ARCH 112 Lecture Notes - Lecture 14: Indus Valley Civilisation, Indus River, Harappa
27 Jun 2018
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Indus Valley – Harappan Civilization
Named after the city Harappa
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Covers 1.2 million km2
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The Indus Valley Civilization is in present day Pakistan and India in the
Indus River floodplain and surrounding area***
The roots of Indus civilization can be seen at sites such as
Mehrgarh
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Occupied as early as 8,500 years ago
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This farming settlement reveals evidence of larger, permanent
dwellings and communal grain storage facilities.
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Bolan R.--Baluchistan
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During the Mature Harappan period (about 4500 to 4000 years ago)
several large, (five main )urban centers developed
Major Indus Civilization centers include (main two):
Upper mound--citadel (fortified--area for public buildings***)
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Careful planning of buildings
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There is order--and very hygienic area
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Mohenjo - Daro and Harappa
Had plentiful amounts of wells--fresh water
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Baths in each dwelling--emphasis on cleanliness
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Had drains to carry away waste water
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Lower areas--residential areas--different sizes of area
could indicate hierarchy (but there was really no
evidence of hierarchy)--craft workshops
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Known for manufacturer of beads--carnelian--drill these
beads
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Burial in Mesopotamia found with Indus Valley beads
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No evidence of temples
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Harappa***
A fortified city in the Indus valley of northeastern
Pakistan.
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First site to be excavated
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Ruined by the building of the railroad--used mud
brick as rubble
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40,000 people estimated (as high as 80,000
people) living in this area
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Made up of lower area and upper area (citadel)
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Citadel area--recent structure added
Great bath built in citadel area--40 ft. by 30 ft.
and 8 ft. deep--bitumen layer on top of bricks
and plaster to make even more water proof
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No monumental architecture
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Not buried with great grave goods (no sacrificial
killings)--known as peaceful**
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Though they have writing they have never been
interpreted--4000 scriptures--400 different
characters
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Cubical weights--weight goods with a balance
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Mohenjo - Daro***
An early Indus Valley city in south - central
Pakistan.
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These sites flourished about 4,500 years ago***
Cultural homogenization in this era
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Maybe religious unification
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Writing on square seals
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Baked brick for construction--standardized size
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Must be a leadership
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3200 ya Harappa was in decline--tied with climaste change
(very significant drought)--didn't have as much fresh water
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Egalitarian??
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Lecture will cover Harappan cities and architecture and include examples
of artifacts and Indus Valley script
Indus Valley Civilization (pg. 404-414)
Wednesday, November 22, 2017
11:22 AM
Document Summary
The indus valley civilization is in present day pakistan and india in the. The roots of indus civilization can be seen at sites such as. This farming settlement reveals evidence of larger, permanent dwellings and communal grain storage facilities. During the mature harappan period (about 4500 to 4000 years ago) several large, (five main )urban centers developed. Lower areas--residential areas--different sizes of area could indicate hierarchy (but there was really no evidence of hierarchy)--craft workshops. Burial in mesopotamia found with indus valley beads. A fortified city in the indus valley of northeastern. Ruined by the building of the railroad--used mud brick as rubble brick as rubble. 40,000 people estimated (as high as 80,000 people) living in this area. Made up of lower area and upper area (citadel) Great bath built in citadel area--40 ft. by 30 ft. and 8 ft. deep--bitumen layer on top of bricks and plaster to make even more water proof.
