The Ancient Indus Valley New Perspectives ABC-CLIO’s Understanding Ancient Civilizations Series The Aztecs Ancient Canaan and Israel The Ancient Greeks The Ancient Maya Ancient Mesopotamia The Incas The Romans The Ancient Indus Valley New Perspectives JANE R. McINTOSH Santa Barbara, California • Denver, Colorado • Oxford, England Copyright 2008 by ABC-CLIO, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, me- chanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, except for the inclusion of brief quotations in a review, without prior permission in writing from the publisher. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data McIntosh, Jane. The ancient Indus Valley : new perspectives / Jane McIntosh. p. cm. —(Understanding ancient civilizations series) Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978-1-57607-907-2 (hard copy : alk. paper) — ISBN 978-1-57607-908-9 (ebook) 1. Indus civilization. I. Title. DS425.M338 2008 934—dc22 2007025308 121110090812345678910 Production Editor: Anna A. Moore Editorial Assistant: Sara Springer Production Manager: Don Schmidt Media Editor: Jed DeOrsay Media Resources Coordinator: Ellen Brenna Dougherty Media Resources Manager: Caroline Price File Manager: Paula Gerard ABC-CLIO, Inc. 130 Cremona Drive, P.O. Box 1911 Santa Barbara, California 93116-1911 This book is also available on the World Wide Web as an ebook. Visit www.abc-clio.com for details. This book is printed on acid-free paper ∞ Manufactured in the United States of America Contents Series Editor’s Preface, ix Maps, xi PART 1: INTRODUCTION Chapter 1 Introduction, 3 The Indus in Its Setting, 3 A Lost Civilization, 4 A Land of Unsolved Mysteries, 4 PART 2: INDUS CIVILIZATION Chapter 2 Location of the Indus Civilization and Its Environmental Setting, 9 Location, 9 The Environmental Setting, 11 The Changing Landscape, 19 Environmental Degradation, 23 Chapter 3 Historical and Chronological Setting, 27 History of the Investigation of South Asia’s Past, 27 Studying the Indus Civilization, 41 Chapter 4 Origins, Growth, and Decline of the Indus Civilization, 53 Early South Asia (ca. 2 to 1 Million–7000 BCE), 53 Early Farmers in Northwest South Asia (7000–4300 BCE), 56 Later Settlements (4300–3200 BCE), 62 The Early Indus (Early Harappan) Period (3200–2600 BCE), 67 The Transition (2600 –2500/2450 BCE), 80 The Mature Indus Civilization (2600 –1900/1800 BCE), 83 The Posturban (Late Harappan) Period (1900/1800–1300 BCE), 91 Chapter 5 Economics, 109 Subsistence Patterns, 109 Arable Agriculture, 110 Animal Husbandry, 122 v vi Contents Aquatic Resources, 133 Wild Resources, 138 Chapter 6 Resources, Trade, and Communications, 147 Introduction, 147 Internal Trade and Communications, 148 South Asian Trade and Exchange, 159 Overland Trade across the Iranian Plateau, 165 Gulf Trade, 168 Later Developments in Local and International Trade, 191 Chapter 7 Settlements, 205 Settlements and Settlement Patterns, 205 Cities, Towns, and Villages, 209 The Features of Urban Centers, 223 Chapter 8 Social and Political Organization, 245 Introduction, 245 Clues to Social Organization, 245 Clues to Political Organization, 256 Chapter 9 Religion and Ideology, 275 Introduction, 275 Religious Structures, 275 Iconography, 279 Ritual Practices, 290 The Treatment of the Dead, 293 Reconstructing Harappan Religion, 296 Chapter 10 Material Culture, 301 Workshops and Factories, 301 Construction, 303 Artifacts, 306 Art, 335 Chapter 11 Intellectual Accomplishments, 345 Numbers, Time, and Space, 345 Languages, 348 The Indus Script, 356 Contents vii PART 3: CURRENT ASSESSMENT Chapter 12 The Indus Civilization Today, 385 The Emergence of Harappan Civilization, 385 Theories on the Sociopolitical Organization of the Indus State, 391 Indus Collapse, 396 Glossary, 403 Chronology, 419 Resources for Further Study, 423 General, 423 History of Discovery, 423 Indus Antecedents, 424 The Indus Civilization in South Asian Culture, 424 Neighbors of the Indus Civilization, 424 The End of the Indus Civilization and the Post-Harappan Period, 425 Economy, Trade, and Foreign Relations, 425 Industry, Technology, and Science, 426 The Harappan People, 426 Social and Political Organization, 426 Settlement and Settlements, 426 Language, Writing, and Seals, 427 Useful Web Pages, 428 Journals and Occasional Publications, 428 Index, 429 About the Author, 441 Series Editor’s Preface n recent years there has been a significant and steady increase of academic and popular interest in the study of past civilizations. This is due in part to Ithe dramatic coverage, real or imagined, of the archaeological profession in popular film and television, as well as to extensive journalistic reporting of spectacular new finds from all parts of the world. Because archaeologists and other scholars, however, tend to approach their study of ancient peoples and civilizations exclusively from their own disciplinary perspectives and to pub- lish just for their professional colleagues, there has long been a lack of general factual and other research resources available for the nonspecialist. The Understanding Ancient Civilizations series is intended to fill that need. Volumes in the series are principally designed to introduce the general reader, student, and nonspecialist to the study of specific ancient civilizations. Each volume is devoted to a particular archaeological culture (e.g., the ancient Maya of southern Mexico and adjacent Guatemala) or cultural region (e.g., Israel and Canaan), and each seeks to achieve, with careful selectivity and as- tute critical assessment of the literature, an expression of a particular civiliza- tion and an appreciation of its achievements. The keynote of the Understanding Ancient Civilizations series is to provide, in a uniform format, an interpretation of each civilization that will express its cul- ture and place in the world, as well as the qualities and background that make it unique. Series titles include volumes on the archaeology and prehistory of the an- cient civilizations of Egypt, Greece, Rome, and Mesopotamia, as well as the achievements of the Celts, Aztecs, and Inca, among others. Others are in the planning stage. I was particularly fortunate in having Kevin Downing from ABC-CLIO con- tact me in search of an editor for a series about archaeology. It is a simple state- ment of the truth that there would be no series without him. I was also lucky to have Simon Mason, Kevin’s successor at ABC-CLIO, continuing to push the production of the series. Given the scale of the project and the schedule for production, he deserves more than a sincere thank you. JOHN WEEKS ix Indus Loebanr SWAT Ind Kalako-deray us NORTHERN Burzahom Gufkral N Sarai Khola POTWAR NEOLITHIC PLATEAUPOTWAR KASHMIR H d Lewan PLATEAU I an M m l m e Tarakai Qila LewanSarai Khola Jhelu A H IRANIAN ab ab L nd Uchali en PLATEAU ha oma h A rg G l Thal C Y Mundigak A WAZIRISTAN Desert A Shahr-i S HELMAND Deh Morasi Rehman Dheri Gumla i Sokhta Ghundai av R s CIVILIZATIONCULTURE Periano Ghundai ea DAMB B SEISTAN SADAAT Leiah Moghul Ghundai i Harappa t G G Kili Ghul Mohammad PUNJAB a ti A w a A s v N Rana Ghundai Jalilpur d N Damb Sadaat ra a G h G N a s Faiz Mohammad Banawali S i A r E s KOT DIJI D S M u Bolan I Kalibangan Balu - G Mehrgarh d Y E N a A Mehrgarh L n A Kunal T n U I IS Rakhigarhi M KACHI PLAIN g L S O CH Y e U Nausharo Sothi Siswal a s SARAWAN m N HARYANA u A Indus – course SOTHI-SISWAL n a D O in 3rd millennium A Anjira B Saraswati – course in Nal Raini Nullah Early Harappan period JODHPURA- BALUCHISTAN THAR DESERT Didwana Lake AMRI-NAL Kot Diji Wahinda GANESHWARGANESHWAR Sambhar Lake Ghazi Shah CULTURE Nundara i Lake SINDH l s a a Manchar a a r Kech r r Pushkar Lake an o o a Amri a B P P Damb Buthi N N n Kohtras Buthi Phang n MAKRAN r e AHAR-BANAS t Balakot s Bagor a CULTUREGilund Sonmiani Bay E Gilund ch Ahar era THARTHARPARKAR PARKAR B Present-day shoreline RAJASTHAN GREAT RANN Dholavira Loteshwar BhBhimbetka Surkotada LITTLE ARABIAN SEA KUTCH RANN NagwadaNagwada Panch Mahal Hills Bhimbetka Gulf of Kutch GUJARAT ada Narm SAURASHTRA (KATHIAWAR) KOT DIJI Early Harappan regional cultures Padri Early Harappan settlements Somnath AHAR Contemporary cultures 0 100 200 mi Contemporary settlements Gulf of Khambat 0100 200 300 km (Cambay) Map 1. The Indus region in the Early Harappan period. This map shows the regional cultures of the Early Harappan period and contemporary cultures of the region. Shortugai Indus SWAT NORTHERN NEOLITHIC Burzahom Gufkral Sarai Khola N CULTURE J I I KASHMIR H D I M Lewan elum Manda Tarakai Qila T Jh S A b I IRANIAN LewanTaraqai Qila na W L O he A PLATEAU al L A om Mianwali C I Mundigak G K K Y H Rehman Dheri A HELMAND Hisham Dheri IL Gumla s LS S E vi a Shahr-i Sokhta a Be R T NORTH CULTURE PUNJAB SEISTAN A (PUNJAB) Ropar G G Harappa A s L s A PUNJAB ti N u u a N v G d d Hasanpur II d G Lakhmirwala a E n I h E Gurnikalan I s S Indus – course i S r - Y - D Y Bolan in 3rd millennium N Banawali A G A A M T a S M I Kunal n L Rakhigarhi U O U g H N Lal Shah C Kalibangan Y e N a A s Nausharo Chapuwala EAST m A u D TarkhanawalaTarkhanawala Der D Pathani Damb CHOLISTAN n O Mitathal a OA Ganweriwala AB B Anjira Fort Derawar Saraswati – course in Nal Lakhueenjo-daro Ganeshwar MatureEarly Harappan Harappan period period JodhpuraJodhpura JODHPURA-JODHPURA- BALUCHISTAN Mohenjo-daro Rohri Hills Mehi Kot Diji GANESHWARGANESHWAR Nindowari SINDH CULTURE KULLI CULTURE Ghazi Shah SINDH Miri