ICSE · Grade 6

Ch. 1: Indus Valley Civilization

India's first known urban Bronze Age civilization (2500–1500 BCE), also called Harappan Civilization, famous for planned cities, drainage, the Great Bath, trade, and seals.

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1.1 Origin 1.2 Location 1.3 Main Characteristics of the Indus Valley Civilization 1.4 Decline of the Indus Valley Civilization
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# Level 2 — Full Concept Breakdown ## Definition The Indus Valley Civilization (IVC) / Harappan Civilization was a **Bronze Age urban culture** (c. **2500–1500 BCE**) of the Indian subcontinent, one of the world's three early civilizations (with Egypt & Mesopotamia). ## Origin (Why it matters) - Discovered by **Dayaram Sahni** (Harappa, 1921) and **Rakhal Das Banerji** (Mohenjo-daro, 1922–23) - Divided into **Early Harappan** and **Mature Harappan** periods - Cleared the myth that Indian history began only with Aryans ## Location - Stretch: **Baluchistan (Pakistan) → Gujarat** - First excavated city: **Harappa** (Montgomery district, western Punjab) → name "Harappan" - **Mohenjo-daro**: Larkana district, Pakistan - Other sites: Lothal, Ropar, Kalibangan, Alamgirpur, Surkotada, Banawali, Rakhigarhi, Dholavira - ~**2800 sites** → largest ancient civilization by area ## Main Characteristics | Area | Key Points | |------|------------| | Rivers | Mohenjo-daro on **Indus**; Harappa on **Ravi** | | Society | Rulers, merchants, traders, labourers | | Food | Wheat, barley, peas, mustard, lentils, fruits, milk, meat, fish, eggs | | Dress | Cotton & woollen; men: dhoti & shawls | | Ornaments | Gold/silver/ivory (rich); shell/bone/copper (poor) | | Family | Strong units; indoor games; toys; **Dancing Girl** bronze | | Town plan | Citadel + Lower town; grid streets; advanced drainage | | Buildings | Baked bricks; Great Bath; Granary; Assembly Hall | | Work | Farming (first cotton), animals, trade (Lothal dockyard), crafts, seals | | Religion | Mother Goddess, pipal tree, yogic figure; **no temples**; afterlife belief | ## Decline (~3900 years ago) 1. Natural calamities (flood, earthquake, epidemic) 2. Possible foreign invasion (e.g. Aryans) 3. River Indus changed course → land less fertile ## Exceptions / Common mix-ups - Not only Indus river — many sites far away - Script **not yet deciphered** - No clear temples found (different from Egypt)
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Topics in this chapter

  • 1.1 Origin
    Bronze Age civilization 2500–1500 BCE. One of three early civilizations with Egypt and Mesopotamia. …
  • 1.2 Location
    From Baluchistan to Gujarat. First city excavated: Harappa (Montgomery, Punjab). Mohenjo-daro in Lar…
  • 1.3 Characteristics
    Rivers, society, food, dress, ornaments, family life, town planning, architecture, occupations, seal…
  • 1.3.7 Town Planning
    Citadel + Lower town. Streets at right angles. Scientific covered drainage with manholes.…
  • 1.3.8 Architecture
    Baked bricks, Great Bath, Great Granary, Assembly Hall, dwelling houses with wells and bathrooms.…
  • 1.3.9 Occupation
    Agriculture (first cotton cultivators), animal domestication, trade (Lothal dockyard), art & craft.…
  • 1.3.10 Seals
    2000+ seals of clay, soapstone, copper. Animals and script. Script still undeciphered.…
  • 1.3.11 Religious Beliefs
    Mother Goddess, yogic figure, pipal tree, amulets, burial with goods, life after death. No temples f…
  • 1.4 Decline
    Around 3900 years ago. Theories: floods/earthquakes/epidemics, Aryan invasion, river course change.…

Philosophy check

  • What is this civilization?
  • Why was it advanced?
  • How did cities work?
  • Where do we still see these ideas?
  • Exams — what will be asked?