NCERT Book Class 12 History Chapter 1 Bricks, Beads and Bones

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THEME Bricks, Beads and Bones
ONE The Harappan Civilisation

The Harappan seal (Fig.1.1) is possibly the most
distinctive artefact of the Harappan or Indus valley
civilisation. Made of a stone called steatite, seals
like this one often contain animal motifs and signs
from a script that remains undeciphered. Yet we
know a great deal about the lives of the people who
lived in the region from what they left behind –
their houses, pots, ornaments, tools and seals – in
other words, from archaeological evidence. Let us
see what we know about the Harappan civilisation,
and how we know about it. We will explore how
archaeological material is interpreted and how
interpretations sometimes change. Of course, there Fig. 1.1
are some aspects of the civilisation that are as yet A Harappan seal
unknown and may even remain so.

Terminologies, Places and Time
“The Harappan Civilisation” is also known as the Indus Valley
Civilisation. The term Harappa is derived from the place where
the civilization was identified. The total time span of the
civilisation ranges from 6000 BCE to 1300 BCE. The early phase,
termed as Early Harappan (6000 BCE-2600 BCE) is a formative
phase of the civilisation. The urban phase of the civilisation,
termed as Mature Harappan (2600 BCE-1900 BCE) is the most
prosperous phase. The decline of the civilisation starts around
1900 BCE. This decadent phase (1900 BCE-1300 BCE) is termed
as Late Harappan.
The distinctive Harappan pottery, bricks (baked and unbaked)
seals, weights, beads, copper and bronze articles, belonging to the
Harappan civilisation have been found in the region, as apart as
Afghanistan, Baluchistan, Sind and Punjab provinces of Pakistan
and the Indian States of Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab, Haryana,
Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat and Maharashtra (Map 1).
Fig. 1.2
Beads, weights, blades