Indus Valley Civilization

Human Relationships and Civilization

• Franklin D. Roosevelt emphasizes the importance of cultivating the science of human relationships to ensure the survival of civilization.

Indus Valley Civilization

• The Indus Valley Civilization, also known as the Harappan Civilization, is the earliest known urban culture of the Indian subcontinent.
• The civilization flourished from 2500-1700 BCE, with the southern sites possibly lasting later into the 2nd millennium BCE.
• It is one of the three earliest civilizations, along with Mesopotamia and Egypt, and is the most extensive of the three.

Chronology

• The Indus Valley Civilization existed from 3300-1300 BCE, with its early years (3300-1300 BCE) and mature period (2600-1900 BCE).
• The civilization's area extended along the Indus River from northeast Afghanistan, into Pakistan, and northwest India.
• Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro were the two great cities of the Indus Valley Civilization, emerging around 2600 BCE.

Phases of the Harappan Civilization

• Pre-Harappan (c. 7000-5500 BCE): The Neolithic period, characterized by agricultural development, domestication of plants and animals, and production of tools and ceramics.
• Early Harappan (c. 5500-2800 BCE): Trade was established with Egypt, Mesopotamia, and possibly China, with the construction of ports, docks, and warehouses.
• Mature Harappan (c. 2800-1900 BCE): The construction of great cities, widespread urbanization, and the flourishing of cities like Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro.
• Late Harappan (c. 1900-1500 BCE): The decline of the civilization, coinciding with the migration of the Aryan people from the north, and climate change causing flooding, drought, and famine.
• Post-Harappan (c. 1500-600 BCE): The cities were abandoned, and the people had moved south.

Notable Archaeologists

• Sir Mortimer Wheeler, a British archaeologist, made significant discoveries in Great Britain and India and advanced the scientific method in archaeology.
• Wheeler's work provided a means to recognize approximate dates from the civilization's foundations through its decline and fall.