Ancient History Class Notes on Indus Valley Civilization PDF

Ancient History Class Notes by Aman Srivastava C. Town Planning and Architecture Urban planning VA The Indus Valley Civilization was not a rural civilization but an Urban civilization and it is also called Bronze Age Civilization. TA...

Ancient History Class Notes by Aman Srivastava C. Town Planning and Architecture Urban planning VA The Indus Valley Civilization was not a rural civilization but an Urban civilization and it is also called Bronze Age Civilization. TA Urban Planning / Citadel of the Indus Civilization Well-organized city planning (based on the grid system) and drainage system were the main features of the Indus Valley Civilization. 'lower city'. AS In the Indus Civilization, the cities were divided into 'city citadel' and The higher part was called 'Nagar-Durg' and the lower part was called IV 'lower towns'. The ruling class resided in the city fort. SR Common citizens, merchants, artisans and laborers lived in the lower towns. These cities were rectangular or square in shape based on a grid of main roads and wide streets. AN The roads used to cut each other at right angles and the city was divided into several sections. In the buildings of these cities, bathrooms, granaries, assembly halls, priest's residence etc. were made. AM Baked bricks were used in almost all the Indus Valley sites except Kalibanga and Rangpur. The bricks used to build the house were in the ratio 4:2:1. Apart from bricks, lime and gypsum were also used in the construction of cities. Normally each house had a courtyard, a kitchen and a bathroom. The doors and windows of the houses did not open towards the main road but towards the street. Great Bath This was the most important public place of Mohenjodaro. It was 11.88 meters long, 7 meters wide and 2.46 meters deep. Its surface was made of burnt bricks which were joined by gypsum and mortar. It was used for bathing during religious rituals. John Marshall called the Great Bath 'one of the wonders of the world'. VA Great Granaries The largest building of the Indus Civilization was the Granary found at TA Mohenjodaro, which is 45 meters long and 15 meters wide. Remains of a granary with a total of 12 chambers made of two rows of 6-6 chambers have been found from Harappa. Architecture AS In Indus civilization, advanced evidence of sculpture, architecture and IV pottery (figure made of clay) art etc. have been found. Metal idols were made by the lost wax technique. A famous example SR of this is the bronze statue of a dancer from Mohenjodaro. The statue of Mother Goddess and the statue of Pashupatinath inscribed on the seal have been received from Mohanjodaro. No structure like temple or palace has been found from here. AN D. Agriculture, Economy and Trade AM Agriculture Agriculture was the most important occupation. The Indus civilization was the first to cultivate cotton. Stone and bronze tools were used for agricultural work. From Kalibanga we have got Plowed fields and from Banawali we get plow like soil.  In general, evidence of the use of fertilizers has not been obtained, although evidence of the construction of dams for water storage has been obtained from Dholavira. Evidence of rice cultivation has been found from Lothal and Rangpur. The people of Indus civilization used to produce wheat, barley, rakhi, sesame, mustard, rice, cotton millet etc. Animal Husbandry VA Bullocks, cows, sheep, goats and pigs were domesticated by the people of the Indus civilization. The humped bull was the favorite animal of this civilization. TA Remains of horse figurines have been found from Lothal and Rangpur and camel bones have been found from Kalibanga. Economy and Business AS Trade and commerce was in an advanced stage in the Indus civilization. Under this civilization, both internal and external trade IV were in a developed state. Metal coins were not used in trade during the Indus Civilization, SR rather the barter system was the basis of trade. Trade relations with 'Meluha' have been discussed in Mesopotamian records. 'Meluha' refers to the Sindh region. Lothal was a major port, an important site for trade with West Asia. AN Iron was not known to the people of the Indus Valley Civilization. In the Harappan civilization, the decimal system of measurement and the unit of measurement and weight were in multiples of 16. AM Scales made of ivory have been found from Lothal and Mohenjodaro. Textile industry was the main industry of the Indus Civilization. Cotton thread and cloth wrapped around two copper implements have been found from Mohenjodaro. The work of making beads was done in Lothal and Chanhudaro. Lothal and Balaghat were famous for their oyster industry. Important Location metals Copper Khetri Mines (Rajasthan) lead Afghanistan and Ajmer (Rajasthan Silver Jawar Khan of Rajasthan, Afghanistan and Iran Tin Iran VA Lazward Badakhshan (Afghanistan) TA Selkhadi Balochistan Rajasthan Society and Culture social life AS The society of the Indus Valley Civilization was matrilineal and the IV unit of society was traditionally the family. The entire society was divided into priests, merchants, artisans, laborers, etc. SR There is no evidence of the existence of a warrior class from the Indus civilization, whereas artisans and potters had a special place in the society. Harappan women and men used to wear ornaments. Evidence of AN lipstick has been obtained from Chanhudadas. The people of Indus civilization used to eat both vegetarian and non-vegetarian food and used to play chaupar and dice for AM entertainment. There is evidence of three types of solutions – complete, partial and cremation in the Indus civilization. In complete samadhi, the whole body was buried in the ground. In partial samadhi, the remaining part was buried in the ground after being eaten by animals and birds. In cremation, the whole body was completely burnt and its ashes were buried in the ground. F. Script and Language The script of the Indus Valley has not yet been deciphered. The Harappan script has about 64 original symbols, which were made in rectangular seals of sandstone. The Harappan script was pictographic, which was written from right to left. This method of writing was called ‘Boustrophedon’. VA G. Decline and End TA Decline of the Indus Valley Civilization The reasons for the decline of this civilization could not be clarified. Historians have different views about the decline of the Indus Civilization. AS Mortimer Wheeler suggested that the invasion of the Aryans led to the decline of the Indus Valley. However this theory has now been IV debunked. Robert Raikes suggests that tectonic movements and floods caused SR the collapse of this civilization. Other reasons cited include drying up of rivers, deforestation and destruction of green cover. It is possible that some cities may have been destroyed by the flood but not all. It is now accepted that there could be many reasons for AN the decline of the Indus Valley Civilization. Important historians पतन के कारण AM Garden Child, Mortimer Wheeler and Stuart Aryan invasion Piggott arel stein and amaland ghosh Climate change John Marshall Administrative laxity John Marshall, Ernest Mackay and SR Rao Flood M R Sawhney Geological change  Vedic Period Introduction Brief overview of the Vedic Civilization Origin and Expansion of Aryans VA According to Max Muller, the Aryans arrived in India around 1500 BC. Its earliest information comes from the Rigveda, the oldest text in the Indo-European languages. TA The Kassite inscription found in Iraq and the Mitanni inscription of Syria reveal the presence of Aryans. The word ‘Arya’ is a language indicator word, which means - superior or elite. AS The use of horse-drawn chariots, bronze equipment and armor is considered to be the main reason for the success of the Aryans in IV India. The Aryans had to contend with the Dasyus (the original inhabitants SR of India) and the Dasas (the former branch of the Aryans). The Vedic Literature AN The four Vedas: Rigveda, Yajurveda, Samaveda, and Atharvaveda Rigveda :- Rigveda means knowledge of hymns/prayer/sukta/religious songs. AM The Rigveda is divided into ten books known as 'mandalas'. It is a collection of 10,600 Richas and 1,028 Suktas. Hymns known as Suktas were composed for use in rituals. The Scholar of Rigveda is called 'Hotri'. The universally famous Gayatri Mantra (Savitri) is in the third mandala of the Rigveda. The Rigveda has many things in common with the Zend-Avesta (the oldest text in the Iranian language). Samaveda: The Samaveda, known as the Veda of Suras and Mantras, dates back to 1200–800 BCE. This Veda is related to folk worship. The Scholar of Samveda is called 'Udgatri'. The salient features of the Samaveda are given in the below: ❖ There are 1549 Richas (all except 75 Richas are taken from Rigveda) VA ❖ Samveda consists of two Upanishads - Chhandogya Upanishad and Kena Upanishad. ❖ The Samaveda is considered the origin of Indian classical music and TA dance. ❖ It is considered a storehouse of sweet mantras ❖ The Samaveda Samhita is not meant to be read as a text, it is like a AS music that should be listened to. Yajurveda: IV Yajurveda means 'worship knowledge', Yajurveda dates to 1100–800 BCE; Which is according to Samveda. SR It compiles rituals and mantras. The Scholar of Yajurveda is called 'Adhvaryu'. The salient features of Yajurveda are given below: AN It has two types - Krishna (black/dark) and Shukla (white/bright) The Krishna Yajurveda is a disorganized, ambiguous, inspiring AM collection of verses. The verses in Shukla Yajurveda are systematic and clear. The Krishna Yajurveda has two lessons, while the Shukla Yajurveda has four. The oldest layer of the Yajurveda consists of 1875 hymns, mostly taken from the Rigveda. In the middle layer of the Vedas is the Satapatha Brahmana, which is a commentary on the Shukla Yajurveda.  The youngest layer of Yajurveda includes various Upanishads – Brihadaranyaka Upanishad, Isha Upanishad, Taittiriya Upanishad, Kathopanishad, Shvetashvatara Upanishad and Maitriyani Upanishad. Atharvaveda: Atharva, an ancient sage, and a tatpurusha compound of knowledge VA (atharva + knowledge). It is dated to 1000-800 BC. Tantra-mantra, solution of diseases and description of plants and TA medicines are found in Atharvaveda. Features of Atharvaveda AS The daily processes of life are very well described in this Veda It has 730 Suktas, 600 Mantras and 20 Books IV It is called the Veda of magical sutras, it consists of three primary Upanishads - Mundakopanishad, Mandukya Upanishad, and Prashno SR Upanishad AN AM