Harappan Civilisation and Early Indian History
What the domain covers
This domain examines the Harappan, or Indus, Civilisation and the earliest Indian history: chronology, urban layout, economy, society, religion and decline. For Code 128, questions often ask you to distinguish evidence from inference, because the script is unread and much interpretation rests on archaeology.
Core rules and concepts
- Chronology: early Harappan c. 3300-2600 BCE; mature urban phase c. 2600-1900 BCE; late Harappan c. 1900-1300 BCE.
- Key sites: Harappa and Mohenjo-daro in the Indus valley; Dholavira in Kutch with reservoirs; Lothal in Gujarat with a dockyard; Rakhigarhi in Haryana; Kalibangan in Rajasthan.
- Urban features: grid streets, burnt-brick houses, covered drains, citadel and lower town, granaries, and the Great Bath at Mohenjo-daro.
- Economy: wheat, barley, pulses and cotton; cattle, sheep and buffalo; craft specialisation in beads, shell and metal; internal and Mesopotamian trade, with Meluhha possibly referring to the Indus region.
- Seals with animal motifs and an undeciphered script; standardised weights, often in ratios such as 1, 2, 4, 8 and 16.
- Religion: terracotta female figurines, the so-called Pashupati seal, and possible tree and water worship; no unambiguous temple has been identified.
Worked example
A question asks what a seal showing a humped bull and signs tells us. Reasoning: the seal is administrative or ritual, its repeated motifs suggest cultural conventions, and its findspot links it to trade or storage. Because the signs cannot be read, we can describe function and context but not name a ruler or language. Conclusion: the seal is evidence of craft, administration and interregional contact, not of a deciphered Harappan religion.
Traps
Do not claim the script is deciphered or that the civilisation had no religion. Do not repeat the old invasion story that Aryans destroyed Harappa; decline is explained by multiple factors, including river shifts, climate and trade breakdown. Do not confuse Harappa in Punjab with Mohenjo-daro in Sindh.