Ancient Indus

Chronological Context

• 2500 BCE: Harappans settle in the Indus.

• 2300 BCE: Cultural exchange between Indus and Mesopotamia.

• 1500 BCE: Marked decline in civilization.

• 1200 BCE: Aryans take over the Indus Valley.

Geography

• 1,000 miles from Himalayas to the Indian Ocean (2x the size of Mesopotamia).

• Indus and monsoons unstable.

Economic Organization

• Agriculture:– Barley, wheat, peas, melon,

dates.– Fishing and domesticaetd

animals.• Cotton:

– Dyes.– Cloth.

• Building:– Kilns, mud, bricks, and mounds.

• Granary/Trade.

Political Organization

• Planned Cities:– Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro – twin capitals?– Grids, right angles, and blocks.

– Structures:• 2 stories.• Courtyard.• No windows!

• Plumbing.

– Citadel.

Social/Cultural Organization

• Religion:– Great Bath?– Unable to decipher writing.– Polytheistic and female gods?

• Royalty?• Lapus lazuli.• Weapons – stone, bronze,

and copper.• Soapstone seals:

– Necklazes and bracelets with names, titles, trades?

Collapse?

• Natural resources?

• No trees?– Flooding and wind.

• Invasions?– Unburied skeletons with injuries.