The Indus Valley Civilization Chapter Notes | History Class 6 ICSE PDF Download

What is Civilization?

• Civilization refers to a developed society where many people live in cities or urban areas.
• People lead settled, prosperous lives with advancements in technology.
• It began when early farmers produced extra food, allowing time for other activities like pottery, weaving, and trading.
• Barter system led to trade, transforming nomadic lifestyles into settled ones.

Disappearance of Cultures

• When a civilization vanishes, it leaves behind physical evidence and myths.
• The city of Pompeii in Italy was buried by a volcanic eruption in 79 BCE but was not forgotten due to its remains.
• Natural disasters like floods or eruptions rarely destroy entire cultures; decline is usually gradual.
• The fall of the Roman Empire in 476 BCE, after defeats by German tribes, led to the rise of the Byzantine Empire in the eastern Mediterranean.

The Earliest Civilizations

• The Mesopotamian, Egyptian, Indus Valley, and Chinese civilizations are the world’s earliest.
• These are called River Valley civilizations as they developed along rivers.
• Mesopotamian civilization, between Tigris and Euphrates rivers in modern Iraq, is the oldest, known as the Cradle of Civilization.
• Egyptian civilization grew along the Nile River in Africa.
• Chinese civilization developed around the Hwang-Ho River.
• Indus Valley civilization flourished along the Indus River and its tributaries.

Features of ancient civilizations:

• Developed along rivers.
• Had urban centers with many cities.
• Engaged in farming, animal domestication, pottery, and weaving.
• Invented writing and smelted metals.
• Participated in trade and mining.
• Had organized governments.
• Made advancements in science and technology.

The Indus Valley Civilization

• It is the earliest civilization in the Indian subcontinent, flourishing from 2500–1500 BCE.
• Developed along the Indus River and its tributaries in northwestern India, now parts of Pakistan, Afghanistan, and India.
• Also called Harappan civilization, named after Harappa, the first excavated site.

Discovery

• In 1856, British engineers found Harappa ruins while laying railway lines between Karachi and Lahore.
• They used high-quality burnt bricks from Harappa’s old buildings for the railway.
• In the 1920s, excavations began at Harappa and Mohenjodaro.
• Harappa, in Punjab’s Montgomery district, Pakistan, was excavated by Daya Ram Sahni along the Ravi River.
• Mohenjodaro, meaning ‘Mound of the Dead’ in Sindhi, is in Sindh’s Larkana district, Pakistan, excavated by Rakhal Das Banerji along the Indus River.

Extent

• Spread across modern-day Pakistan, Indian states (Punjab, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Haryana), Afghanistan, and Baluchistan.
• Other important sites include Kalibangan (Rajasthan), Lothal, Dholavira, Rojdi (Gujarat), Banawali (Haryana), and Rupar (Punjab).

Main Features of the Indus Valley Civilization

• Classified as a Bronze Age civilization as people used bronze (copper mixed with tin) but not iron.
• Bronze Age followed the Neolithic Age, around the same time as the Chalcolithic Age in some regions.

Town Planning

• Indus cities were well-planned, first noticed atmediatly noticed at Harappa and Mohenjodaro.
• Cities were divided into two parts:

Citadel

• The citadel was the raised part of Indus cities, built on a man-made brick platform.
• It held important buildings like the Great Bath at Mohenjodaro and granaries at Harappa and Mohenjodaro.
• Fire altars were found at Kalibangan and Lothal, likely used for rituals or household purposes.

Lower Town

• The lower town was the area where common people lived in the Indus cities.
• Houses were built on both sides of the streets, showing a well-planned layout.
• Drains and important structures were made of burnt bricks, while houses were usually made of mud bricks.
• Burnt bricks were a special feature of this civilization and were not used on such a large scale elsewhere in the world at that time.
• The roads were wide and crossed each other at right angles, dividing the city into rectangular blocks.
• Houses were generally one or two storeys tall, with rooms built around a courtyard.
• There were both large and small houses in the lower town.
• Most houses had separate bathing areas and a well to provide water.

Drainage System

• Highly advanced with covered drains in straight lines and gentle slopes.
• House drains connected to street drains, leading to larger ones.
• Inspection holes at intervals for cleaning.

Occupations of the People

• Grew wheat, barley, peas, cotton, and other crops.
• Used ploughs and sickles; toy plough models found.
• Domesticated cattle, sheep, goats, and buffalo; horses were unknown.
• Continued hunting, fishing, and gathering fruits.
• First to grow cotton.

Mining

• They mined and gathered raw materials like copper, semi-precious stones, timber, and shells.
• This led to the development of different crafts.

Metal Casting

• They made tools and weapons from copper and bronze.
• The bronze dancing girl statue is a famous find, showing their skill in casting bronze.
• The bronze dancing girl is displayed at the National Museum in New Delhi.
• She has many bangles on her left hand, wears a three-bead necklace, and her hair is styled in an elaborate plait.

Ornament Making

• They made ornaments from copper, gold, silver, clay, and precious and semi-precious stones.
• They also used faience (a type of glazed earthenware) to make jewellery like rings, bracelets, and necklaces.
• Both men and women wore these ornaments.

Pottery Making

• The Indus people were skilled at using the potter’s wheel.
• Their pottery was red with black designs of animals and geometric patterns.
• Broken pieces of pottery with these designs have been found at many sites.

Weaving

• They wove cloth, as seen from woven fabric found at Mohenjodaro.
• Spindle whorls made of terracotta and faience were used to spin thread.
• A stone figurine of a bearded man, called the priest-king, shows him wearing an embroidered garment.
• This shows the Indus people were skilled in spinning and weaving.

Sculpture Making

• They made sculptures from copper and bronze.
• Many stone and terracotta toys were found at different sites.
• Examples include bird-shaped whistles, miniature carts, and a toy bullock with a head that moves when a string is pulled.

The Indus Seals

• Many seals have been found at different Indus sites.
• They come in various sizes and show carvings of animals, trees, humans, and writing.
• Most seals are flat and shaped either square or rectangular.
• They are made of steatite, which is a soft stone.
• Seals were likely used for trading purposes.
• They may have been used to stamp wet clay on packages of goods to seal them.
• The stamp mark on the clay is called a sealing.
• Some seals might have been used as amulets by merchants for identification.

The Indus Script

• A pictographic script, possibly derived from Sumerian pictograms.
• Symbols represent sounds or words but remain undeciphered.
• Found on seals; Sumerians invented early writing using cuneiform (wedge-shaped signs on clay tablets).

Trade

• Traded goods, expanding culture and connecting with distant lands.
• Seals and port towns like Lothal indicate a strong trade culture.
• Imported copper from Rajasthan, gold from Karnataka, lapis lazuli and turquoise from Afghanistan or Persia, and jade from Central Asia or Tibet.
• Seals and objects found in Mesopotamia show trade links.

Religion

• Worshipped nature, with seals showing sacred peepal trees and humped bulls.
• Seals with a horned headdress male figure (Pashupati, linked to Shiva) in yogic postures, surrounded by animals.
• Terracotta female figures with elaborate headdresses represent the Mother Goddess.
• No temples found; Great Bath may have been used for religious rituals.
• Fire altars at Kalibangan and Lothal used for rituals.
• Graves with pots, food, and ornaments suggest belief in life after death.

Case Study: Lothal

• Located along a Sabarmati River tributary in Gujarat, near the Gulf of Khambhat.
• Divided into citadel and lower town.
• Had a large brick structure, likely the world’s oldest dockyard for trade.
• Important center for crafting stone, shell, and metal objects.
• Found a storehouse with seals and a bead-making workshop.

Case Study: Dholavira

• Located on Khadir Island in the Rann of Kutch, Gujarat.
• Divided into three parts: citadel, middle town, and lower town, each with stone walls and gateways.
• Had an open area between citadel and lower town for public functions.
• Unique large Harappan script inscription on white stone inlaid in wood.

Decline of the Indus Valley Civilization

• The Indus Valley Civilization lasted from around 2500 BCE to 1500 BCE.
• The exact reasons for its decline are unknown, but historians have suggested some possibilities:
• Epidemics or natural disasters like floods and earthquakes might have caused the decline.
• Environmental changes due to deforestation (cutting trees for bricks and metal smelting) or grazing by cattle, sheep, and goats could have dried up the land and reduced its fertility.
• Rivers might have dried up, or the Indus River could have changed its course, leaving cities without water and forcing people to move.
• Another theory suggests an invasion by foreigners, possibly the Aryans, as fractured skulls found at Harappa and Mohenjodaro indicate a possible massacre.
• These reasons do not fully explain the decline of the entire civilization.

Meanwhile

• Egyptian kings built pyramid tombs for burial, preserving bodies as mummies.
• Buried with food, drink, clothes, ornaments, tools, and sometimes slaves or servants.
• Among the most elaborate burials in history.