indus valley civilisation - arise roby

Indus Valley Civilizationa Primary Phase

Culturelittle or no continuity

with the following cultures

forgotten until the 19th Century◦ rediscovered by the

British

ARISE TRAINING & RESEARCH CENTER

INDUS VALLEY CIVILISATIONa Primary Phase Culturelittle or no continuity with the following

culturesforgotten until the 19th Century

◦rediscovered by the British


Harappan CultureIndus valley

◦not desert◦well-watered and heavily forested

500 miles along the river valley◦10-20 times larger than

Mesopotamia or Egypt


India


Hydraulic Culturelike Egypt and Mesopotamiaagriculture and flood-controlsignificant industry and tradecities very common


Indus Valley


Lack of Sources literate culture

◦we cannot read the writing◦writing on bricks and seals◦did not use paper or clay tablets


“Unicorn” seal + writingARISE TRAINING & RESEARCH CENTER

More sealsARISE TRAINING & RESEARCH CENTER

…and more seals...ARISE TRAINING & RESEARCH CENTER

Seated “yogi” : early Shiva?ARISE TRAINING & RESEARCH CENTER

Reasonable generalizationsrapid development: early 2,000s

B.C.roughly contemporary with Egypt

and Mesopotamiaearly village culturechanging rapidly to urban

civilization


Generalizations, con’t cities dominated both economic

and political activityorigins of the people are unclear

◦similar to the Mediterranean type


Major CitiesHarappa and Mohenjo-daro

◦surrounded by smaller cities, towns, and villages

one situated in the northone situated in the south


Cities, con’tuniform culture over a wide areacities built on a common plan

◦a grid: always NS and EW axes with twelve smaller grids

◦kiln-dried brick


Grid map of Mohenjo-daro


Mohenjo-daro : aerial viewARISE TRAINING & RESEARCH CENTER

Mohenjo-daro view of the “Citadel”


The “Great Bath”ARISE TRAINING & RESEARCH CENTER

another view of the “Great Bath”ARISE TRAINING & RESEARCH CENTER

view of a small, side streetARISE TRAINING & RESEARCH CENTER

looks like a small tower, but actually it is a neighborhood well


A bathroom on a private residenceARISE TRAINING & RESEARCH CENTER

A public well in Harappa, or perhaps an ancient laundromat...


A large drain or sewer ARISE TRAINING & RESEARCH CENTER

Monumental architecturevery-large scale buildingwalled cites, with fortified

citadelsalways on the same scalepalaces, temples


Architecture, con’t large grain storage facilities near

templesa theocracy ??planned economy


Harappan granary


Citiesvery densely populatedhouses: two to three storiesevery house is laid out the same


Culture and Societyadvanced agriculturesurplus productiontextiles: wool and cottondomesticated animals and fish


Bronze Age technologyno swordsspears and bowsstone arrow heads


Societydominated by priests ?from the fortified palaces and

temples ?power base: fertility ?deities: male and female, both

nudebull worship and phallic symbols


A priest? A bull


Tradewith lower Mesopotamiabut gradually declined


Declinedomination of an indigenous

people ?◦who rebelled ?

foreign invasion?gradual decline ?


Combination of Changesclimate shift: the monsoon

patternsfloodingdestruction of the forestsmigrations of new peoples: the

Aryans


The Aryan InvasionsIndus civilization on the verge of

collapseabout 1500 B.C.settlement by a nomadic people

◦the Aryans


Possible route of the Aryan invasionsARISE TRAINING & RESEARCH CENTER

The Aryansnot to be confused with Hitler’s

“Aryans”these Aryans speak an Indo-

European dialectrelated to other languages like

Greek and Latin


Map of Language Families


The Aryans, con’t they called themselves “Aryans”their land: “Aryavarta”

◦land of the Aryans


Gradual settlementover a long period of timegradual infiltration more primitive than the earlier

culture


Settlement, con’t new society by 1,200 B.C. or solittle evidencenot literateno record system


Oral Traditionpassed down from priests and

singerswritten down in the 500’sThe Vedas

◦“Veda” means “knowledge”


The Vedasour primary source

◦early Aryan tradition◦later Hindu religion

four “vedas”◦the Rig Veda is the oldest


Krishna with Arjuna on the battlefield of Kuruksketra

2 points to the first person who can tell whether this is a modern or ancient painting and why?


Krishna reveals himself to Arjuna in his manifold aspects


The Vedasoral poetrycome to have a sacred characterprovide some historical

information


The Aryansrestless, warlike peopletall, blue-eyed, fair-skinneddescribe the indigenous

population as◦short, “black”, noseless, and slaves


The Aryans, con’toriginally pastoralistsfamily, clan, tribe (typical Indo-

Europeans)eventually settled down to

farmingliving in villages


The Aryans, con’t villages and kingdoms constantly

fightingWar chiefs and kingsaristocrats and freemen


The Aryans, con’tfond of fighting, drinking, chariot

racing, gambling chasing women and bragging about their spears◦any modern comparisons ???

fond of taking soma◦a psychedelic drug◦probably psychotropic mushrooms


Aryans and HindusAryans give rise to Hindu societybut different characteristics

◦cows: they ate them◦classes, but no castes◦priests subordinate to the nobility

the Mahabharata


The Iron Age: new sourcesthe Vedas: passed on orallythe Brahamanas:

interpretations on the Vedasthe Upanishads: interpretations

and symbolic studies◦forerunners of later dissenting

literature


Strain of changeIron Age change causes strain on

the class systemblurring of lines between Aryans

and Daas◦answered with the caste system


Caste Systemskin colorritual purity“Us--Them” feelingsdivine order of four castes


Caste System (“Varnas”)Brahmins: the priestsKshatriyas: the warriorsVaisyas: merchants and

peasantsSudras: non-Aryans


Caste system, produced by Brahminsliterature emphasized the divine

orderhierarchical relationshipinheritance and marriage


Caste system in practicewarrior class did not always

accept itnor the other classesthe process of evolution is still

going onthe most powerful organizer of

Indian society◦thousand of castes today


Castesdefine a person’s social universedefine a person’s standard of

conductdefine a person’s expectationsdefine a person’s futuredefine how a person deals with

others


indus valley civilisation - arise roby

News & Politics