Indus Valley Civilisation — Study Notes
Overview
The Indus Valley Civilisation (IVC), also called Harappan Civilisation, was one of the world's earliest urban cultures (circa 2500–1900 BCE). It flourished along the Indus and its tributaries, covering modern-day Pakistan and northwest India. For UPSSSC PET, you must understand its urban planning, economy, seals, script, and reasons for decline. Questions typically test factual recall about sites, town planning features, artefacts, and comparative knowledge of contemporary civilisations. Unlike Mesopotamia and Egypt, the IVC had no monumental temples or royal tombs, yet showed remarkable standardisation and civic sense. Master the key sites (Harappa, Mohenjodaro, Lothal, Dholavira), their unique features, and the unresolved mysteries like the script and decline theories.
The exam expects you to identify which site had which feature (e.g. dockyard at Lothal, Great Bath at Mohenjodaro), recognise artefacts (seals, pottery, beads), and distinguish the Harappan culture from Vedic culture. Knowing the geographical spread and periodisation (Early, Mature, Late Harappan) helps contextualise the civilisation's longevity and eventual collapse. Since the script remains undeciphered, focus on archaeological evidence—town plans, drainage, standardised weights, and trade links.
Key Concepts
- **Mature Phase (2500–1900 BCE)**: The urbanised, standardised phase when major cities like Harappa and Mohenjodaro flourished with grid planning, brick structures, and advanced drainage systems. This is the classical Harappan period.
- **Urban Planning Excellence**: Cities built on a grid pattern with streets intersecting at right angles, fortified citadels on raised platforms, well-planned residential areas (lower town), uniform burnt brick construction, and sophisticated drainage with covered drains and soak pits.
- **Absence of Monumental Architecture**: Unlike Egypt (pyramids) or Mesopotamia (ziggurats), IVC lacked grand palaces or temples, suggesting an egalitarian or merchant-oligarchy governance rather than divine kingship.
- **Standardisation Across Sites**: Uniform brick size ratio (1:2:4), standardised weights and measures (binary and decimal systems), similar pottery styles (wheel-made, red/black), and consistent seals indicate centralized planning or strong cultural integration over a vast area.
- **Trade and Economy**: Agriculture (wheat, barley, cotton cultivation earliest evidence), domesticated animals (cattle, buffalo, sheep), extensive internal and external trade (Mesopotamia, Central Asia) evidenced by seals, beads, shell objects, and urban marketplaces.
- **Seals and Script**: Over 4000 seals mostly steatite (soapstone), depicting animals (unicorn, bull, elephant, tiger), human figures, and short inscriptions in undeciphered Harappan script (400+ symbols). Seals likely used for trade, administrative control, or religious purposes.