Transcript Indus Valley Civilization

Indus Valley Civilization
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a Primary Phase Culture
little or no continuity with the following
cultures
forgotten until the 19th Century
– rediscovered by the British, while building
railroads
Harappan society and its
neighbors, ca. 2000 B.C.E.
Harappan Culture
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Indus valley
– not desert
– well-watered and heavily forested
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500 miles along the river valley
– 10-20 times larger than Mesopotamia or
Egypt
Foundations of Harappan Society
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The Indus River
– Silt-enriched water from mountain ranges
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Major society built by Dravidian
peoples, 3000-2500 BCE
– Cultivation of cotton before 5000 BCE, early
cultivation of poultry
– Decline after 1900 BCE
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Major cities: Harrapa (Punjab region
and Mohenjo-Daro (mouth of Indus
River)
– 70 smaller sites excavated (total 1,500)
India
Harappan culture sites
Hydraulic Culture
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like Egypt and Mesopotamia
agriculture and flood-control
significant industry and trade
cities very common
Lack of Sources
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literate culture
– we cannot read the writing
– writing on bricks and seals
– did not use paper or clay tablets
“Unicorn” seal + writing
More seals
…and more seals...
Seated “yogi” : early Shiva?
Reasonable generalizations
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rapid development: early 2,000s B.C.
roughly contemporary with Egypt and
Mesopotamia
early village culture
changing rapidly to urban civilization
Generalizations, con’t
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cities dominated both economic and
political activity
origins of the people are unclear
– similar to the Mediterranean type
Major Cities
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Harappa and Mohenjo-daro
– surrounded by smaller cities, towns, and
villages
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one situated in the north
one situated in the south
Mohenjo-Daro Ruins
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Population c. 40,000
Regional center
– Layout, architecture suggests public purpose
– Broad streets, citadel, pool, sewage
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Standardized weights evident
throughout region
Specialized labor
Trade
Cities, con’t
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uniform culture over a wide area
cities built on a common plan
– a grid: always NS and EW axes
• with twelve smaller grids
– kiln-dried brick
Grid map of
Mohenjo-daro
Mohenjo-daro : aerial view
Mohenjo-daro
of the “Citadel”
view
The “Great Bath”
another view of the “Great Bath”
view of a small, side street
looks like a small
tower, but actually it
is a neighborhood
well
A bathroom on a private residence
A public well in Harappa, or perhaps an
ancient laundromat...
A large drain or sewer
Monumental architecture
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very-large scale building
walled cites, with fortified citadels
always on the same scale
palaces, temples
Architecture, con’t
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large grain storage facilities near
temples
a theocracy ??
planned economy
Harappan granary
Cities
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very densely populated
houses: two to three stories
every house is laid out the same
Culture and Society
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advanced agriculture
surplus production
textiles: wool and cotton
domesticated animals and fish
Bronze Age technology
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no swords
spears and bows
stone arrow heads
Society
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dominated by priests ?
from the fortified palaces and temples ?
power base: fertility ?
deities: male and female, both nude
bull worship and phallic symbols
A priest?
A bull
Trade
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with lower Mesopotamia
but gradually declined
Decline
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domination of an indigenous people ?
– who rebelled ?
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foreign invasion?
gradual decline ?
Combination of Changes
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climate shift: the monsoon patterns
flooding
destruction of the forests
migrations of new peoples: the Aryans
The Aryan “Invasion”
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Aryans, lighter-skinned invaders from
the north
Dravidians, darker-skinned sedentary
inhabitants of Harappa
Color Bias
Socio-Economic Implications
Difficulty of theory: no evidence of
large-scale military conquest
Possible route of the Aryan invasions
The Aryans
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not to be confused with Hitler’s “Aryans”
these Aryans speak an Indo-European
dialect
related to other languages like Greek
and Latin
The Aryans, con’t
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they called themselves “Aryans”
their land: “Aryavarta”
– land of the Aryans
The Early Aryans
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Pastoral economy: sheep, goats,
horses, cattle
– Vegetarianism not widespread until many
centuries later
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Religious and Literary works: The
Vedas
– Sanskrit: sacred tongue
– Prakrit: everyday language, evolved into
Hindi, Urdu, Bengali
– Four Vedas, most important Rig Veda
• 1,028 hymms to gods
Gradual settlement
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over a long period of time
gradual infiltration
more primitive than the earlier culture
Settlement, con’t
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new society by 1,200 B.C. or so
little evidence
not literate
no record system
Oral Tradition
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passed down from priests and singers
written down in the 500’s
The Vedas
– “Veda” means “knowledge”
The Vedas
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our primary source
– early Aryan tradition
– later Hindu religion
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four “vedas”
– the Rig Veda is the oldest
Krishna with
Arjuna on the
battlefield of
Kuruksketra
2 points to the first
person who can tell
whether this is a
modern or ancient
painting and why?
Krishna reveals
himself to Arjuna
in his manifold
aspects
The Vedas
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oral poetry
come to have a sacred character
provide some historical information
The Aryans
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restless, warlike people
tall, blue-eyed, fair-skinned
describe the indigenous population as
– short, “black”, noseless, and slaves
The Aryans, con’t
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villages and kingdoms constantly
fighting
warchiefs and kings
aristocrats and freemen
The Aryans, con’t
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fond of fighting, drinking, chariot racing,
gambling chasing women and bragging
about their spears
– any modern comparisons ???
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fond of taking soma
– a psychedelic drug
– probably psychotropic mushrooms
Aryans and Hindus
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Aryans give rise to Hindu society
but different characteristics
– cows: they ate them
– classes, but no castes
– priests subordinate to the nobility
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the Mahabharata
The Iron Age: new sources
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the Vedas: passed on orally
the Brahamanas: interpretations on the
Vedas
the Upanishads: interpretations and
symbolic studies
– forerunners of later dissenting literature
Strain of change
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Iron Age change causes strain on the
class system
blurring of lines between Aryans and
Daas
– answered with the caste system
Caste System, 1000 BC
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skin color
ritual purity
“Us--Them” feelings
divine order of four castes
Caste System (“Varnas”)
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Brahmins: the priests
Kshatriyas: the warriors
Vaisyas: merchants and peasants
Sudras: non-Aryans
Caste system, con’t
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produced by Brahmins
literature emphasized the divine order
hierarchical relationship
inheritance and marriage
Caste system in practice
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warrior class did not always accept it
nor the other classes
the process of evolution is still going on
the most powerful organizer of Indian
society
– thousand of castes today
Castes
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define a person’s social universe
define a person’s standard of conduct
define a person’s expectations
define a person’s future
define how a person deals with others
Books you can read
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Bridget and Raymond Allchin. The Rise of
Civilization in India and Pakistan.
A.L. Basham. The Wonder That Was India.
Walter A. Fairservis. The Roots of Indian Tradition
Jonathana Mark Kenoyer. Ancient Cities of the Indus
Valley Civilization
Juan Mascaro, trans. The Upanishads
Stuart Piggott. Prehistoric India
Romila Thapar. A History of India
Romila Thapar. Recent Perspectives of Early Indian
History