Hariyupa (Harappa)

RED 3: INDUS VALLEY CIVILIZATION CONTD... PART 1: CITIES

Hariyupa originally the name of this city seems to have the name from HARI which is a name of Lord Shiva in Hindu Religion.
Another such city in India is Haridwar in Uttar Pradesh state.

(Harappa) Hariyupa
Major Population-(Early Natives, Aryans)
Maximum Population-(15000-23,500 approx)

Lost city of Harappa

• Harappa is an archaeological site in Punjab, northeast Pakistan, about 24 km (15 mi) west of Sahiwal.
• The site at Harappa was damaged in 1857 when the engineers were constructing the Lahore-Multan railway, used bricks from the Harappa ruins for track ballast, and found an extremely large number of artifacts.
• (Psst! Presently the city lies in ruins due to the negligence of Pakistan Govt. and could have been a site proposed for an amusement park if Mr. Ahmed Dani hadn't intervened! )
•  The bricks discovered were made of red sand, clay, stones and were baked at very high temperature.  
• Artifacts and clues discovered at Mohenjo-Daro have allowed archaeologists to reconstruct this civilization. 
• The similarities in plan and construction between Mohenjo-Daro and Harappa indicate that they were part of a unified government with extreme organization.
• Most of the city layout and plan is similar to Mohenjo Daro. Refer RED 2!
•  Both cities were constructed of the same type and shape of bricks.
•  The two cities may have existed simultaneously and their sizes suggest that they served as capitals of their provinces. 

The best thing which I personally like about the Indus Civilization is:

• Evidence suggests that this civilization did not have social classes.
•  Remains of palaces or temples in the cities have not been found.

The layout of the city which shows no signs of a distinct palace

•  It is possible that the Harappans were a peaceful civilization. The cities did contain fortifications and the people used copper and bronze knives, spears, and arrowheads.
• The Harappan civilization was mainly urban and mercantile.
•  Inhabitants of the Indus valley traded with Mesopotamia, southern India, Afghanistan, and Persia for gold, silver, copper, and turquoise.
• The Mesopotamian model of irrigated agriculture was used to take advantage of the fertile grounds along the Indus River. 
• Earthlinks were built to control the river's annual flooding.
• Most of the artwork from this civilization was small and used as personal possessions. 

clay vessel along with design

• They grew cotton and also knew the art of fabric weaving!
• The first objects unearthed from Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro were small stone seals.  
• These seals were inscribed with elegant portrayals of real and imagined animals and were marked with the Indus script writing. 
• The seals could have been used as currency as alleged by many scholars.

seals depicting various animals

seal showing relation of harappans and animals

God of animals-Pashupati found at Harappa

•  The seals suggest a symbolic or religious intent. 
• Stone sculptures carved in limestone or alabaster depict a male figure who may have represented a god.
•  Pottery figures were shaped into humans and animals. 
• Very few bronze figures have been recovered.

• Harappans developed the art of writing!
• Clay tablets unearthed at Harappa, which were carbon dated 3300-3200 B.C., contain trident shaped and plant like markings, and they are suggested as a possible earliest writings anywhere in the world, as opined by Dr. Richard Meadow of Harvard University and Director, Harappa Archeological Research Project

symbols used in INDUS SCRIPT

• We can observe Indus Script in the various seals unearthed.This script has not been completely decoded yet!

GRADUAL DECLINE:

• The Harappan civilization experienced its height around 2500 BC and began to decline about 1900 BC. 
• There are many reasons for its decline.
•  One theory suggests that the Aryan people migrated into this area. Aryan religious texts and human remains in Mohenjo-Daro suggest that the Aryans may have violently entered the area, killing its inhabitants and burning the cities.
• This civilization may have begun to decline before the Aryans arrived. The inhabitants of the Indus valley dispersed before the Aryans slowly entered the area as a nomadic people and were then able to take over this area since most of the inhabitants had previously left. 
• Another cause of the dispersal of the Harappans could have been a result of agricultural problems. Topsoil erosion, depletion of nutrients from the soil, or a change in the course of the Indus River may have forced these people to leave their towns and move northeastward in search of more fertile land.

Here's Where it gets interesting again!

• Harappa was a cosmopolitan city. Many of the deceased had grown up outside Harappa—the first direct evidence that "individuals were indeed migrating to the city," 
•  Migrants may have come to Harappa for MARRIAGE!
•  Many of the outsiders, surprisingly, are men buried near women native to Harappa. 
• The findings are preliminary, but they suggest men moved in with their brides, even though in South Asia women traditionally move to their husband's homes. would point to a "system where women were powerful."

Burial at Harappa

• Experts have long thought that the Indus region was indeed vastly different from ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia in one respect: the level of violence.
•  Based on the lack of evidence for mass destruction of any Indus cities, the Indus is often described as a "peaceful civilization." 
• But another group of Harappan skeletons tells a darker story! This was covered by The National Geographic channel!
• Bones from about 1900 to 1700 B.C make it clear that at least some Harappan residents were subjected to savage violence. 
• The skull of a child between four and six years old was cracked and crushed by blows from a club-like weapon. 
• An adult woman was beaten so badly—with extreme force, according to researchers—that her skull caved in.
•  A middle-aged man had a broken nose as well as damage to his forehead inflicted by a sharp-edged, heavy weapon.

This skull of an adult male shows traces of a broken nose and a blunt-force injury.

Photograph courtesy Gwen Robbins Schug

• Of the 18 skulls examined from this time period, nearly half showed serious injuries from violence.
• Is this is a coincidence that during the decline of this civilization violence was running riot?
• Could it be that Aryans,the founder of Vedas and peaceful living could subject to such cruel violence???
• The mystery remains unsolved.

 SALIENT FEATURES

• The similarities in plan and construction between Mohenjo-Daro and Harappa indicate that they were part of a unified government with extreme organization.
• Both cities were constructed of the same type and shape of bricks.
• The Harappan civilization was mainly urban and mercantile.
•  Inhabitants of the Indus valley traded with Mesopotamia, southern India, Afghanistan, and Persia for gold, silver, copper, and turquoise.
• They grew cotton and also knew the art of fabric weaving!
• The first objects unearthed from Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro were small stone seals.  
• These seals were inscribed with elegant portrayals of real and imagined animals and were marked with the Indus script writing. 
• Women are supposedly the more powerful sex in harappan civilization.
• The first forms of writing were probably developed by the Harappans!
• The seals could have been used as currency also.
• The Aryans could have attacked these cities causing their decline in 1900 B.C.

Stay tuned i will be explaining more about the two gujarat cities lothal and dholavira which were important trade cities and this fabled state is till date assumed the manufacturer of businessmen and businesswomen!