Discovery & Chronology

1. The Indus Valley Civilization was first discovered in 1921 at Harappa by Daya Ram Sahni.
2. The site of Mohenjo-daro was discovered in 1922 by Rakhaldas Banerji.
3. Excavations of Harappan sites were supervised by John Marshall, Director-General of the Archaeological Survey of India.
4. The Indus Valley Civilization flourished mainly between 2600 BCE and 1900 BCE.
5. The early phase of the civilization began around 3300 BCE.
6. The late Harappan phase ended around 1300 BCE.
7. The civilization is also called the Harappan Civilization.
8. It developed mainly along the Indus River and its tributaries.
9. More than 1500 Harappan sites have been discovered.
10. The largest concentration of sites lies in Gujarat.
11. Harappan civilization covered an area of about 1.3 million square kilometers.
12. The civilization extended from Sutkagendor in the west to Alamgirpur in the east.
13. The northernmost Harappan site is Manda.
14. The southernmost site is Daimabad.
15. The Harappan Civilization was contemporary with the Mesopotamian Civilization.
16. The Indus civilization belongs to the Bronze Age.
17. It was one of the earliest urban civilizations in the world.
18. The civilization was rediscovered in the 20th century.
19. The Harappan culture preceded the Vedic Period.
20. The civilization existed before the rise of the Maurya Empire.

Important Sites

21. The Great Bath is located at Mohenjo-daro.
22. The Great Granary was found at Harappa.
23. The famous dockyard was discovered at Lothal.
24. Fire altars were found at Kalibangan.
25. Evidence of ploughed fields was discovered at Kalibangan.
26. The largest Harappan site in India is Rakhigarhi.
27. Dholavira is known for its water reservoir system.
28. The bead-making center was Chanhudaro.
29. The Harappan cemetery called Cemetery H was found at Harappa.
30. The site Banawali shows both pre-Harappan and Harappan phases.
31. Surkotada provides evidence of horse bones.
32. Rice remains have been found at Lothal.
33. The site Ropar lies on the banks of the Sutlej River.
34. Kot Diji represents the pre-Harappan culture.
35. The Harappan port city was Lothal.
36. The unique stadium-like structure is found at Dholavira.
37. Alamgirpur is the easternmost Harappan site.
38. Sutkagendor was a coastal trading post.
39. Evidence of bead factories has been found at Chanhudaro.
40. Daimabad yielded bronze chariot sculptures.

Town Planning & Architecture

41. Harappan cities were planned on a grid pattern.
42. Streets intersected at right angles.
43. Cities were divided into Citadel and Lower Town.
44. Houses were constructed using baked bricks.
45. Harappan houses often had courtyards.
46. Most houses had private wells and bathrooms.
47. The drainage system was highly advanced.
48. Drains were covered with stone slabs.
49. Cities had public wells for water supply.
50. Roads were broad and well-planned.
51. Urban planning reflects central authority or governance.
52. Public buildings included granaries and baths.
53. Houses usually had two or more rooms.
54. Wastewater flowed into covered drains.
55. Some houses had two stories.
56. The citadel served as the administrative center.
57. The Great Bath probably had religious significance.
58. The Harappan drainage system was unmatched in the ancient world.
59. Standardized bricks followed a 1:2:4 ratio.
60. Town planning reflects advanced civic sense.

Economy & Trade

61. The main occupation was agriculture.
62. Wheat and barley were the main crops.
63. Cotton cultivation was first practiced in the Indus Valley.
64. The Harappans domesticated cattle, sheep, and goats.
65. Trade was carried out with Mesopotamia.
66. In Mesopotamian texts the Indus region was called Meluhha.
67. Harappans used standardized weights made of chert.
68. Weights followed a binary system.
69. Crafts included pottery, bead making, metallurgy, and seal carving.
70. Beads were made of carnelian and lapis lazuli.
71. Copper and bronze tools were widely used.
72. Trade routes existed through land and sea.
73. Harappan merchants used boats for trade.
74. Lothal served as an important trade port.
75. Seals were used for commercial purposes.
76. Pottery was generally red with black designs.
77. The Harappans produced terracotta toys.
78. They used bullock carts for transport.
79. Metallurgy included copper, bronze, gold, and silver.
80. Iron was unknown to the Harappans.

Religion, Script & Decline

81. The Harappan script remains undeciphered.
82. The script had about 400–600 symbols.
83. Writing was generally right to left.
84. Most inscriptions are found on seals.
85. The famous Pashupati Seal depicts a yogic figure.
86. The Pashupati figure is associated with proto-Shiva.
87. Mother Goddess worship suggests fertility cults.
88. Sacred animals included bull, tiger, and elephant.
89. The unicorn is the most common animal on seals.
90. The famous Bronze Dancing Girl statue was found at Mohenjo-daro.
91. The Priest-King statue was also discovered at Mohenjo-daro.
92. Terracotta figurines represent religious beliefs.
93. Trees like Peepal were possibly worshipped.
94. The Harappans practiced burial of the dead.
95. The civilization began declining around 1900 BCE.
96. Environmental changes may have contributed to the decline.
97. Shifting of rivers such as the Ghaggar-Hakra River may have caused decline.
98. Floods in the Indus River region may have affected cities.
99. Trade decline with Mesopotamia weakened the economy.
100. After decline, the Harappan culture transformed into Late Harappan rural cultures.