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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.
Barrel-shaped vessel with a body slanted
towards outwards to its waist. The upper
side of the body is painted with images of
a fish, separated by net-like patterns, while
the lower side has a wide U-shaped object,
perhaps suggesting a hanging fishing net.
These images perhaps symbolize
prosperity as they are implying a successful
catch.
- (I.0100)
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