Key_Features_of_Ivc

Explain key features of the Indus Valley Civilization (21 marks) The Indus Valley Civilisation (IVC) existed approximately between 2500 to 1500 BCE, the Vedic Bronze Age period. It existed in the North Western part of the Indian Subcontinent, stretched across around 1200 cities, the most common are Mohenjo-Daro and Harappa, Harappa was the first site to be excavated. When it was excavated in the 1920’s by Sir Mortimer Wheeler, it brought light to a sophisticated urban culture and many of the key features found proved this. When the sites were first excavated, it was clear that the IVC was an organised culture focused around towns and cities. The towns were clearly very intelligently planned by intellectual people at this time. Archaeologists can see that the Houses were built next to each other with very distinct detail. The main roads built led to the main city which had alleys and smaller streets coming off them and it also believed to possibly of had private neighbourhoods. For this period in time, the amount of planning and detailed organisation gone in to these towns shows the intelligence and importance of detail of the people who lived there at the time. The size of the houses and that they were extremely contemporary for this period, displays a fair amount of wealth and some of the artefacts excavated also prove this for example, the figurines displayed women with large headpieces, detailed jewellery and well-presented which not only proves they enjoyed looking after themselves, but they also were fairly wealthy. What was inside the houses in the IVC, also inform us of a lot. For example, the houses were often built on brick platforms on a slope to protect them from floods. The high walls of the houses may also inform us of how they could have dissuaded military conflicts. This not only explains that houses were well thought out when planned but details about the river which was also a key part of their lives. Many of the houses were two-storied which displays a lot of wealth and possibly the average size of the families. Each house also contained a fire place, this is believed to tell us where they cooked and ate dinner and also it’s believed it may be to do with some kind of ritual. Each house also had its only water drainage system which displays a clear importance of hygiene in the IVC. As it was a hot climate, water was needed for human’s and also the agriculture that lived there. Everybody had access to wells and waste removal which shows us that the IVC was much more developed than any other Urban Cities found at this time. Water was also kept very well organised, with rain water and river water being separated and channelled into reservoirs. Continuing on the earlier point of hygiene its believed that municipal governments must of placed a high priority on hygiene, or the reason for it being so important, may have been part of a religious ritual. In the center of town, a Great Bath was excavated, this was made of brick. It was believed either ritual cleansing took place here or it was used in some sort of festival or where people met for sex as fertility was extremely important and they could then cleanse themselves in the baths. The importance of fertility was proven in artefacts that were found such as Female figurines. When these were found, we could see that the women had large breasts and hips, which highlighted their ability to produce offspring. The key features of the town also displayed the jobs of some of the people that lived there. For example most of them appear to have been traders or artisans. Trade was seen to have been important for gaining materials to build things such as jewellery and seas. Seals were made out of wax and are believed to display important meanings of the IVC. They showed Humans and sacred animals such as cows. These are extremely useful in reconstructing the economy, art and religion. It’s also believed that the people seen on seals and other artefacts are believed to be God’s but due to them being Cultic objects; we are unable to place a meaning on them as it may cause problems automatically presuming they have religious meaning.