaves or earthen walls were built to keep water out. • - This led to further development in the future. • -One of the most important parts of the Indus peoples civilizations were their modern city planning. • -Their cities were laid out on grid systems and included a citadel ( important buildings). • Aryabhata, an Indian mathematician, computed the value of π. • Art from the Indus Civilization including artifacts still remain today • The practice of yoga still remains Y.K & K.L

Location and physical features • The Indus Valley civilization was in the north-west of India • It was also next to the Indus river and Himalayas • The absolute location is 28(degrees) 35’N and 77(degrees) 12’E • The Indus valley had the Indus river going thought it. It also had the Himalayas as well as the Arabian sea on the coast D.L

Religion • Civilization almost completely wiped out • Don’t know much for sure • Almost no artifacts left • believed to had been very religious • Archeologists think their culture was theocracy • [Theocracy: a form of government in which god or a deity is recognized as the supreme civil ruler] • Likely that priests prayed for good harvests, safe from floods, etc. Indus River Civilization- What’s left http://www.sewerhistory.org/grfxpub_bathpubbath1.htm L.B.

More Religion • More specific relation to modern religions • Religious artifacts found linking to modern Hindu culture • Because: figures show possible early representations of Shiva • [Shiva: a major Hindu god] • Not 100% sure about Hinduism • Other figures show separate non-modern religions: a mother goddess, fertility images, and the worship of the bull Lord Shiva, Hindu god http://shootfighter.wordpress.com/2009/11/24/rudrashiva/ L.B.

Arts • Arts emerged from the Indus Valley during the second half of the 3rd millennium B.C • Civic planning was very advanced (examples including the cities of Harappa, destroyed in the 19th century, and Mohenjo- Daro • Produced many statuettes made of limestone and steatite • Square steatite seals resembling animals • Ceramic storage jars with simple stylized designs • Toys with wheels • Figurines (which may be mother goddesses) • Bronze weapons, tools, & sculptures Y.K

Arts Continued • Mural paintings in caves that tell about the artistic style of early Indian painters • Distinctive styles of Hindu temples • Square building with heavy walls enclosing a statue of a god • Overall, the Indus Valley civilization was a sophisticated civilization when it came to craftsmanship Y.K

Some of their sculptures suggest that their artwork represented what they might have done for activities or leisure. Several have been found in the form of dancing poses. As this is the most commonly found pose for sculptures, this must have been something they did most often. E.B.K

There has been much speculation about how sophisticated their artwork was. People even find it hard to believe that they are prehistoric. Most of the detailed art was said to have begun in the Hellenistic age of Greece, yet these sculptures were found in a time period set 3000 years earlier. Even some think that Greek artistry could have been anticipated from Harrapan arts. E.B.K

Specific Example This picture shows a priest/ king statue. Nobody is entirely certain whether it resembles is a king or a priest. The artifact comes from Mohenjo-Daro and was probably created during the late Harappan period. Today, it is located at the National Museum of Karachi, Pakistan. Y.K

Language • The Harappan created a written language but no one has been able to decipher • Linguist have not found any inscriptions that are bilingual so no one has fond part of the language transferred into another language. D.L

Education • Education in the Indus Civilizations was quite basic, and a lot is still left unknown. • Education was often oral and was mostly written on tree bark, which explains why there is no evidence of it. • The Indus written language has not yet been figured out exactly, this means there are many things about how the Indus people learned which have not yet been discovered. • Pictographs were commonly used in writing. Pictographs are written symbols. K.L

More Education • Between the years of 2800 B.C and 2600 B.C , also known as the Kot Diji, Harappa became advanced in economics, and architectural planning. • Due to the recent discovery within the last 20 years archeologists have not yet discovered many parts of this complex society. http://realhistoryww.com/world_history/ancient/Indus_Valley_India_1.htm K.L

Government • The Indus Valley Civilizations had some of the earliest forms of government. • The Indo-Aryan settlements eventually formed city states. • In these city states a raja ruled each city state. The raja was in charge of law making, being a judge, as well as a military leader. • The raja had a Royal Council of friends and relatives that helped him rule the city states. • Although, the city states warred with each other for hundreds of years they took comfort in internal stability and independence. K.L

Laws • The Harappans were highly disciplined people • They had a strong understanding of their civic duties • Citizens kept their cities clean • Residents would make sure that the underground drains were not choked from solid waste from the private baths’ drains • The Harappans cooperated completely when it came to planning the towns and rebuilding public areas such as docks, warehouses, fortification walls, and platforms • The Harappan administration worked to standardize industrial products including metal tools and weapons and even units of length Y.K

Indus Valley Civilizations