INDUS RIVER CIVILIZATION
Started about 2500 B.C
Located in the north – western region of Indian subcontinent
The civilization is famous for its large and well-planned cities
1,052 cities and settlements have been found
Harappa and Mohenjo - Daro
OVERVIEW
GEOGRAPHYCovered most of what is today Pakistan
and the Indian states of Gujarat, Rajasthan, Haryana, and Punjab
The huge Indus river system waters a rich agricultural landscape.
Indus plain is surrounded by high mountains, desert and ocean, and at that time dense forest to the east.
WELL – PLANNED
CITIES
Farming settlements grow into large and sophisticated urban centers
Communities were controlled by efficient governments
The urban planning included the world's first known urban sanitation systems
Sewerage and Drainage systems were far in advance of anything found in contemporary urban sites in the Middle East.
They built dockyards, granaries, warehouses, brick platforms, and protective walls “CITADELS”
ECONOMY
The development of widespread irrigation systems allowed the indigenous population to provide food for themselves.
Domestication of animals also served as an important tool for cultivation and as a source of food.
Natural borders consisted of mountains and the Arabian Sea, sheltering the civilization from attack and disease.
The economy depended greatly on trade
Bullock carts
Script has not been deciphered.
Over 400 distinct Indus symbols (some say 600) have been found on seals, small tablets, or ceramic pots, and on over a dozen other materials.
Hinduism - some Indus Valley seals show swastikas
- Mother Goddess ”Fertility”
Buddhism
WRITINGS AND RELIGION
shells, ceramic
glazed beads
Pottery
gold jewellery
anatomically detailed figurines in terra-cotta, bronze, and soapstone
ARTS AND CRAFTS
First civilization in the world to develop precise measurement and weighing equipment
The first to develop a system of uniform weights and measures
The engineering skill of the Indus people was of a very high order
SCIENCE
Men worked within their designated caste social class
Caste system with four main classes
Brahmins (priests and the king) Kshatriyas (warriors and aristocrats - rulers) Vaishyas (cultivators, artisans, and merchants) Shudras (peasants and serfs)
Women were valued because of their ability to produce offspring and nurse
GENDER ROLES
REFERENCES
http://www.rivervalleycivilizations.com/indus.php
http://www.timemaps.com/civilization/Indus-Valley-civilization
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