Category 3 · Ancient History
Indus Valley Civilisation
11 micro topics in Ancient History for UPSC Prelims, in book order: Origin, Extent and Phases of the Harappan Civilisation; Town Planning and Structures of the Harappan Civilisation; and 9 more.
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3.1
Origin, Extent and Phases of the Harappan Civilisation
The Harappan or Indus Valley Civilisation, India's first urbanisation, grew out of Baluchistan's Neolithic and Hakra-area settlements and flourished in its mature urban phase from about 2600 or 2500 to 1900 BC across about 1.3 million…
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3.2
Town Planning and Structures of the Harappan Civilisation
Harappan cities were planned on a grid with a citadel above and a lower town below, built largely of standardised burnt bricks, with covered drains, house courtyards and bathrooms. Key structures are the Great Bath (11.88…
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3.3
Agriculture and Domestication of Animals in the Harappan Civilisation
The Harappan economy rested on flood-plain agriculture: seeds were sown in November after the Indus flood receded and harvested in April. They grew two types of wheat and barley, peas, sesamum, mustard, rai, cotton (the earliest…
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3.4
Technology and Crafts of the Harappan Civilisation
Harappan urbanism was based on a Bronze Age technology: smiths made bronze by mixing copper with tin (sometimes arsenic), though both metals were imported, so bronze tools are few. Other crafts were bead-making (carnelian, steatite), shell…
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3.5
Trade and Commerce of the Harappan Civilisation
Harappan cities lacked raw materials, so trade in stone, metal and shell, by barter, linked them to Rajasthan, Afghanistan, Iran and Mesopotamia, which called the Indus land Meluha. Goods moved by bullock-carts with solid wheels and…
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3.6
Social Organisation and Polity of the Harappan Civilisation
Harappan society was hierarchical: a citadel for rulers, a middle town for officials and merchants and a lower town for common people, with houses of one to twelve rooms and two-roomed barracks for labourers. The uniform…
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3.7
Religious Practices of the Harappan Civilisation
Without a readable script, Harappan religion is inferred from objects: terracotta female figurines suggesting an earth or mother goddess, a seal showing a horned deity in a yogic posture (called Pashupati, though doubtful), stone phallus-like and…
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3.8
Harappan Script, Seals, Weights and Measures
The Harappan script, found since 1853 and complete by 1923, is a mainly pictographic script of about 250 to 400 signs on some 4000 to 5000 inscribed objects, mostly short texts on seals, written right to…
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3.9
Harappan Pottery, Images, Terracotta Figurines and Stone Work
Harappan pottery was wheel-made, deep red-slipped and painted black with pipal leaves, circles, fish-scales and zigzags, in forms such as dish-on-stand and perforated jars. Art included the bronze dancing girl, a steatite bearded male statue, many…
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3.10
Decline of the Indus Civilisation
The urban Harappan culture declined from about 1900 BC: Harappa and Mohenjo-daro were gone by then, while degenerate forms lasted in Gujarat, Rajasthan, Haryana and western UP to about 1500 BC. Suggested causes include rivers shifting…
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3.11
Post-Harappan Cultures and the Problem of Continuity
After 1900 BC the urban Harappan culture gave way to post-urban, mostly Chalcolithic village cultures (1900 to 1200 BC) in Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Swat and western UP, with late sites like Rangpur, Bhagwanpura and Alamgirpur.…
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Frequently asked questions
Which topics are in Indus Valley Civilisation?
Indus Valley Civilisation has 11 micro topics in Ancient History: Origin, Extent and Phases of the Harappan Civilisation; Town Planning and Structures of the Harappan Civilisation; Agriculture and Domestication of Animals in the Harappan Civilisation; Technology and Crafts of the Harappan Civilisation; Trade and Commerce of the Harappan Civilisation; Social Organisation and Polity of the Harappan Civilisation; Religious Practices of the Harappan Civilisation; Harappan Script, Seals, Weights and Measures; Harappan Pottery, Images, Terracotta Figurines and Stone Work; Decline of the Indus Civilisation; Post-Harappan Cultures and the Problem of Continuity.
Is Indus Valley Civilisation important for UPSC Prelims?
Indus Valley Civilisation is a part of the UPSC Prelims Ancient History syllabus map on MaargX UPSC. Each of its 11 published topics has key terms, a Mains angle and practice questions.