TET - Indus River Valley Civilization (Lesson)

Indus River Valley Civilization

Map of the Indus River Valley civilization The people who formed the Indus River Valley Civilization formed the largest of the Ancient River Valley Civilizations and were called the Harappan Civilization after one of their two largest cities, Harappa. They had many similarities with the previous two civilizations studied; first being that the Harappan Civilization had its own form of writing. That much we know. Unfortunately, we don't know much more about them as archaeologists haven't found a Harappan version of the Rosetta Stone to help us decipher their script. They left us lots of written information about themselves- but we simply cannot read it. So historians have used the archaeological evidence left behind to surmise a history for them.

What We "Know" and "Why"	What We "Aren't Sure About" and "Why"
The Harappan Civilization was an urban civilization formed around two major cities with well-planned layouts: Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro along the Indus River during the 3^rd Millennium BCE. (Based on the archaeological sites of these cities.) By 3500 BCE, the Harappans were already trading along the Indus River, the Iranian Plateau, the Persian Gulf and Mesopotamia. (Based on the appearance of Harappan seal stones at archaeological sites in those areas.) Homes within the cities had indoor "plumbing" with sewer systems. (Again, based on the evidence found during archaeological digs.) Mohenjo-Daro had "the earliest public water tank of the ancient world" known as "The Great Bath." (That probably comes from a comparison of archaeological sites around the world.)	We know there was a political structure to the Harappan Civilization- but as we can't read their writing, we don't know if it was similar to the Mesopotamian city-state system, an empire system or the Egyptian system. It is difficult to know whether the Harappan Civilization had a royal family as they did not build palaces or royal tombs (from, again, that not-knowing-what-they-wrote thing) even though they did create busts of special people. They might have been a very peaceful people as archaeologists have unearthed very little evidence of warfare and weaponry.

What We "Know" and "Why"

What We "Aren't Sure About" and "Why"

The Harappan Civilization was an urban civilization formed around two major cities with well-planned layouts: Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro along the Indus River during the 3^rd Millennium BCE. (Based on the archaeological sites of these cities.)
By 3500 BCE, the Harappans were already trading along the Indus River, the Iranian Plateau, the Persian Gulf and Mesopotamia. (Based on the appearance of Harappan seal stones at archaeological sites in those areas.)
Homes within the cities had indoor "plumbing" with sewer systems. (Again, based on the evidence found during archaeological digs.)
Mohenjo-Daro had "the earliest public water tank of the ancient world" known as "The Great Bath." (That probably comes from a comparison of archaeological sites around the world.)

We know there was a political structure to the Harappan Civilization- but as we can't read their writing, we don't know if it was similar to the Mesopotamian city-state system, an empire system or the Egyptian system.
It is difficult to know whether the Harappan Civilization had a royal family as they did not build palaces or royal tombs (from, again, that not-knowing-what-they-wrote thing) even though they did create busts of special people.
They might have been a very peaceful people as archaeologists have unearthed very little evidence of warfare and weaponry.

As you can see, until something emerges that will allow archaeologists to decipher the meaning behind the script of the Harappans, our knowledge of this "largest of the ancient river civilizations" is at an impasse. What we do know, though, is that the Indus River Valley Civilization was located at a very favorable spot for agriculture and trade. The Indus River was far more friendly and predictable than the Nile River or the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers, allowing for a more hospitable agrarian (agricultural) setting. And it was centrally located between Africa, Europe and Asia so to provide expansive trade routes- both over land and water. Another piece of information that we do know is that, despite these advantages, the Harappan Civilization went into decline around the time of the same great drought that affected the Egyptians and the Sumerians. By 1700 BCE, the Harappan Civilization was all but gone as pastoral nomads and transhumant herders moved into the area on horse-drawn chariots just as they had done in Egypt and Mesopotamia to take over what was left.

Vedic Period (1500-500 BCE)

Vedic Period Map In the 1500s BCE, another group of pastoral nomads with flocks of cattle and horses arrived along the Indus River. The new arrivals called themselves Aryans and came from the steppes of Inner Eurasia. They sang religious chants known as the Veda (or "knowledge"); which is why historians refer to them as the Vedic Peoples. Their arrival brought a fusion of local culture and Vedic culture- sometimes naturally, sometimes forcefully. The local culture adopted the Vedic religious traditions and language of Sanskrit while passing on their knowledge of an agrarian life. The Vedic Peoples adopted the local patterns of farming and commerce (which countered the Vedic Peoples' pastoral traditions) while expanding trade routes beyond the Indus Valley (which complied with their nomadic traditions). Over time, the fusion of the two cultures led to the setting up of competitive kingdoms along the Indus River and beyond, though it took much longer there than it did in Southwest Asia (Mesopotamia.) These kingdoms were based on rigid social stratification- varna - that separated the social groups into which one was born. Another result of the fusion was the evolution of Hinduism as the main religion for the civilization.

Those living in the Indus River Civilization founded the religion of Hinduism. It is a polytheistic religion with a number of Hindu gods and goddesses that are responsible for myriad things on Earth. According to Hindu tradition, Hindu gods can appear in various forms- even as other gods. The most well-known Hindu gods are Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva, and Lakshmi. But Hinduism is very diverse and ancient Hindus practiced their religion in their own personal ways that revealed their devotion to different specific gods. (For example, the Aryans that first arrived along the Indus River had as their chief god, Indra, the deity of war. This might explain the violence that accompanied the arrival of the Aryans in the area and why the Indus River Valley Civilization spread so vastly during the Vedic Period.)

About this image - "The three greatest Hindu deities are shown here together with their consorts. They are sometimes regarded as a trinity, who together represent aspects of the supreme godhead. The four-headed Brahma, holding copies of the oldest Indian sacred scriptures, the Vedas, together with his consort Saraswati, symbolizes the power of creation. Next to him the blue Vishnu, with his consort Lakshmi, represents the energy that upholds and preserves creation. To their right, Shiva and his wife Parvati, embodies the power of destruction. All three divine couples sit on lotus flowers, which are one of the most ancient Indian symbols of purity and spiritual power. This painting may have been made for the enjoyment of a local nobleman or ruler and was probably the work of local artists in north-west India.' (Image and description courtesy of V&A Museum. Public Domain)

No one knows for certain when Hinduism began; but it is known as the world's oldest living religion and most religious scholars agree that it started with the arrival of the Aryans. During the 5^th and 4^th centuries BCE, the practice of Hinduism grew significantly. Aryan, or Vedic, priests passed on the Hindu chants and hymns in the form of oral tradition long before they were written down in the Vedas. The Vedas are the four Books of Knowledge that contain the Hindu prayers, hymns, religious rituals and philosophy written in Sanskrit. The Vedas were put to paper over a period of time beginning around 1500 BCE and explain the Hindu version of how the earth was created and how society was divided into four main classes (Varna)- priests, warriors and princes, merchants and farmers, and then servants. Over time, more social divisions emerged creating the caste system of Hinduism. At the end of the Vedic Period, new religions or philosophies challenged the beliefs written in the Vedas and Hindus added more literature to their scriptures. The new texts contained moral laws that focused on the relationship between self and reality and discussed selflessness and discipline. The later writings, combined with the Vedas served to guide Hindus in their practice of Hinduism, which includes the teachings on reincarnation. Hindus, then and now, believe that when people die their souls are reborn into a new body based on their behavior during their previous life. According to Hindu tradition, a person's karma, or past actions, determines the status of a person's rebirth- the better the karma, the better the next life. This cycle of reincarnation only ends when a person has reached a full understanding of self and reality.

In South Asia, home of the Indus River Valley Civilization, people unified over a shared language (Sanskrit) and shared belief systems (Hinduism), rather than through a unified political system or by military conquests as occurred along the Nile River and in Mesopotamia.

Recap Section

Watch the presentation below to review what you have learned.

RESOURCES IN THIS MODULE ARE OPEN EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES (OER) OR CREATED BY GAVS UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED. SOME IMAGES USED UNDER SUBSCRIPTION.