Selección de componentes sin necesidad de adaptación

Skills Practice Skills Reminder

A Historian’s View

Read the following description of Harappa and Mohenjo Daro by a historian who has studied the region:

“At Harappa and Mohenjo Daro the basic form of the ideal Indus city was achieved. . . . on the west a citadel mound built on a high podium of mud brick. . . and to the east, dominated by the citadel, a lower city. . . . The architects of the citadel platform were . . . troubled by the prospects of flooding and to counter this danger they protected the citadel by a mud-brick embankment. . . . [The Great Bath] occupied a central area in the citadel. . . . The Great Bath may have been part of a reli- gious and ceremonial center, offering ritual immersion and perhaps the services of resident priesthood. . . . To the north and east of the Great Bath were other large and prestigious [important] buildings, which may have been the offices or quarters of administrators. . . . Divided into rectangular blocks by the street pattern, the individual buildings of the lower city differed considerably in size and function. . . . Nearly all the larger houses were equipped with wells, indoor bathroom platforms and seated latrines

connected to sewers underneath the streets. . . . In addition to residential areas, there were many shops and workshops, producing wares for local consumption and for export: for example, potteries, dyers’ vats and metalworkers’, shell-ornament makers’ and beadmakers’ shops. . . . Wheat and barley were two staple crops. . . . The agricultural surplus made it possible to support a number of crafts

and specialists. . . .”

Economic

division of labor specialization of crafts variety of services products made for export crop surplus

Technological

architectural skill city planning flood protection

and water drainage system

Categories of Progress

This baked-clay sculpture from Mohenjo Daro shows well-developed artistic techniques.

Rich farmlands surrounded Harappa and Mohenjo Daro. Harappan farmers grew cotton, wheat, barley, and rice. They also raised cattle, sheep, pigs, and goats. To irrigate their fields, the farmers built canals and ditches. Successful farming practices allowed Harappan farmers to raise surplus crops for storage and trade.

City dwellers were involved in the production or trade of goods. As early as 2300

B.C. they traded with people of the Tigris-Euphrates River valley. Indus River valley

craft workers made fine goods. Products included cotton cloth, pottery, bronze items, and gold and silver jewelry.

The early Indus River valley people also developed a written language, as evidenced by pictographs dating from about 2300 B.C. Scholars have not yet been able

to read these, however. This is because most of the pictographs that have been found are personal seals that may bear the names of individuals. Writing has also been found on clay pots and fragments, but scholars have been unable to connect this writing to any other language.

No Harappan temples, shrines, or religious writings have been found. Scholars believe, however, that people of the Indus River valley worshiped a great god and used images of certain animals, such as the bull, the buffalo, and the tiger, in religious rituals. Evidence indicates that a mother goddess symbolized fertility. Harappans may have held religious ceremonies in their homes or in outdoor locations, such as around sacred trees. We do not know why the Indus River valley civilization disappeared. There are sev- eral possible reasons. Scientists do know that the waters of the Indus River valley have changed course in the past. Floods caused by these shifts destroyed settlements and would have made life difficult for farmers. Some evidence suggests possible violence from invading forces. There is also evidence of a major earthquake striking the region in about 1700 B.C. Several unburied skeletons were

found at Mohenjo Daro, and people appear to have abandoned their homes and possessions. This seems to indicate that some disastrous event occurred at Mohenjo Daro, but evidence to verify this theory has not been found.

READING CHECK: Drawing Inferences

What does the size of Harappa’s grain store- houses tell us about the city’s population?

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SECTION 1REVIEW

SECTION 1REVIEW

2. Analyzing Information Copy the graphic organizer below. Use it to analyze the influence of geography and climate on early Indus River valley civilization.

3.

a. In what ways did the physical setting of the Indus River valley encourage the growth of civilization?

b. What evidence suggests that people of the Indus River valley had contact with other early civilizations?

4.

Supporting a Point of View Write a paragraph from the point of view of a young person in Harappa describing what you like most about life in your city.

Consider:

• what seemed important to the people of the city • how the people of the city made their livings

keyword: SP3 HP3

Indus River Valley Civilization

Geography Climate

The pictographs on these Harap- pan seals may symbolize indi- viduals’ names. Industry and Trade in the Indus River Valley

Trade was an important part of life in the Indus River valley. Artisans made both decorative and practical goods to trade. Decorative articles included ceramic beads, ornaments, and gold and silver jewelry. Useful goods included bronze and copper tools, pots and pans, and stone tools.

Among the most interest- ing art objects are seals like the ones shown below. These Harappan seals have been found in the Tigris-Euphrates region near Sumerian sites.

What might explain the appearance of these seals so far from the Indus River valley?

Understanding Economics

56 CHAPTER 3

Indo-Aryan