Mohenjo Daro: RED 2: Indus Valley Civilization contd... Part 1: CITIES

RED 2: Indus Valley Civilization contd... Part 1: CITIES

• Indus Valley Civilization or Sapt Sindhu civlization had flourished because of its seven primary rivers as i have menitoned in the previous chapter.
• All the Rivers were responsible for growth of Agriculture, development of cities has been primarily due to the access of rivers and the Arabian Sea.
• Along with settlements found around the Indus and its tributaries, To date, over 1,052 cities and settlements have been found, mainly in the general region of the Sarasvati and Sutlej river and its tributaries. Among the settlements, the major cities were:

1. Mohenjo Daro ( Sindh , Pakistan)
2. Harappa (North-East Punjab, Pakistan)
3. Surkotada (Gulf of Kutch, Gujarat, India)
4. Lothal (Kutch, Gujarat, India)
5. Kalibangan (Northern Rajasthan, India)
6. Dholavira (Gulf of  Khambhat, Gujarat, India)
7. Rakhigarhi (Hisar, Haryana, India )

• The biggest irony of the above sites is that only Mohenjo Daro and Harappa  were the major cities situated on the Indus river whereas all the rest were situated as Historians claim on a now DRIED UP river which was as big as the Indus and used to flow parallel to it in the East direction.
• This river is none other than Sarasvati !
• Lothal is supposedly the closest town/city where Sarasvati river joins the Arabian sea.

Mohenjo Daro

Major Population (Early Natives, Aryans)
Maximum Population (estimated 35,000)

The great city of Mohenjo Daro

• Located in Sindh,currently Pakistan the name Mohenjo Daro  is a Sindhi name which means 'Mound of the Dead!'
• It is said to be built around 2600 BCE on the Indus river and was in the same time-frame as Ancient Egypt, Mesopotamia and Crete.
• It was rediscovered in 1922 by Rakhaldas Bandyopadhyay, an officer of the Archaeological Survey of India,who was led to the mound by a Buddhist monk, who reportedly believed it to be a stupa.
• The city is divided into two parts, the so-called Citadel and the Lower City. 
• The Citadel – a mud-brick mound around 12 metres (39 ft) high – is known to have supported public baths, a large residential structure designed to house 5,000 citizens, and two large assembly halls.

12m x 7m bath at Mohenjo Daro

• The great bath was believed to be used for sacred religious activities.
• Mohenjo-daro had a building with an underground furnace (a hypocaust) and dressing rooms, suggesting bathing was done in heated pools, as in modern day Hindu temples.
• In 1950, Sir Mortimer Wheeler identified one large building in Mohenjo-daro as a "Great Granary". Certain wall-divisions in its massive wooden superstructure appeared to be grain storage-bays, complete with air-ducts to dry the grain.
• Houses were constructed with manufactured, standardized, baked kiln bricks.
• Shops lined the main streets of Mohenjo-daro and had a grand marketplace. 
• Some houses were spacious and with a large enclosed yard.

•  Each house was connected to a covered drainage system that was more sanitary than other West Asian Civilizations.
• Many houses were multi-storied and there is also evidence of vertical drainage system for bathrooms on the top floor.

Covered Drains in Mohenjo Daro

• The people of Mohenjo-daro and Harappa shared a sophisticated system of weights and measures, using an arithmetic with decimals. 

A sitting Priest Terracotta figurine

• The people of Mohenjo-daro and Harappa manufactured pottery with fine geometric designs as decoration, and they made figurines sensitively depicting their nature and moods.
• They grew wheat, rice, mustard and sesame seeds, dates and cotton. 
• And they had dogs, cats, camels, sheep, pigs, goats, water buffaloes, elephants and chickens.
• Its a strong belief that they were Hindus due to the various seals found in Mohenjo Daro.
• There is not much proof whether these seals were used as coins but barter system was not that effective and therefore one would belive them to be a form of excahnge.

Shiva Pashupathi Seal

Oxen on a seal

• The actual city could have looked like this:

• The city also had several watch towers but they were not heavily walled like other cities in present day India.

Governance

• The administration was so spot on in Mohenjo Daro as well as Hariyupa that makes us think about the rule in these cities.
• It is believed that there were various tribes with a tribal leader and it was a male dominated society unlike Egypt.
• They also warred with non-Aryan folks for pasture lands.
• The finesse with which the city is built gives us an idea of their engineering capabilities. 

Decline of Mohenjo Daro 

• The city was found in 7 layers which indicates that it was rebuilt 7 times mostly due to the flooding of the Indus River.
• Between 1800 and 1700 BCE, civilization on the Indus Plain all but vanished.. One suspected cause is a shift in the Indus River. Another is that people dammed the water along the lower portion of the Indus River without realizing the consequences: temporary but ruinous flooding up river, flooding that would explain the thick layers of silt thirty feet above the level of the river at the site of Mohenjo-daro. 
• Another suspected cause is a decline in rainfall.Agriculture declined and people abandoned the cities in search of food.

Present Day Mohenjo Daro

• Knowledge of the Mohenjo-daro and Harappa civilization died – until archaeologists discovered the civilization in the mid-19th century.
• At present the excavation has been stopped due to negligence and erosion of the excavated remains.

SALIENT FEATURES:

1. The city is divided into two parts, the so-called Citadel and the Lower City.
2.  The Citadel – a mud-brick mound around 12 metres (39 ft) high – is known to have supported public baths, a large residential structure designed to house 5,000 citizens, and two large assembly halls.
3. The huge 12m x 7m bath at Mohenjo Daro was believed to be used for sacred religious activities which was equipped with a Heating System.
4. Shops lined the main streets of Mohenjo-daro and had a grand marketplace. 
5.  Each house was connected to a covered drainage system and many houses were multi-storied and there is also evidence of vertical drainage system for bathrooms on the top floor.
6. The people of Mohenjo-daro and Harappa manufactured pottery with fine geometric designs as decoration, and they made figurines suggesting their prowess in ARTS and SCIENCE.
7. Its a strong belief that they were Hindus due to the various seals found in Mohenjo Daro.
8. They grew wheat, rice, mustard and sesame seeds, dates and cotton. 
9. And they had dogs, cats, camels, sheep, pigs, goats, water buffaloes, elephants and chickens.
10. Between 1800 and 1700 BCE, civilization on the Indus Plain vanished.

Mehrgarh Civilization

RED 1:

Mehrgarh Civilization- Currently Balochistan, Pakistan.

Mehrgarh is located near the Bolan Pass, to the west of the Indus River valley and between the now Pakistani cities of Quetta, Kalat and Sibi i.e. almost 30 km from Sibi and could have been established on the present Bolan River which is close to drying up.

Before we learn more about the Mehrgarh civilization I would like you all to know some of the technicalities used in Archaeological circles.

A short summary of the period of ages:

1. Stone age: Earliest era of human existence, people used artifacts made of stones.Its the period before 10,200 B.C.E
2. Neolithic Age: Known as the New Stone Age, it was the last part of the Stone age and dated between the years 10200 BCE- 4500 BCE.
3. Chalcolithic Age: Known as the Copper Age which is said to be the first metal age, which is also included in the Bronze Age. Mostly found artifacts date it back to the period 5000-4000 BCE till 700 BCE.
4. Bronze Age:Bronze is an alloy made from Copper and Zinc/Tin. Mostly the time period between 3000 BCE - 1000 BCE which include the Rig Vedic period.
5. Iron Age: The last part of the Indus Valley civilization which includes the era 1200 BCE - 26 BCE as far as India is considered.

Mehrgarh Civilization:

   Major Language: Unknown

     Major population: Native Indians (25,000)

Excavated Mehrgarh village. approx 7000 BCE

• Mehrgarh was discovered and excavations begun by a French team led by Jean-François Jarrige; the site was excavated continuously between 1974 and 1986.
• Early evidence has been found suggesting that a Civilization existed in Mehrgarh as early as 7000 BCE which is 3500 years before the Indus Civilization!
• Mehrgarh is supposedly the most sophisticated, ingenuous and best planned ancient farm villages of ancient India.
•  One amazing bit of info about this town is that in 7000 BC it had a population of 25000 people, which was the number of people living in the entire Egypt in 7000 BCE. 

Earlier influence and advancement in science and arts

• Lot of influence in History has always been on Egypt and Turkey during the period 7000 BCE, but Mehrgarh was far advanced than both of them!
• Grains as old as 12000 years have been found in Jericho, Palestine but there is no instance of civilization as early as 4000 BCE! For more information on Jericho click here
• There are mud brick houses and also granaries have been found!
• The most unique discovery is the first known origin of the dental surgery and related medicinal activities exercised in Mehrgarh area. The discovery proves the great innovative mind and developmental level of those people about 9000 years ago.
• Now here it gets interesting ( IN DETAIL ):

• According to a report in the April 6, 2006 issue of Nature, Italian researchers working at a cemetery site in the Neolithic town of Mehrgarh discovered drill holes on at least eleven molars from people buried in the cemetery.
•  Light microscopy showed the holes were conical, cylindrical or trapezoidal in shape.
•  A few had concentric rings showing drill bit marks; and a few had some evidence for decay. No filling material was noted; but tooth wear on the drill marks indicate that each of these individuals continued to live on after the drilling was completed.

Drilled, maxillary left second molar from an adult male in neolithic Mehrgarh

(Museum L.Pigorini , ROME)

•  Dental caries (or cavities) are the result of sugars and starches in the food we eat. Hunter-gatherers, who rely on animal protein, do not generally have cavities; cavities associated with the use of roots and tubers, or starchy grains.
• Researchers point out that only four of the eleven teeth contained clear evidence of decay associated with drilling; however, the drilled teeth are restricted to molars in the back of both lower and upper jaws, and thus are not likely to have been done for decorative purposes. 
• Flint drill bits are known from Mehrgarh, long associated with the bead industry there. The researchers conducted experiments and discovered that using a flint drill bit attached to a bow-drill, it required under a minute to produce similar holes in human enamel.

A figurine from Mehrgarh, 3000 BCE. (Musée Guimet, Paris)

• The oldest ceramic figurines in South Asia were found at Mehrgarh. They occur in all phases of the settlement and were prevalent even before pottery appears!
• No other civilization in any other part of the world existed then; what to speak of a level of perfection in the art and craft elsewhere.
• Mostly figurines of terracotta and clay have been found along with those of stone mostly consisting of females which points to deities related to fertility rites and male figurines were also found with turbans on the heads!
• People in this part of Pakistan still wear turbans and the total amount of figurines unearthed were over 32,000!

Lifestyle and Decline of Mehrgarh Civilization

• There is evidence that people in Mehrgarh used to cultivate Wheat, Rice and Barley where Rice was the staple diet.
• They also had cattle comprising of goats and sheep. They also had the techniques for fishing.
• The first use of cotton in the history of mankind has been found at Mehrgarh.
• It leaves archaeologists stunned that Mehrgarh natives also knew Fabric Weaving!!
• The people were buried unlike in the Hindu custom where the bodies are burnt which is also interesting.
• The people were buried along with pitchers and ornaments, a custom which was also observed in Egypt!
• At the height of civilization it covered over 200 hectares or 2 square km for 25000 people!
• During the period 2500 BCE - 2000 BCE there has been a migration towards Harappa and Mohen-jo-daro and also to Nausharo which is 6 km south of Mehrgarh in the wake of Indus Valley Civilization!

SALIENT FEATURES OF MEHRGARH CIVILIZATION (SUMMARY)

• One amazing bit of info about this town is that in 7000 BC it had a population of 25000 people, which was the number of people living in the entire Egypt in 7000 BCE. 
• There are mud brick houses and also granaries in Mehrgarh as early as 7000 BCE.
• Mehrgarhians as I call them were experts in medical and dental fields and had found a cure to dental caries and could effectively remove cavities!
• The oldest ceramic figurines in South Asia were found at Mehrgarh.
• Mostly figurines of terracotta and clay have been found along with those of stone mostly consisting of females which points to deities related to fertility rites and male figurines were also found with turbans on the heads! Total amount of figurines unearthed were over 32,000!
• The first use of cotton in the history of mankind has been found at Mehrgarh.
• Mehrgarhians also knew how to weave fabric and wore it as a cloth.
• Mehrgarh stretched over 2 square kms for 25000 people!
• Mehrgarhians buried their dead with items such as pitchers and ornaments.
• The city died after the SAPT SINDHU CIVLIZATION reached its peak during the period 2500 BCE- 2000 BCE.

TWO PARTS OF INDIAN HISTORY

  TWO PARTS OF INDIAN HISTORY.

1. Well, the basic landmark that became known to the entire world as the Aryan Indian era will be considered as a benchmark by me for further events wherein I will consider events that occurred before Mauryan Civilization and parallel kingdoms.
2. Many YouTube videos which I consider interesting myself and also many amazing Articles I will be sharing with you all in the section of my blog called  pages.
3. So further on, those who would like to know more about the events after the Mauryan era please proceed in the Gold Series.
4. Whereas those would like to know the occurrence of events before Mauryan era please proceed in the Red Series.
5. I will also include SALIENT FEATURES at the end of each post if you haven;t got the time to read the whole post!  
6. I will make a sincere effort to post one topic every week and make my best effort to make it as. Interesting as possible!
7. Your feedback is very very important!!!
8. Please don't forget to comment.