INDUS VALLEY CIVILIZATION - INTRODUCTION
The Indus Valley Civilization (IVC) is one of the oldest civilizations in the world which started from around 3300 BCE to 1300 BCE and is also known as Harappan civilization. It is widely spread over the vast areas of present-day Pakistan, northwestern India, and northeast Afghanistan. The first sites of this civilization were discovered in the valley of the Indus and its tributaries. Therefore, its name given as Indus valley civilization or Indus civilization.
The official announcement of the discovery of the Indus valley civilization was made by John Marshall, Director General of Archaeological Survey of India in 1924. This discovery uncovered the India’s important past which was roughly contemporary to the time period of Mesopotamian and Egyptian civilization. These 3 are considered as great Bronze Age civilizations. With the static discoveries , different perspectives and views were added by historians in the histography of this civilization led to various debates and discussions among them. The 2 earliest known sites of this civilisation were Mohenjodaro and Harappa now located in Indus valley of present-day Pakistan.
Geographical Extent
In geographical terms, Indus Valley Civilization covers a huge area, it ranges between 6,00,000 – 8,00,000 sq. km of area. Many of the Indus valley civilisation’s cities were situated along the course of Indus river , which flows from the mountains of western Tibet , through the disputed region of Kashmir and southwestward before emptying into the Arabian sea near the modern city of Karachi , Pakistan.
Other IVC cities were located in major rivers such as the Ghaggar- Hakra , Sutlej , Jhelam , Chenab and the Ravi rivers, or on the alluvial floodplains between rivers. Other IVC cities are located in northwest India and a few additional cities are in Afghanistan.
The northernmost site is Manda in Jammu, the southernmost site is located in Malwan in Surat district of southern Gujarat. The westernmost limits are marked by Makran coast of Pakistan and the easternmost is Alamgirpur in Uttar Pradesh.
There is also an isolated site situated at Shortughai in Afghanistan. Several sites were found recently in the present Haryana. Most sites have been found in Afghanistan; in the NWFP of Pakistan, Sindh, Baluchistan , Punjab of Pakistan ; in Haryana , Punjab , Gujarat, Rajasthan and western Uttar Pradesh of India.
Excavations and Discoveries by Historians
In 1826, James Lewis (better known as Charles Masson, 1800-1853 CE), a British soldier serving in the artillery of the East India army deserted the army and embarked on a series of travels throughout India., who stood on the mounds of Harappa, a village in Sahiwal district of Punjab. But he seems to left the site fairly quickly, after making record of it in his notes but, having no knowledge of who could have built the city.
Many decades later , in the 1850s , Harappa was visited by Alexander Cunningham(1814-1893 CE) , a military engineer with the East India Company , founded the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) in 1861 CE. When he re-visited Harappa in 1872, he became Director General of the newly established Archaeological Survey of India.
He began excavations of the site and published his interpretation in 1875 CE but in his work Harappa remained isolated with no connection to any past civilization. In 1904, John Marshall (1876-1958 CE) , a new Director General of the ASI, ordered the site to be fully excavated.
In 1920, Daya Ram Sahni started excavations at Harappa and at the same time , he heard about another site some miles away which the local people referred to as Mohenjodaro (“the mound of the dead”). R.D. Banerjee started excavations of Mohenjodaro in 1921. With the similarities of the two sites ; the formal announcement of the discovery of the Indus Valley Civilisation was did by John Marshall in 1924.
Phases of the Indus Valley Civilization
According to the discoveries and findings the chronology of this civilisation is arranged and therefore divided into different phases:
- Early Harappan phase
This phase dated back between c.3300 BCE – c.2600 BCE. This phase is related to the Hakra phase, identified in the Ghaggar- Hakra River valley. It witnessed the emergence of settlements with rudimentary urban features in the Indus Valley. These early communities displayed initial signs of craftmanship and trade. Appreciable diversities in craft production have been recorded.
- Mature Harappan phase
The mature Harappan phase , spanning between c. 2600 – c.1900 BCE. This phase marked as the peak of the Indus Valley Civilisation. Flourishing cities, advanced urban planning , , sophisticated craftmanship and complex trade networks characterized this period.
- Later Harappan phase
The late Harappan phase lasting from c.1900 to c.1500 BCE. It saw a gradual decline in urbanisation and centralized authority in the Indus Valley. Major cities were disintegrated, shifts seen in settlement patterns, and changes in trade routes marked this phase , signifying the gradual decline of civilisation.