Archaeological excavation first began
in 1921 CE at Harappa in the Punjab on the
banks of the river Ravi. That is how this
civilization came to be known as Harappan
Civilization. It is also known as Indus
Civilization.
Excavations were also carried out at
Mohen-jo-daro, a place about 650 km to
the south of Harappa in the Indus valley.
There was a striking resemblance between
the remains of structures and artefacts
found at the two places. Similar remains
have been found at Dholavira, Lothal,
Kalibangan, Daimabad, etc. Generally, the same characteristics are
seen in all the places of Harappan
Civilization. These include town planning,
roads, construction of houses, drainage
system, seals, pots and toys and burial
customs.
● Describe the structure of houses in
your locality.
● Do they have flat roofs or tiled,
sloping roofs?
Can you tell ?
3.2 Housing and town planning
The houses and other structures in
Harappan Civilization were mainly built
with baked bricks. In some places,
unbaked bricks and stones were also
used for construction. The houses had
rooms built around a central courtyard.
The houses had wells, bathrooms and
toilets. There was an excellent drainage
system in which baked earthern conduits
were used. The streets had covered drains
built with bricks. This shows great
concern regarding public health.
The streets were broad and laid out
in a grid pattern. Houses were built in
the rectangular blocks created by them.
Harappan Civilization well
● What problems regarding health
and hygiene will arise if the drains are
not covered?
The towns were divided into two or
more sections and each section had
separate fortification.
Cut a potato into half. Carve out
some letters or figures on the cut surfaces
using a nail. Dip the surface into ink or
colour and then press it on a piece of
paper. Observe what happens.
3.3 Seals and pots
The seals of the Harappan Civilization
were mainly square-shaped and made
from a stone called steatite. These seals
bear pictures of animals. They include
pictures of real animals like bulls,
buffaloes, oxen, elephants, rhinos, tigers
etc. and also of imaginary ones like the
unicorn. Human figures are also seen.
These seals were used as stamps.
Earthen pots of various types and
shapes have been found at the excavation Interview a person skilled in making
earthen pots to learn how they are made.
Ɣ What type of clay is used ?
Ɣ Where do we get the clay ?
Ɣ How much time is needed to make
one pot ?
sites of Harappan Civilization. There are
red terra cotta pots with patterns and
designs in black colour. The patterns
include fishscales, interlocking circles,
pipal leaves etc.
The Harappan people buried their
dead. They used to bury earthern pots with
the bodies.
Earthenware
Visit a swimming tank in your
locality. Observe how the water in the
tank is changed.
Compare a modern swimming tank
to the Harappan Bath.
3.4 The Great Bath
A spacious bath has been discovered at
Mohen-jo-daro. The tank in the Great Bath
was nearly 2.5 metres deep. It was 12
metres long and 7 metres wide. It was lined
with baked bricks to prevent seepage of
water. There were steps leading down to the
tank. There was also a provision for
draining, cleaning and re-filling the tank
from time to time.
Ɣ Name the fruits and crops grown
in your area.
Ɣ What clothing do the people in
your area use ?
Ɣ Write the names of the ornaments
you know.3.5 Life in the Harappa Civilization
The Harappan people practised
agriculture. The excavation at Kalibangan
provides evidence of a ploughed field. The
people there grew different crops, mainly
wheat and barley. In Rajasthan, barley was
grown on a large scale while in Gujarat, it
was ragi. Peas, sesame and lentils (masoor)
were also cultivated. The Harappan people
were also familiar with cottton.
The statues, the pictures on the seals
and the remains of cloth found in the
excavations indicate that the Harappan
people used to weave cloth. The dress of
both men and women consisted of kneelength cloth and an upper garment.
Many types of ornaments have been
found in excavations. They are made of
gold, copper, precious stones as also shells,
cowries, seeds etc. Men and women both
used multistrand necklaces, rings, armlets
and waistbands. Women wore bangles right
up to their upper arm.
A statue found at a Harappan site
presents an excellent specimen of their art.
It shows the man’s facial features very
clearly. A cloak with a beautiful trefoil
pattern is draped across his shoulder.
3.6 Trade
The Harappan people carried on trade
wihin India as well as with countries
outside. The Indus Valley was known for
its high quality cotton. This cotton was
exported to other regions like West Asia,
Southern Europe and Egypt. Cotton cloth,
too, was exported. The traders of the
Harappan Civilization provided muslin
cloth to Egypt. Silver, zinc, gemstones,
rubies, deodar wood were some of the items
that were imported from Kashmir, South
India, Iran, Afghanistan and Baluchistan.
Trade was carried on both by land routes
and sea routes. Some of the excavated seals
bear pictures of ships. A huge dockyard has
been discovered at Lothal. The trade of the
Harappan Civilization was carried on along
the coastline of the Arabian Sea. 3.7 Reasons for decline of the Harappan
Civilization
Frequent floods, invasions by foreign
tribes, decline in trade were some of the
reasons for the decline of the Harappan
Civilization. Some regions became arid due
to weakening of monsoon, drying up of
river basins, earthquakes, changes in sealevel, etc. People migrated to other places
leading to the decline of cities.
The Harappan Civilization was a
prosperous and flourishing urban
civilization. It laid the foundation of the
Indian Civilization
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