The chapter introduces students to one of the ancient civilisations in the history of humans, The Indus Valley Civilisation. The chapter focuses on the detailed analysis of the civilisation: from agriculture to socio-economic practices and trade. It also highlights the part settlements of 'Mohenjodaro' & enlists various historians and their accounts on the settlements.
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The Indus Valley Civilisation
What are the sources to understand Harappan Civilisation?
The Harappan seal is possibly the most distinctive artefact of the Indus valley civilization. It contains plants & animal motifs and signs from a script that remains undeciphered.
The Archeological Evidence left by the people of the civilisation such as Pots, ornaments, tools, seals etc. add up to the sources.
Early Harappan & Mature Harappan
Early and later Harappan is associated with distinctive pottery, evidence of agriculture and pastoralism and craft.
The early Harappan culture settlements were small and there were no large buildings. But the mature Harappan settlements and buildings were large.
Subsistence Strategies
The Harappans ate a wide range of plant products. Archaeo-botanists have also been able to reconstruct the dietary practices from the finds of charred grains, seeds and bones.
Foodgrains found at the Harappan sites were wheat, barley, lentil, rice, chickpea and sesame. Millets are found from sites in Gujarat. The Harappans also ate a wide range of animal products. The charred bones of animals were also found at the Harappan site. (Cattle, sheep, goat, buffalo & pig)
These are studied by Archaeo-zoologists who are specialists in ancient animal remains. Bones of wild species such as boar, deer and gharial are also found.
It is still not elucidated whether Harappans hunted them or obtained meat from other hunting communities.