The Indus Valley civilization was
rediscovered in 1920-21 when engraved
seals were unearthed in the Punjab province
of Pakistan at a site called Harappa, a name
which is often used to describe the
civilization as a whole. Subsequent
excavations at Harappa revealed the size
and complexity of this ancient city. Other
sites were unearthed as well along the
banks
of the Indus River, including the equally
large
city of Mohenjodaro. Through
archaeological and historical research, we
can now say for certain that a highly
developed urban civilization flourished in the
Indian subcontinent over five thousand
years
ago. Though the Indus Valley script remains
undeciphered, the numerous seals, statuary,
and pottery discovered during excavations,
not to mention the urban ruins, have
enabled
scholars to construct a reasonably plausible
account of the Indus Valley civilization.
Some kind of centralized state, and certainly
fairly extensive town planning, is suggested
by the layout of the great cities of Harappa
and Mohenjodaro. The same kind of burnt
brick appears to have been used in the
construction of buildings in cities that were
several hundred miles apart. The weights
and measures also show a very
considerable
regularity, suggesting that these disparate
cities spread out across a vast desert
shared
a common culture. The Indus Valley people
domesticated animals, and harvested
various crops, such as cotton, sesame,
peas, barley, and cotton. Indus Valley seals
have been excavated in far away cities such
as Sumer, suggesting that a wealthy
merchant class existed, engaged in
extensive trading throughout the
subcontinent and the Near East.
Other than the archaeological ruins of
Harappa and Mohenjodaro, these seals
provide the most detailed clues about the
character of the Indus Valley people. Bulls
and elephants appear on these seals, but
the
horned bull, most scholars agree, should
not
be taken to be congruent with Nandi, for the
horned bull appears in numerous Central
Asian figures as well. The women portrayed
on the seals are shown with elaborate
coiffures, sporting heavy jewelry, suggesting
that the Indus Valley people were an urbane
people with cultivated tastes and a refined
aesthetic sensibility. A few thousand seals
have been discovered in Indus Valley cities,
showing some 400 pictographs: too few in
number for the language to have been
ideographic, and too many for the language
to have been phonetic.
Considering the size of this civilization, it is
puzzling that no monumental art remains,
glorifying the names of the powerful rulers
or
wealthy merchants who could have afforded
to construct such memorials. Instead, we
find an emphasis on small, elegant art and
sophisticated craft technology. Three-
dimensional representations of living beings
in the Harappan world are confined to, with
a
few exceptions, small terracotta figurings.
Ranging in size from a few inches to a foot
in
height, the anthropomorphic and animal
terracotta figurines from Harappa and other
Indus Civilization sites offer a rich reflection
of Harappan life in the Bronze Age.
Traditionally, the terracotta figurines have
been described as toys. Other objects such
as carts, wheels, and cots discovered
alongside the figurines has only reinforced
this notion. However, whether these figures
were idols meant to be worshipped or
merely
charming representations of daily life meant
to entertain children remains debatable.
