Five Great Civilizations of Ancient World

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Five Great Civilizations of Ancient World

Sehdev Kumar Sharma Damanjit Kaur Pahuja

EDUCREATION PUBLISHING (Since 2011) www.educreation.in iii

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Preface

After leaving my two decades career in Indian Air Force, I thought in Lovely Professional University as a Assistant Profession in School of Arts and Languages. I was always given opportunity to teach the toughest subjects according to my caliber and reach. I was fortunate enough that my class always had international students across the globe. While teaching a very specialized subject “Great Civilizations of the World”, I came across many challenges as my students always strived to acquire consolidated information in a single book. Many a times, I also struggled to develop my content as per syllabus and instruction plans. It instigated to explore the right content and bunch it in a single frame. I also came across a very talent historian who accepted my proposal to write a book on world history. She tirelessly supported me in my every even and odd time while writing this book. Though ample number of books is already available in the market on the subject matter, still we assume that this book will be worth to read and understand the ancient concepts. To embark with its features, we tried to arrange the study material systematically. The books available in the market covers Indus Valley, Chinese, Mesopotamia and Egypt but we have included Mayan Civilization to extend the worth of this book. Further, we have highlighted the social, political, cultural and economic aspects of every civilization. We have gone through various books, journals and online resources to provide best knowledge to our readers. In addition to it, we tried to write this book in a very simple manner The primal reason behind is to ensure that readers read it only once and understand it thoroughly. Next, it would cover syllabus of many academic institutions which would a good academic support to our student readers. Last but not the least, the book can be read as general reading book for the book lovers. We worked a lot to arrange it in chronologically and interestingly to acquire perpetual attention span of our reader.

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We admit that this book is as an exhaustive content. There might be some aspects which could be left because of some reasons. To err is human, though we tried to put our best in this book by providing you right information, but it may have meager flaws or diversified opinions. We appreciate our readers to kindly inform us in case of any shortcoming.

Sehdev Kumar Sharma [email protected] Mob: - 9988014800

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Preface

We feel privileged to write this book to cater the needs of students of History subject during their higher level of studies and preparation for competitive examinations. The book comprises history of five great ancient civilizations across the globe. Every unit is well designed and planned to facilitate insight about social, economical, political and religious aspects of numerous dynasties and kings of these civilizations. We have put in our best efforts to provide realistic and accurate information to our students. We had studied various texts and contents from different websites and text books. We had included some pictures and maps to facilitate better understanding for our readers. We are sanguine that our efforts will help our readers to understand the topics and prepare well for their forthcoming examinations. We are very open to receive your feedback on our efforts so that we put in more efforts to enlarge the editions of this book by including more and more civilizations of the world. We are thankful to almighty for bestowing us the right wisdom to jot down this text for our readers. We are also thanking our publishers for putting inour efforts to bring this text before the mass readers. We hope that in future we will be coming up with next concepts and topics.

Ms. Damanjit Kaur Pahuja

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Five Great Civilization of Ancient World

Chapter 1 The Indus Valley Civilization ______

1.1 Introduction

Indus valley civilization is one of the oldest civilizations of the world. It is also known as “Bronze Age Civilization” because the people used bronze to make their Tools, utensils etc. It was the largest of four ancient urban civilizations of Egypt, Mesopotamia and China. It covered an area of almost 13 lakh square kilometers. No other Ancient civilization was extended to such a large area. The historic discovery was made by R.B. Dayaram Sahni at in west Punjab in 1921 A.D. The primal sites of this civilization are in at present. These are Harappa, Mohenjo-Daro (Pakistan) and , Sanghol, , and (India). This Civilization was distinguished for its town planning. The houses had followed a planned system. The streets were well constructed with covered drainage system. Agriculture was prime occupation of this civilization. Women had enjoyed high status. People worshipped the Mother Goddess as a symbol of fertility. They also worshipped birds, animals, sun and “The Lingas” (Shivlinga). The music and dance were the main sources of

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Sehdev Kumar Sharma, Damanjit Kaur Pahuja entertainment. People made great progress in the various types of art. But, historians were not able to decipher the script of this era. The chief source to know and understand the history of this civilization is the archaeological excavations.

1.2 Discovery

The “Indus Valley “civilization is the earliest known civilization of India. At first it came to the knowledge of mankind when English Charles Masson discovered it in 1842. But then it could not attract any archaeological interest for many years. In 1857 the British engineers John & William Brunton found some bricks of Harappa ruins while building “"East Indian Railway” line from Karachi to Lahore. In 1872 Sir Alexander Cunningham published the first Harappa seal. Later in 1912 more Harappan seals were discovered by J. Fleat. Dayaram Sahni excavated this site in Harappa in 1921 A.D. Another archaeologist R.D. Banerjee excavated the site of Indus at Mohenjo-Daro in 1922 A.D. After that numerous excavations were done under Sir John Marshall, Sir Mortimer Wheeler, M.S. Vatas and N.G. Majumdar.

1.3. Age of Indus Valley Civilization

Indus Valley civilization was claimed to be about5000 years old. There are different opinions about the era of this civilization. According to Sir John Marshall it belonged to the period between 4000-2500 B.C. But according to Mortimer Wheeler it was from 2500 to 1700 B.C. On the other hand Dr.R.K. Mookerjee said that it was from 3250 to 2750 B.C. While according to Dr. A.D. Pusalkar it was from 2800 to 2500 B.C. As the majority of historians feel that its era was 2250 to 1750 B.C. So it was concluded that the Indus valley civilization existed between 3250 and 2750 B.C. During this period Mesopotamia, Egyptian and Babylonia civilization also flourished. The recent Indian archaeologists believe that it could have extended from 2500B.C. to 1500 B.C.

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Five Great Civilization of Ancient World

1.4 Major Cities

The historical resources support the following major cities of Indus Valley Civilization.

1.4.1. Harappa Harappa was large city of Indus valley civilization. It was located in western Punjab (Now in Pakistan). It flourished around 2500 B.C. It was discovered by R.B. Dayaram Sahni in 1921 A.D. It was spread over 5 kilometers. It had as many as 40000 residents. This was assumed to be one of the modern towns of this civilization. The houses were made of baked bricks and there was proper facility of lighting at night. The roads and streets were sufficiently wide. Moreover, many granaries, figures, utensils and coins were found in this town. It was surrounded by walls on all the four sides perhaps for trade regulation or safety against enemies.

1.4.2 Mohenjo-Daro Mohenjo-Daro or “Mound of the dead” was the second important town of Indus valley civilization. It was situated in district in Sind (Pakistan). It was discovered in 1922 A.D. by R.D. Banerjee. It was 483 km away from Harappa. Mohenjo-Daro was known for its well-planned roads. It was a central place of trade and farming. It was very prominent city because the great bath, biggest granary, bronze figure of a and large quantity of seals were found from this site.

1.4.3. Kalibangan Kalibangan is located in Rajasthan (India). The name of this city derived from two words: “Kali” and “Bangan”. “Kali “means black “Bangan” means bangle. It was famous for bangle making. Kalibangan was discovered in 1953 A.D. by A.Ghosh. Later B.K. Thappar and B.B. Lal continued the work. The five streets in Kalibangan have been excavated. These streets were 1.8 to7.2 meters wide. The archaeologists found numerous utensils, ornaments and toys of Harappa Civilization found here.

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Sehdev Kumar Sharma, Damanjit Kaur Pahuja 1.4.4. Lothal Lothal is situated in Gujrat (India). The literal meaning of the word Lothal is “Place of the Dead”. It was an ancient mound at Saragwala village in Dholka Taluka of Ahmadabad (India). It was discovered by S.R. Rao in 1957 A.D. This town was famous for its big harbor and port. It was one of the richest sites excavated within the Indian border. The prosperity of this small town depended on its overseas trade of semi-precious stones, beads, copper, ivory hell and cotton goods exchange with West Asia. The entire settlement was divided into a citadel or acropolis and lower town which was protected against floods by a 13 meter thick mud brick wall on the western side. The chief lived in the acropolis where houses were built on three meter raised platforms facilitated with all the civic amenities including paved baths, underground drains and a well for potable water. The lower town was sub-divided into two sectors. The main commercial centre in which craftsman lived and other could have been residential sector. The most outstanding remains were found a large tank identified as a dock and a ware house.

1.4.5 It was located in Sind (Pakistan). It was excavated by N.G. Majumdar in 1921 A.D. The two layers of this town show that it was built and destroyed twice. It was famous for bead making.

1.4.6 Banawali is found in Hissar, Haryana (India). It was discovered by R.S. Bhist in 1973 A.D. This mound spread over an area of one sq. km. The idols, coins, vessels, ornaments, beads of gold, semi- precious stones, clay bangles, shell and copper have been recovered during the excavation.

1.4.7 Kotdiji It is one of the earliest known fortified cities. It was an important site in Sindh (Pakistan) having a citadel and lower town. It had defensive wall of mud bricks revetment in the exterior with bastions and the inner face was enforced at intervals with a stone

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Five Great Civilization of Ancient World revetment bounded with stone courses at the bottom.

1.4.8 Dholavira was known as “kotada “is in Khadir island of Kutch, Gujrat (India). In Dholavira there were found three distinct complexes- An acropolis, a middle town and a lower town. The first two of them were strongly fortified. The acropolis had one gate at each side. The two gates on east and north are exposed and found furnished with a flight of steps, a sunken passage way flanked by elevated chambers and a high front terrace- remarkably elaborate layout. In the centre of the citadel, there was an almost 13 meter wide water reservoir along with slabs which had manholes. Besides, there found two lapidary workshops.

1.4.9 It is situated 7 km from Gulf of Kutch, Gujrat (India). It was not agricultural settlement but appeared to be a central place for procuring raw materials and processing them into finished products primarily for exporting them to Sindh and West Asia. This city manufactured pottery, copper articles, bangles and beads made of agate and carnelian and lapis lazuli. There were large inter connected rooms for workers, large common kitchen and workshops have led to the theory that Kuntasi was not a regular feature of Harappa settlement but it might be meant for houses of artisans who crafted the wares.

1.4.10 Sanghol It was discovered by S.S. Talwar and R.S. Bhist in 1968 A.D. Many vessels of the Indus valley civilization have been discovered here. There was a big trench dug on the out skirt of the town and this was always filled with water to safeguard against enemies.

1.4.11 Other Centers Besides these other famous centers are located at Pakistan in Dabarkot and Shahi Tump Baluchistan, Ali Murad and in India Bada (Punjab) Rakhigadhi (Haryana), Badagaon and Ambkhedi (U.P.) Rojdi, Bhagat Rao and Somnath (Gujrat).

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Sehdev Kumar Sharma, Damanjit Kaur Pahuja

1.5 Town Planning

The Indus valley civilization was distinguished for its advanced town planning. There was a remarkable uniformity in town planning. It was based on grid pattern; with streets and lanes cutting across one another at right angles dividing the city into a number of rectangular blocks. The main features of town planning of Harappa Civilization were as follows:

1.5.1 Houses The people of Indus valley civilization were great architects. Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro each had its own citadel or acropolis, which was possibly occupied by members of ruling class. Below the citadel in each city a lower town containing brick houses. These might have been inhabited by the common people. The houses were open, large and airy. These had an open courtyard, a well, a bathroom and covered drains which were connected to the street drain. Sun dried bricks were used for the foundation of the buildings and the roofs were flat and made of wood. The people kept big doors, windows and ventilators in their houses. All the windows and the doors open towards the streets and not to the main roads. Some houses were double storied. The stairs were used to climb to the top. The houses were even protected from sounds, odours and thieves.

1.5.2 The Great Bath The great bath was built of burnt bricks. It was surrounded by an open brick-paved courtyard. It was one of the most significant buildings to be excavated at Mohenjo-Daro. It is astonishing that how this was built by the people of valley 5000 years ago. “The Great Bath” measuring 180 feet by 108 feet. The bathing pool was 39 feet long 28 feet wide and 8 feet deep. One flight of

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Five Great Civilization of Ancient World steps at either end led to the surface. It was constructed with baked bricks. There was a well near this pool from which it might have been filled. There was an outlet from the bath led to a drain. The great bath building had six entrances. It is suggested that the great bath might have served rituals bathing.

1.5.3 Great Granary Some gigantic granaries were found at Harappa, Mohenjo-Daro and Lothal. In Mohenjo- Daro the great granary was about 45 meters long and 15 meters wide. But in the citadel of Harappa we find as many as six granaries. Each granary measured 15.23 x 6.09 meters. The combined floor space of the twelve units would be about 838 square meters. The grains were kept safe in these granaries. There were barrack like quarters for workmen. The granary also had smaller halls and corridors.

1.5.4 Drainage System The drainage system of Indus Valley Civilization was very impressive. The unique aspect of drainage system of valley was underground drainage. The drains from the houses flowed into drains in the streets. These were flowed in to big drain on the outskirt of the town. The main sewer 1.5 meters deep and 91 centimeters across connected too many north-south and east-west sewers. The drains were covered with slabs which could be easily lifted to clean the drains. The street drains had manholes. The drains were occasionally cleaned by workmen. In the city, nobody was allowed to throw filth in the streets. From this unique and scientific system of the valley, we could understand their hygiene

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Sehdev Kumar Sharma, Damanjit Kaur Pahuja consciousness.

1.5.5 Roads People of valley were also known for construction of well-planned roads. These roads were made all around the town. These roads were wide their breadth was from 13 feet to 34 feet. There were cross roads also. These were paved with fire burnt bricks and also had lighting arrangements.

1.6 Political Life

There are different opinions among historians about political life of the Indus valley civilization. We have no idea about the political organization of the Harappa’s political life. There are buildings in some Indus cities like Harappa that are thought to be palaces, which certainly would indicate some kind of king. The well planned cities, broad streets, drainage system, seals, trade with foreign countries, weights and measures of valley shows good and stable political life. The scientific sewerage system shows that there must have been municipalities. Some historians believed that there was priestly rule. But there was no strong evidence found to prove any political authority in the reign.

1.7 Social Life

The social life of the people of Indus valley civilization was systematic and adequately organized. People enjoyed a high standard of living and were quite affluent. The main features of their social life are as follows:

1.7.1 People The study of remains illustrated that people might be grouped into four major classes. These could be learned class, warriors, traders and artisans. Their society was based not on castes rather on the kind of occupation followed by them. The condition of women was pretty good. The worship of mother goddess demonstrates that

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Five Great Civilization of Ancient World women were venerated in the form of mother. Their society seems to have been matriarchal.

1.7.2 Food People of valley were fond of eating. They ate wheat, barley, rice, fruits and vegetables. Besides these, the diet of the people consisted of fish, milk and meat of animals i.e. beef, mutton and poultry. The half burnt bones give evidence of non-vegetarian life.

1.7.3 Dress As many spinning wheels had found during excavations, it is clear that people worn both cotton as well as woollen clothes. The discovery of needles and buttons proved that people of Indus knew the art of stitching. Generally, men wore a kind of shawl for the upper body and a type of dhoti for the lower portion. On the other hand, women wore a dissimilar kind of dress which elongated like a fan at the backside of their heads.

1.7.4 Ornaments During Indus Civilization, men and women were both very fond of ornaments .They covered almost all parts of their bodies with ornaments. The ornaments were made of gold, silver, copper and other metals. These were decorated with precious stones like jade, carnelian agate and lapis-lazuli. The women wore necklaces, earrings, bangles, girdles, bracelets and anklets. The men also wore necklaces, finger rings and armlets of various designs and shapes. The expensive ornaments made of gold were worn by the rich and nobles where as poor and middle class people used to wear ornaments made of shell, bone or copper.

1.7.5 Fashion The People of Indus Civilization were excessively fashionable. They beautified themselves through ample amount of means. Men were fond of growing small beards. They wore long hair, parted in the middle and kept tidy at the back. The women usually wore long hair in plait with fan shaped bow at the end. The fillets made of gold or silver were used to keep the hair in particular position.

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Sehdev Kumar Sharma, Damanjit Kaur Pahuja An ample number of beautiful face mirrors and combs have been found during excavations at various sites. Some materials made of ivory and metal for holding and applying to hairs also found. Some cosmetics found also proved that people knew the use of face paint and collieries. The women also used hair pins made of ivory. They kept their make-up articles in small ivory boxes.

1.7.6 Furniture and House-hold Articles During the excavations, numerous house-hold articles as pottery, vessels, chairs and beds made of wood, lamps of different material, toys, marbles, balls, dice, spindles, needles and combs have been found which throw valuable light on the social life of that age.

1.7.7 Amusements People entertained themselves by a variety of sources. They liked indoor games than outdoor amusements. The dicing and gambling was their favorite time pass. They were fond of playing chess, hunting, watching animal fights, fishing and clay modeling. The dancing and singing were considered great arts. The young boys played with toys made of terracotta, while girls played with dolls.

1.7.8 Domestication of Animals Some animals were domesticated. These were oxen, buffaloes, pigs, goats and sheep. The camels and asses were used as means of transport. Some people kept cats and dogs as pets. Some bones and skeletons of horses have been found at (west Gujarat) belong to around 2000 B.C. but the identity is yet doubtful. In any case the Harappa culture was not horse centered. But elephants were well-known to the Harappa. The existence of wild animals like rhinoceros, tiger and bison in the Indus forests was confirmed by terracotta figures of these animals.

1.7.9 Disposal of Dead There were three manners of disposing the dead. Firstly the dead body was buried, secondly after burying the corpse the dead body was buried underneath the soil in the ground. Lastly the dead bodies were left for wild animals in open place and would later

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Five Great Civilization of Ancient World

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