9/22/2016

ABriefIntroductiontotheAncientIndusCivilization

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ABriefIntroductiontotheAncientIndus
Civilization

Harappa
HarappawasanInduscivilizationurbancenter.ItliesinPunjabProvince,Pakistan,onan
oldbedoftheRiverRavi.
ThelatestresearchhasrevealedatleastfivemoundsatHarappathat3Drenditionsof
Harappashowtohavebeensurroundedbyextensivewalls.Twomoundshavelargewalls
aroundthem,perhapsasmuchfortraderegulationasdefense.
Astructureonceconsideredagranaryisnowthoughttohavebeenalargebuildingwith
ventilatedairducts.Asetofworkingplatformstothesouthofthisstructurearealsoof
greatinteresttoarchaeologists.
AnabundanceofterracottafigurinesatHarappaprovidedthefirstcluesinthe19th
centurytotheancientIndusoftenabbreviatedasHarappancivilization.

MohenjoDaro
MohenjoDaroisprobablythebestknownIndussite.MohenjoDaroisinSindh,Pakistan,
nexttotheIndusRiver,notfarfromtheveryearlyhumanflintminingquarriesatRohri.
TheIndusmayoncehaveflowedtothewestofMohenjoDaro,butitisnowlocatedto
theeast.
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ABriefIntroductiontotheAncientIndusCivilization

HeretheGreatBath,uniformbuildingsand
weights,hiddendrainsandotherhallmarks
ofthecivilizationwerediscoveredinthe
1920's.Thisiswherethemostunicornseals
havebeenfound.Duetoarisingwatertable,
mostofthesiteremainsunexcavated,andits
earliestlevelshavenotbeenreached.

Dholavira
DholaviraislocatedonKhadirBeyt,anislandinthe
GreatRannofKutchinGujaratState,India.Ithasonly
beenexcavatedsince1990.AslargeasHarappaand
MohenjoDaro,ithassomeofthebestpreservedstone
architecture.
AtantalizingsignboardwithIndusscripthasalsobeen
discovered.
Dholaviraappearstohavehadseverallargereservoirs,
andanelaboratesystemofdrainstocollectwaterfrom
thecitywallsandhousetopstofillthesewatertanks.

Lothal
LothalisonthetopoftheGulfofKhambat
inGujarat,India,neartheSabarmatiRiver
andtheArabianSea.Itisthemost
extensivelyresearchedHarappancoastal
site.
AbeadfactoryandPersianGulfsealhave
beenfoundheresuggestingthat,likemany
sitesontheGulfofKhambat,itwasdeeply
involvedintrade.

Rakhigarhi
RakhigarhiisarecentlydiscoveredcityinHaryana,India.Partialexcavationshave
revealedthatitisaslargeasHarappa,MohenjoDaroandGanweriwala.

Ganweriwala
GaneriwalaisinPunjab,PakistanneartheIndianborder.ItwasfirstdiscoveredbySir
AurelSteinandsurveyedbyDr.M.R.Mughalinthe1970's.Itspreadsover80hectares
andisalmostaslargeasMohenjoDaro.ItisnearadrybedoftheformerGhaggaror
SarasvatiRiver,andhasnotbeenexcavated,yet.EquidistantbetweenHarappaand
MohenjoDaro,Ganweriwalamayhavebeenafifthmajorurbancenter.

SmallerSettlements
GolaDhoro(alsoknownasBagasara)isasiteinGujarat,India,excavatedfrom1996to
2004.AdistinctiveancientIndussealwasfoundthere,aswellasextensiveevidencefor
thesuddenevacuationofthistinytownwithwellstockedmanufacturingfacilities.
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ABriefIntroductiontotheAncientIndusCivilization

DaimabadisinMaharashtranearBombay.Discoveredin1958,itisacontroversialsite.
SomesuggestthatthepotteryandsingleshardwithancientIndussignsonitisdefinitive
ofHarappansettlementothersmaintainthattheevidenceisinsufficient.Auniquehoard
ofexquisitebronzechariotsandanimalsthatmayormaynotbeofIndusCivilization
stylewasalsofoundhere.
Chanhudarois80milessouthofMohenjoDaroinSindh.Itwasamanufacturingcenter.
Varioustool,shell,boneandsealmakingfacilitieswhichinvolvedwritingwerefound.
Beadsweremadeusingefficientlylayeredfloors.Chanhudaroseemsalsotohavebeen
hastilyabandoned.
SutkagenDorinBaluchistanisthewesternmostknownHarappansitelocatedonthe
PakistaniborderwithIran.Itisthoughttohaveoncebeenonanavigableinletofthe
ArabianSea.Theusualcitadelandtownarepresent,aswellasdefensivewalls30feet
wide.SutkagenDorwouldhavebeenonthetraderoutefromLothalinGujaratto
Mesopotamiaandwasprobablyheavilyinvolvedinthefishingtradesimilartothatwhich
existstodayinthecoastalongBaluchistan.
Allthesesitesflourishedforvariousperiodsbetween3500and1700B.C.E.Thereare
Harappa.com1995201621!
probablymanymoreimportantIndussites.Somemusthavebeenlostordestroyedby
shiftingriverpaths.Othersareprobablyburiedundermoderntowns.
Whatdoesseemclearisthattheimportantsiteswereancientcommercialcenters.They
areonriversornearthecoast.Variousspecializedmanufacturingfacilitiessuggestthat
theywereheavilyinvolvedintradewitheachotherandfaroutsidetheregion.
OmarKhan

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TheAncientIndusCivilization

Introductions

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