Indus Civilization
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NARTAMONGЖ 2013 Vol. Х, N 1, 2 F. R. ALLCHIN ARCHEOLOGICAL and LANGUAGE-HISTORICAL EVIDENCE for the MOVEMENT of INDO
NARTAMONGÆ 2013 Vol. Х, N 1, 2 F. R. ALLCHIN ARCHEOLOGICAL AND LANGUAGE-HISTORICAL EVIDENCE FOR THE MOVEMENT OF INDO-ARYAN SPEAKING PEOPLES INTO SOUTH ASIA The present Symposium serves a useful purpose in focusing our attention upon the difficulties encountered in recognising the movements of peoples from archeological evidence. One of the reassuring aspects of the broad inter- national approach which is experienced in such a gathering is that it serves to show the common nature of the problems that confront us in trying to re- construct the movements of the Indo-Aryans and Iranians, whether in the South-Russian steppes or the steppes of Kazakhstan; the Caucasus or the southern parts of Middle Asia properly speaking; or in Iran, Afghanistan, Pa- kistan or India. Perhaps this is why there were recurrent themes in several pa- pers, and why echoes of what I was trying to express appeared also in the pa- pers of others, notably in those of B. A. Litvinsky and Y. Y. Kuzmina. In particular, there seems to be a need for a general hypothesis or model for these movements. Such a model must be inter-disciplinary, combining the more limited models derivable from archeological, historical, linguistic, anth- ropological and other categories of data. Strictly speaking, the several hypo- theses derived from each of these categories should first be formulated inde- pendently, and then as a second stage they should be systematically compared to one another. Only when there do not appear to be serious contradictions be- tween them should they be regarded as ready for incorporation into the general model. -
Pre-Proto-Iranians of Afghanistan As Initiators of Sakta Tantrism: on the Scythian/Saka Affiliation of the Dasas, Nuristanis and Magadhans
Iranica Antiqua, vol. XXXVII, 2002 PRE-PROTO-IRANIANS OF AFGHANISTAN AS INITIATORS OF SAKTA TANTRISM: ON THE SCYTHIAN/SAKA AFFILIATION OF THE DASAS, NURISTANIS AND MAGADHANS BY Asko PARPOLA (Helsinki) 1. Introduction 1.1 Preliminary notice Professor C. C. Lamberg-Karlovsky is a scholar striving at integrated understanding of wide-ranging historical processes, extending from Mesopotamia and Elam to Central Asia and the Indus Valley (cf. Lamberg- Karlovsky 1985; 1996) and even further, to the Altai. The present study has similar ambitions and deals with much the same area, although the approach is from the opposite direction, north to south. I am grateful to Dan Potts for the opportunity to present the paper in Karl's Festschrift. It extends and complements another recent essay of mine, ‘From the dialects of Old Indo-Aryan to Proto-Indo-Aryan and Proto-Iranian', to appear in a volume in the memory of Sir Harold Bailey (Parpola in press a). To com- pensate for that wider framework which otherwise would be missing here, the main conclusions are summarized (with some further elaboration) below in section 1.2. Some fundamental ideas elaborated here were presented for the first time in 1988 in a paper entitled ‘The coming of the Aryans to Iran and India and the cultural and ethnic identity of the Dasas’ (Parpola 1988). Briefly stated, I suggested that the fortresses of the inimical Dasas raided by ¤gvedic Aryans in the Indo-Iranian borderlands have an archaeological counterpart in the Bronze Age ‘temple-fort’ of Dashly-3 in northern Afghanistan, and that those fortresses were the venue of the autumnal festival of the protoform of Durga, the feline-escorted Hindu goddess of war and victory, who appears to be of ancient Near Eastern origin. -
Autochthonous Aryans? the Evidence from Old Indian and Iranian Texts
Michael Witzel Harvard University Autochthonous Aryans? The Evidence from Old Indian and Iranian Texts. INTRODUCTION §1. Terminology § 2. Texts § 3. Dates §4. Indo-Aryans in the RV §5. Irano-Aryans in the Avesta §6. The Indo-Iranians §7. An ''Aryan'' Race? §8. Immigration §9. Remembrance of immigration §10. Linguistic and cultural acculturation THE AUTOCHTHONOUS ARYAN THEORY § 11. The ''Aryan Invasion'' and the "Out of India" theories LANGUAGE §12. Vedic, Iranian and Indo-European §13. Absence of Indian influences in Indo-Iranian §14. Date of Indo-Aryan innovations §15. Absence of retroflexes in Iranian §16. Absence of 'Indian' words in Iranian §17. Indo-European words in Indo-Iranian; Indo-European archaisms vs. Indian innovations §18. Absence of Indian influence in Mitanni Indo-Aryan Summary: Linguistics CHRONOLOGY §19. Lack of agreement of the autochthonous theory with the historical evidence: dating of kings and teachers ARCHAEOLOGY __________________________________________ Electronic Journal of Vedic Studies 7-3 (EJVS) 2001(1-115) Autochthonous Aryans? 2 §20. Archaeology and texts §21. RV and the Indus civilization: horses and chariots §22. Absence of towns in the RV §23. Absence of wheat and rice in the RV §24. RV class society and the Indus civilization §25. The Sarasvatī and dating of the RV and the Bråhmaas §26. Harappan fire rituals? §27. Cultural continuity: pottery and the Indus script VEDIC TEXTS AND SCIENCE §28. The ''astronomical code of the RV'' §29. Astronomy: the equinoxes in ŚB §30. Astronomy: Jyotia Vedåga and the -
The Decline of Harappan Civilization K.N.DIKSHIT
The Decline of Harappan Civilization K.N.DIKSHIT EBSTRACT As pointed out by N. G. Majumdar in 1934, a late phase of lndus civilization is illustrated by pottery discovered at the upper levels of Jhukar and Mohenjo-daro. However, it was the excavation at Rangpur which revealed in stratification a general decline in the prosperity of the Harappan culture. The cultural gamut of the nuclear region of the lndus-Sarasvati divide, when compared internally, revealed regional variations conforming to devolutionary tendencies especially in the peripheral region of north and western lndia. A large number of sites, now loosely termed as 'Late Harappan/Post-urban', have been discovered. These sites, which formed the disrupted terminal phases of the culture, lost their status as Harappan. They no doubt yielded distinctive Harappan pottery, antiquities and remnants of some architectural forms, but neither town planning nor any economic and cultural nucleus. The script also disappeared. ln this paper, an attempt is made with the survey of some of these excavated sites and other exploratory field-data noticed in the lndo-Pak subcontinent, to understand the complex issue.of Harappan decline and its legacy. CONTENTS l.INTRODUCTION 2. FIELD DATA A. Punjab i. Ropar ii. Bara iii. Dher Majra iv. Sanghol v. Katpalon vi. Nagar vii. Dadheri viii. Rohira B. Jammu and Kashmir i. Manda C. Haryana i. Mitathal ii. Daulatpur iii. Bhagwanpura iv. Mirzapur v. Karsola vi. Muhammad Nagar D. Delhi i. Bhorgarh 125 ANCiENT INDlA,NEW SERIES,NO.1 E.Western Uttar Pradesh i.Hulas il.Alamgirpur ili.Bargaon iv.Mandi v Arnbkheri v:.Bahadarabad F.Guiarat i.Rangpur †|.Desalpur ili.Dhola宙 ra iv Kanmer v.」 uni Kuran vi.Ratanpura G.Maharashtra i.Daimabad 3.EV:DENCE OF RICE 4.BURIAL PRACTiCES 5.DiSCUSS10N 6.CLASSiFiCAT10N AND CHRONOLOGY 7.DATA FROM PAKISTAN 8.BACTRIA―MARGIANAARCHAEOLOGICAL COMPLEX AND LATE HARAPPANS 9.THE LEGACY 10.CONCLUS10N ・ I. -
Walking with the Unicorn Social Organization and Material Culture in Ancient South Asia
Walking with the Unicorn Social Organization and Material Culture in Ancient South Asia Jonathan Mark Kenoyer Felicitation Volume Edited by Dennys Frenez, Gregg M. Jamison, Randall W. Law, Massimo Vidale and Richard H. Meadow Archaeopress Archaeology Archaeopress Publishing Ltd Summertown Pavilion 18-24 Middle Way Summertown Oxford OX2 7LG www.archaeopress.com ISBN 978 1 78491 917 7 ISBN 978 1 78491 918 4 (e-Pdf) © ISMEO - Associazione Internazionale di Studi sul Mediterraneo e l'Oriente, Archaeopress and the authors 2018 Front cover: SEM microphotograph of Indus unicorn seal H95-2491 from Harappa (photograph by J. Mark Kenoyer © Harappa Archaeological Research Project). Back cover, background: Pot from the Cemetery H Culture levels of Harappa with a hoard of beads and decorative objects (photograph by Toshihiko Kakima © Prof. Hideo Kondo and NHK promotions). Back cover, box: Jonathan Mark Kenoyer excavating a unicorn seal found at Harappa (© Harappa Archaeological Research Project). ISMEO - Associazione Internazionale di Studi sul Mediterraneo e l'Oriente Corso Vittorio Emanuele II, 244 Palazzo Baleani Roma, RM 00186 www.ismeo.eu Serie Orientale Roma, 15 This volume was published with the financial assistance of a grant from the Progetto MIUR 'Studi e ricerche sulle culture dell’Asia e dell’Africa: tradizione e continuità, rivitalizzazione e divulgazione' All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the copyright owners. Printed in England by The Holywell Press, Oxford This book is available direct from Archaeopress or from our website www.archaeopress.com Contents Jonathan Mark Kenoyer and ISMEO – Occasions in Continuum ....................................................................................v Adriano V. -
Total Syllabus, AIH & Archaeoalogy, Lucknow University
Department of Ancient Indian History and Archaeology, University of Lucknow, Lucknow B.A. Part - I Paper I : Political History of Ancient India (from c 600 BC to c 320 AD) Unit I 1. Sources of Ancient Indian history. 2. Political condition of northern India in sixth century BC- Sixteen mahajanapadas and ten republican states. 3. Achaemenian invasion of India. 4. Rise of Magadha-The Bimbisarids and the Saisunaga dynasty. 5. Alexander’s invasion of India and its impact. Unit II 1. The Nanda dynasty 2. The Maurya dynasty-origin, Chandragupta, Bindusara 3. The Maurya dynasty-Asoka: Sources of study, conquest and extent of empire, policy of dhamma. 4. The Maurya dynasty- Successors of Asoka, Mauryan Administration. The causes of the downfall of the dynasty. Unit III 1. The Sunga dynasty. 2. The Kanva dynasty. 3. King Kharavela of Kalinga. 4. The Satavahana dynasty. 1 Unit IV 1. The Indo Greeks. 2. The Saka-Palhavas. 3. The Kushanas. 4. Northern India after the Kushanas. PAPER– II: Social, Economic & Religious Life in Ancient India UNIT- I 1. General survey of the origin and development of Varna and Jati 2. Scheme of the Ashramas 3. Purusharthas UNIT- II 1. Marriage 2. Position of women 3. Salient features of Gurukul system- University of Nalanda UNIT- III 1. Agriculture with special reference to the Vedic Age 2. Ownership of Land 3. Guild Organisation 4. Trade and Commerce with special reference to the 6th century B.C., Saka – Satavahana period and Gupta period UNIT- IV 1. Indus religion 2. Vedic religion 3. Life and teachings of Mahavira 4. -
India: the Ancient Past: a History of the Indian Sub-Continent from C. 7000 Bc to Ad 1200
India: The Ancient Past ‘Burjor Avari’s balanced and well-researched book is a most reliable guide to the period of Indian history that it covers. It displays consider- able mastery of primary and secondary literature and distils it into a wonderfully lucid exposition. This book should be of interest to both lay readers and academic experts.’ Lord Bhikhu Parekh, University of Westminster A clear and systematic introduction to the rich story of the Indian past from early pre-history up until the beginning of the second millennium, this survey provides a fascinating account of the early development of Indian culture and civilisation. The study covers topics such as the Harappan Civilisation, the rise of Hindu culture, the influx of Islam from the eighth to the twelfth century, and key empires, states and dynasties. Through such topics and their histori ographies, the book engages with methodological and controversial issues. Features of this richly illustrated guide also include a range of maps to illustrate different time periods and geographical regions. Selected source extracts for review and reflection can be found at the end of every chapter, together with questions for discussion. India: The Ancient Past provides comprehensive coverage of the political, spiritual, cultural and geographical history of India in a uniquely accessible manner that will appeal both to students and to those with a general interest in Indian history. Burjor Avari was born in India in 1938, spent his childhood in Kenya and Zanzibar, graduated in history at Manchester University and was trained as a teacher at the Oxford University Institute of Education. -
Walking with the Unicorn Social Organization and Material Culture in Ancient South Asia
Walking with the Unicorn Social Organization and Material Culture in Ancient South Asia Jonathan Mark KenoyerAccess Felicitation Volume Open Edited by Dennys Frenez, Gregg M. Jamison, Randall W. Law, Massimo Vidale and Richard H. Meadow Archaeopress Archaeopress Archaeology © Archaeopress and the authors, 2017. Archaeopress Publishing Ltd Summertown Pavilion 18-24 Middle Way Summertown Oxford OX2 7LG www.archaeopress.com ISBN 978 1 78491 917 7 ISBN 978 1 78491 918 4 (e-Pdf) © ISMEO - Associazione Internazionale di Studi sul Mediterraneo e l'Oriente, Archaeopress and the authors 2018 Front cover: SEM microphotograph of Indus unicorn seal H95-2491 from Harappa (photograph by J. Mark Kenoyer © Harappa Archaeological Research Project). Access Back cover, background: Pot from the Cemetery H Culture levels of Harappa with a hoard of beads and decorative objects (photograph by Toshihiko Kakima © Prof. Hideo Kondo and NHK promotions). Back cover, box: Jonathan Mark Kenoyer excavating a unicorn seal found at Harappa (© Harappa Archaeological Research Project). Open ISMEO - Associazione Internazionale di Studi sul Mediterraneo e l'Oriente Corso Vittorio Emanuele II, 244 Palazzo Baleani Archaeopress Roma, RM 00186 www.ismeo.eu Serie Orientale Roma, 15 This volume was published with the financial assistance of a grant from the Progetto MIUR 'Studi e ricerche sulle culture dell’Asia e dell’Africa: tradizione e continuità, rivitalizzazione e divulgazione' All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the copyright owners. Printed in England by The Holywell Press, Oxford This book is available direct from Archaeopress or from our website www.archaeopress.com © Archaeopress and the authors, 2017. -
Indus Civilization
This article was originally published in the Encyclopedia of Archaeology, published by Elsevier, and the attached copy is provided by Elsevier for the author's benefit and for the benefit of the author's institution, for non- commercial research and educational use including use in instruction at your institution, posting on a secure network (not accessible to the public) within your institution, and providing a copy to your institution’s administrator. All other uses, reproduction and distribution, including without limitation commercial reprints, selling or licensing copies or access, or posting on open internet sites are prohibited. For exceptions, permission may be sought for such use through Elsevier's permissions site at: http://www.elsevier.com/locate/permissionusematerial Kenoyer Jonathan Mark, Indus Civilization. In: Encyclopedia of Archaeology, ed. by Deborah M. Pearsall. © 2008, Academic Press, New York. Author's personal copy ASIA, WEST/Indus Civilization 715 Further Reading Pakistan, and is one of the earliest sites with evidence of farming (wheat and barley) and herding (cattle, sheep and goats) in South Allchin B (1997) The Rise of Civilization in India and Pakistan. Asia. Great Bath The earliest public water tank in ancient South Asia Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Mishra S (1995) Chronology of the Indian stone age: the impact of is one of the most spectacular features of Mohenjo-daro. recent absolute and relative dating attempts. Man and Environ- Indus script (Harappan script) Refers to the undeciphered ment XX(2): 11–16. writing system consisting of short strings of symbols found Misra VN (1989) Stone age India: An ecological perspective. Man on pottery and seals. -
The Indo-Aryan Controversy
11 INDOCENTRISM Autochthonous visions of ancient India1 Michael Witzel 11.1 Introduction The “Aryan question” is concerned with the immigration of a population speaking an archaic Indo-European (IE) language, Vedic Sanskrit, who celebrate their gods and chieftains in the poems of the oldest Indian literature, the ¸gveda, and who subsequently spread their language, religion, ritual, and social organization throughout the subcontinent. Who were the “Aryans”? What was their spiritual and material culture and their outlook on life? Did they ever enter the Indian subcontinent from the outside? Or did these people develop indigenously in the Greater Panjab? This, the “Aryan” question, has kept minds and politicians busy for the past 200 years; it has been used and misused in many ways. The discussion has become a cottage industry in India during recent years. This chapter attempts to present many2 of the pros and contras for the (non-)occurrence of a movement of an “Aryan” population and its consequences. First, a detailed summary of the traditional “western” theory (Sections 11.1–11.11), then the recent Indian counter-theories; this is followed by an evaluation of their merits (Sections 11.12–11.24); the chapter concludes with some deliberations on the special kind of “discourse” that informs and drives the present autochthonous trend. 11.2 Materials: texts, dates, locations Most of our evidence on the ancient “Aryans” comes from the texts and from the linguistic and cultural data contained in them.3 The Vedas are a large collection of texts, orally composed and orally transmitted, perfectly, well into this millen- nium, almost like a tape recording. -
Harappa Excavations 1986-1990 a Multidisciplinary Approach to Third Millennium Urbanism
Harappa Excavations 1986-1990 A Multidisciplinary Approach to Third Millennium Urbanism Edited by Richard H. Meadow Monographs in World Archaeology No.3 •. PREHI STORY PRESS . Madison Wisconsin b 4 Urban Process in the Indus Tradition: A Preliminary Model from Harappa Jonathan Mark Kenoyer University of Wisconsin-Madison '; ;i I ~i ! :1 Excavations on two of the major mounds at Harappa have revealed traces of an early settlement, a transitional phase ofdevelopment, and several phases of full urban and post-urban occupation. Although there is acontinuity ofoccupation, evidence for settlement growth and changes in organization reveal a dynamic process ofcity devel opment. The segregation of specific crafts and occupations, the availibility of new and exotic raw materials, the I construction of massive perimeter walls and entrances, and the maintenance of civic structures provide a new perspective on the nature ofan Indus city. A preliminary model is presented for the development of Harappa as a I city in the wider context of the Indus Tradition. n studying the earliest urban settlements of South excavations at the important site of Harappa (District Asia, we do not have written documents that Sahiwal, Punjab, Pakistan: Figure 4.2). I describe the structural and social organization of a Major objectives in these recent excavations at city. Consequently, our understanding of the urban Harappa have been to collect data that were over process is often quite sketchy. The extensive archaeo looked in previous large scale horizontal excavations, 1 logical excavations of the large urban centers of specifically those data relating to the growth and Harappa and Mohenjo-daro (Figure 4.1), carried out dynamics of this early urban center. -
Indus Civilization and Other Early State Level Societies and Oman Major Advances Have Been Made in Our Understanding of the Orig
Indus Civilization and other early state level societies and Oman OMAN Major advances have been made in our understanding of the origins of the Indus and its relationships with surrounding regions. Prehistoric Cultural Traditions Bactro-Margiana, Helmand, Baluchistan, INDUS, Malwa, Ganga-Vindhya, Deccan Early Historic Tradition Indo-Gangetic (Mauryan Empire) Indus Valley Regionalization Era – 4 Preconditions fulfilled by 2800 BC Harappa city walls of mud brick and later fired brick no major climate change - diverse resources, double river system, potential for surplus, Walled settlements for protection and control of resources ! Indus Tradition: Regionalization Era 5000-2600 BC Kot Diji Phase - 2800-2600 BC incipient urbanism Early Writing Elephant sealing with cubical Seal script weight INTEGRATION ERA: Indus Valley Civilization, Harappan Phase 2600 to 1900 B. C. largest area covered by an early civilization Major Cities/Urban Centers Harappa, Pakistan,+150 ha Mohenjo Daro, Pakistan+250 ha Lakhanjodaro, Pakistan, +300 ha Dholavira, India, +100 ha Ganweriwala, Pakistan, 40-80 ha Rakhigarhi, India, + 350 ha? Photo courtesy M. Jansen RWTH Regional Towns: 10-50 hectare sites- Kalibangan Small Towns: 5-10 hectare site, Lothal, Kot Diji Villages: 1-5 hectare sites Hamlets: <1 –1 hectare sites Map courtesy of V. Shinde Deccan College Pune - indirect control through market areas inside the gateways and city walls Gateway at Harappa Mound E and Mound ET 8 gunja seeds = smallest weight Standardized Weights throughout the entire region - double as they increase from 1:2:4:8:16:32 etc 16th ratio = 13.7 grams large sign board with writing found inside gateway Defensive entrance in northern gateway at Dholavira -latrines or commodes in each house with water pot for washing - bathing platforms and private wells made from wedge shaped bricks (stone at Dholavira) and drains Public wells for convenience of visitors and traders in the cities Monumental architecture seen at major sites, Great Bath, Mohenjo Daro, about 2000 BCE Water harvesting in regions with less rainfall.