Indus Valley Civilization (2500-1500)


Indus-Valley Civilization (2500 BC - 1500 BC) 




  • Sir John Marshall, appointed as director-general in 1920, was instrumental in identifying the ancient Indus Valley Civilization with the help of his deputies Daya Ram Sahni and R.D. Banerjee. 
  • This civilization prospered in and around of Indus River. and its tributaries
  • So far 1400 sites were excavated belonging to Indus Valley Civilization: 80 % of the sites found were outside the Indus valley, so the naming of culture is bit issue among the scholars. So traditionally. .this site is being known as Indus valley civilization but Scholars also name it variously. Harappa was the first site (type site) found in 1921. So this civilization is also known as Harappan Civilization. Also known as Bronze Age Civilization, cause bronze was first time used by Indus Valley people in India, Copper - mixed tin is called bronze.
  • Protohistoric civilization: Though we have the available script it is not yet deciphered so this age does not come in historic neither prehistoric so a new transitional age was created by scholars and inserted this age into it called protohistoric. Paleographers failed to decipher the scripts because of the two reasons. No alphabets only pictures (pictographic), ideas were expressed in the form of pictures. Scripts were found on very seals which were very small in size and the pictographs were also limited to them (more than 4000 seals were excavated made of Steatite). Seals were rectangular or square not more than one centimeter or 1/2cm. This script is boustrophedon.
  • Contemporary civilizations to Indus valley civilization outside India were
- Sumerian / Mesopotamian Civilization (Daob - Tigris River & Euphrates River). The script used by this people is known as cuneiform.
- Egyptian Civilization (At Nile River & its tributaries). The Script used by this people is known as hieroglyphic.

- Chinese Civilization (At Hwangho River Valley)
  • Contemporary cultures of Indus valley civilization in India were
- Neolithic cultures of Kashmir and South India
- Aahar culture (chalcolithic culture)

- OCP culture of Indo Gangatic basin (Chalcolithic culture)
  • Though these cultures had good trade and commerce relations with Indus valley people they did not adopt each other's culture. They were independent but at the same time, interdependent. This explains a lack of plasticity of mind and non-adoptability nature of the people. 
  • There is no accurate information on beginning and termination of the civilization. So there is no consensus among the scholars regarding dating this civilization. VarioUs scholars proposed various dates like 'John Marshal' hypothetically dated this civilization belonging to the period of 3250 BC - 2750 BC. Later 'Martimum Wheeler' (DG in the year 1940) dated this between 2500 BC - 1500 BC initially and later corrected it to 1750 BC. Fair Service in his book called Prehistoric India dates this civilization to period between 2000 BC - 1500 BC. 'Dr. Agarwal' on the basis of C14 method confirms as 2300 BC - 1750 BC. So generally, this civilization is expected to flourish between 2500 BC - 1500 BC.
  • As per the geographical extent is a concern this civilization is considered to be largest and biggest than any civilization in the world. The total area is 13000000 Sq. Km roughly. This is greater than present Pakistan. It is 20 times bigger than contemporary Egyptian civilization, 12 times bigger than combined are of Egyptian and Sumerian civilization. Its boundaries as of today are 
- Northern- farthest site found was at Manda (Chenab River,Tributary of Indus),J & K.
- Southern -- farthest site found was at Daimabad, Maharashtra, Pravara River (Tributary of Godavari). At Daimabad initially Indus civilization flourished than later chalcolithic cultures prospered. It means initially it experienced urbanization and later low culture.
- Eastern - farthest site found was at Alamgipur, UP, Hindon River (Tributary of Yamuna).

- Western — farthest site found was at Sutkejandaro, Pakistan, at the borders of Afghanistan-Iran (Afghan-Iranian Border).
  • Indus Valley Civilization is a cosmopolitan culture, heterogeneous practices and cultures. 
  • Four races have built this Indus Valley Civilization & identified as Mongoloids, Proto-Austrolids, Alpinoids, Meditterian (Dravidians). Meditterian were major contributors. This is a racial term, whereas a Dravidian is a linguistic term. 
  • More than 300-400 cities have been excavated, so far. 


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