Harappan (Indus Valley) Civilisation: Origins, Features and Decline — Part 8: FAQ

FAQ

Q1. What is the time period of the Harappan Civilisation? The Harappan Civilisation spans approximately 6000 BCE to 1300 BCE in total. The Early Harappan (formative) phase lasted from 6000 BCE to 2600 BCE, the Mature (urban) phase from 2600 BCE to 1900 BCE, and the Late (decline) phase from 1900 BCE to 1300 BCE. The urban transition happened around 2600 BCE, and by c. 1800 BCE most Mature Harappan sites in Cholistan had been abandoned.

Q2. Why did the Harappan Civilisation decline? No single cause explains the decline of the entire civilisation. The two most widely accepted factors are: (a) a broad climatic change from around 2200 BCE causing reduced rainfall and a drier phase, making agriculture more difficult; and (b) the drying up of the Sarasvati River in its central basin, causing cities along it — such as Kalibangan and Banawali — to be abandoned. Other proposed factors include deforestation, ecological degradation, flooding, and internal political fragmentation. The Aryan invasion theory proposed by Wheeler (1947) has been largely discredited by the archaeological findings of Dales (1964) and the archaeogenetic evidence from the 2019 Rakhigarhi DNA study.

Q3. What was the Great Bath at Mohenjodaro? The Great Bath is a large rectangular tank (approximately 12 x 7 metres) located on the Citadel at Mohenjodaro. It was made watertight using bricks set on edge with a mortar of gypsum, and water from the tank flowed into a huge drain. It is interpreted as a structure used for ritual bathing, given its prominent position on the Citadel alongside other public structures. Since most houses in Mohenjodaro already had individual bathrooms, the Great Bath was evidently not an ordinary public bath.

Q4. How did the Harappans trade with Mesopotamia? Harappan trade with Mesopotamia was primarily maritime, using land routes (bullock carts), riverine routes along the Indus, and coastal sea routes. The Harappans exported carnelian, lapis lazuli, copper, gold, and wood to Mesopotamia, which referred to the Harappan region as Meluhha. Evidence includes Harappan seals, weights, dice, and beads found at Mesopotamian sites, and large Harappan jars coated with black clay found at Omani sites. Harappan carnelian beads have been excavated at Susa (present-day Iran). Omani copper and Harappan artefacts both contain traces of nickel — indicating a common source for the copper. Dilmun (Bahrain) weights followed the Harappan standard.

Q5. Has the Harappan script been deciphered? No. The Harappan script, which has between 375 and 400 signs, remains undeciphered. Most inscriptions are short — the longest contains about 26 signs — and there is no bilingual inscription that would allow scholars to decode it. The script was written from right to left and was evidently not alphabetical. It was found on seals, copper tools, jars, tablets, jewellery, bone rods, and a signboard at Dholavira. Until it is deciphered, fundamental questions about the language of the Harappans and the content of their records remain unanswered.

Cross-references

• For the sources and methods used to study ancient India, see Sources of Ancient Indian History
• For the civilisation that followed, see Vedic Age: Early and Later