Page 25 - SST Class 06

people adopt other professions including trade. The site at Mohenjodaro was excavated by Rai
People start to take interest in crafts and arts. The Bahadur Daya Ram in 1912 AD, and the site at
economic and social statuses of the people are Harappa was excavated by R.D. Banerjee about
varied. They use a language in its spoken and the same time.
written form. And there is some system of
government to regulate the law and taxes. Source of Information
The excavations conducted at different sites have
Many such civilisations developed in different
helped the archaeologists to reach certain
parts of the world. The important ones included
the Tigris-Euphrate civilisation in Mesopotamia, conclusion; however there is much scope for
the Nile valley civilisation in Egypt, Harappan speculation; because the Harappan script has not
been deciphered so far. This is the reason that
civilisation in the Indus valley, and the Hwang-Ho
civilisation in China. Here we shall concentrate much of our knowledge about this civilisation
ourselves on the Harappan civilisation. rests on conjecture.
As the north-west is a large area, so we shall study
HARAPPAN CIVILISATION Harappa and Mohenjodaro as they deserve special
(CIRCA 2500 BC TO 1500 BC) attention.

Discovery Harappan Towns
The civilisation which sprouted in the Indian The towns at Harappan and Mohenjodaro were
subcontinent flourished in the north-west region. divided into two parts. One part was built on the
It is called by several names as the Indus valley raised ground and the other part was built on the
civilisation or Indus-Saraswati civilisation. It is also lower part. The raised or upper part was called the
called the Harappan civilisation because the first citadel . The citadel comprised of important
excavations were made at Harappa in West buildings, like workshops, factories, granaries,
Punjab (now in Pakistan) and Mohenjodaro in baths and the houses of important buildings. It is
Sindh (now in Pakistan). The name of Harappan believed that in case of floods and external attacks,
civilisation was adopted because it was found that the people took shelter in the citadel. The towns
such a civilisation existed in an extensive area were remarkably
ranging in north-western India, north-central India, planned. There were
Sindh (now in Pakistan), Baluchistan (now in houses on either side of
Pakistan), Ropar and Sanghol in Punjab, Lothal in the roads. The streets cut
Gujarat, Mitathal in Haryana and Bamwali in one another at right angle.
western Uttar Pradesh. The streets were broad,
ranging from 9 feet to 30 Granary of Harappa
INDUS VALLEY
CIVILISATION Indus C H I N A feet. The streets were
Major Centres
Other Cities remarkably straight and it
Peshawar
Peshawar
Indus Valley Civilisation
Present International- Taxila is believed that the wind
Boundary Gumla lum Chen b ab a helped to clean the roads.
Chen
F HANIS AN Pariano Jhe Ravi Beas Ropar
Gumla
T
Pariano
A G Sut luj This helped in dividing
IRAN Nausharo HARAPPA Sanghol Rakhigarhi the town into rectangular
Chandigarh
Dabar Kot
P A K I S T Alamgirpur
Alamgirpur
Jhukar I dus A N Mitathal Bamwali NE PAL blocks. The main street at Great Bath of Mohenjodaro
n
MOHENJODARO Yam
MOHENJODARO
Kot Diji
Shahitump Kot Diji Kalibangan una Ga nga Mohenjodaro was about
Suktagendor N D I A
Chanhu-Daro
Ghazi Shah Chanhu-DaroI 800 metres long and 40
Solka Koh
Gharo Bhiro
Allahdino Amri Gharo Bhiro feet wide. The most
Trop Dholvavira
ic of Can er Desalpur
Desalpur
c
Surkotada important buildings in the
Kutanshi
A R A B I A N Lothal Narmada citadel were granaries .
Rangpure
Nageshwar Rojdi Rangpure
S E A Ta pi These rectangular
Padri
Prabhas Patan Padri Bhagatrav
Indus Valley Civilisation buildings were used for Drainage system
First Cities
25