Earliest Cities

Fifty to a hundred years ago, Punjab engineers found the Harappan site in Pakistan during the construction of railways. They found the highest quality of bricks in the Harapan walls. They took those bricks from the Harappan walls and used them in the railway construction. Engineers destroyed many buildings by taking away the bricks. About 100 years ago, Archeologists found the oldest site of Harappa in the subcontinent. Harappa was developed 4700 years ago

Speciality of Harappan Cities

• CITADEL – Harappan cities on the west side, small but at high altitude
• LOWER TOWN  –  East part of Harappan cities, large in size but lower
• Harappan cities are found in Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, Sind, and Gujarat
• Archeologists found several objects such as red pottery painted with designs in black, seals, copper tools

Baked Bricks

• Archeologists found that their building was constructed using baked bricks
• Because of the usage of baked bricks, it lasted for thousands of years
• Harrapans used the bricks with interlocking technology. That is also one of the reasons for the strength of the walls

The Great Bath

• On the citadel side, many buildings were built
• The great bath is located in Mohenjodaro
• It is built out of baked bricks and was coated with plastics
• To prevent water leakage in the great bath, all the walls were coated with plaster and natural tar
• Two side steps are available in the great bath
• Many rooms were built around the great bath
• In Great Bath, the water was filled up from the wetland; it was drained out manually after usage
• On special occasions, people often used to take a dip in the great bath
• Fire altars were built in the Mohenjodaro andCity of Lothal

Houses, Drains, and Streets

• Houses were built with separate bath areas with one or two stories
• All the used water from the drains on streets and smaller drains leads to bigger ones
• Rulers of the Harappan city sent people to another city to collect precious metals like gold, silver, beautiful beads, and sandstone
• Both men and women in the Harappan cities made craft products for homes
• Many terracotta toys were found in the excavation of Harappan civilization sites
• Faience is one of the artificial products found in the Harappan civilization, which was used to make beads, bangles, earrings, and tiny vessels
• Faience products with shiny and glassy looks were generally blue or sea green

New Crafts in the City

• Most of the things in the Harappan civilization were made of stone, gold, silver, shell, metal, bronze and were used for making ornaments and weapons as well
• They made seals out of stones
• Around 7000 years ago, cotton was grown at Mehrgarh. They use cotton clothes to cover the silver and copper vase
• In Harappan civilization, spindle whorls were made of terracotta and faience
• Many people were specially trained in cutting stones, polishing beds and carving seals

In search of raw materials

• Some of the raw materials used in the Harappan period were available in the local market, while some were collected from distant places
• Harrapans got copper from the present-day Rajasthan
• From Afghanistan, they used to get tin to produce bronze
• From Karnataka, they got gold
• From Gujarat, Afghanistan, Iran, they got precious stones

Food for people in the cities

• Farmers reared animals and grew food crops to supply food to the craft person, scribes, and rulers
• Many crops such as peas, rice, wheat, barley linseed, and mustard were grown in this region
• Rainfall was low in the Harappan civilization, hence irrigation was limited
• They hunt wild animals like antelope
• They caught fish and collected fruits like bar
• They use tools for plowing.
• They domesticated buffalo, cattle, goats, and sheep

Dholavira

• The city of Dholavira was known for fresh water and fertile soil located in Khadir Beyt in the Rann of Kutch
• Massive walls and a gate surrounds the three parts of Dholavira
• Public events were conducted in the basement. Many carvings with unique writings, which is similar to that of writing in the seals, were found in Harappan civilization

City of Lothal

• It is located in Gujarat, close to the Gulf of Khambhat
• Dockyard was found in Lothal. It was used by boats and ships to supply goods
• Many precious stones, beads, some pieces of boats, tools, precious ornaments, and seals were found here

The mystery of the end

• About 3900 years ago, people stopped living there as many rivers dried up, and lots of fuel was required to make baked bricks that led to deforestation
• Archeologists have found lots of waste materials in the streets of Mohenjo Daro
• After 1400 years, new cities developed
• Till now, no explanation can be given

Important dates to remember

• About 7000 years ago, first sign of cotton at Mehrgarh
• About 4700 years ago, the development of Harappan cities
• About 3900 years ago, the end of this civilization
• About 1400 years ago, new cities were developed

Conclusion

The Harappan civilisation forms the ancient history of India. It involves architectural and cultural practices ahich are followed still in the Indian Society. They have been the forerunners in the brick making technology as well as various types of jewellery still used by people in India. Their irrigation methods are of utmost importance.

Related Articles: