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The Indus Valley

civilization

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THE RIVER
hwestern portion of the Indian subcontinent , i

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The earliest urban civilization on the Indian
sub-continent, and one of the earliest in the
world

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Some 5000 years ago, a nomadic people made their way
into northwest India from Sumeria (modern day Iran)
across the Himalayas, near modern Karachi.
They found a rich land (modern-day Punjab), fertilized
by the great river systems of the Indus, Ravi, Beas,
Chenab and Sutlej.

Compared to the deserts of Iran, this was a blessed


land, with ample water, fodder and fuel supply.
Clay for making bricks was plentiful in the riverbeds
and so was wood to burn the bricks. 
Over a period of a thousand years, these immigrants
spread over an area of half a million square miles.

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An area of 1.6
million sq km
(much larger
than
Mesopotamia or
Egypt)

Flourished
from 2,500 BCE
to 1,500 BCE

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WRITING SYSTEM
The Indus valley cultural history is an ancient
and complex one.
The earliest writing is still not fully deciphered.
Therefore, we have no readable records of the
beliefs, history, rulers or literature of people
inhabiting the Indus Valley around 2600 BCE

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Later Indian scripts, e.g. Brahmi, were developed to write
both official and local languages.
Great epics, royal inscriptions, religious texts and
administrative documents were all written using these
scripts.
Through these sources we are able to learn about the
literature, mythology, history and beliefs of ancient India.

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GOVERNMENT
The Indus Valley civilization is also known as the
Harappan civilization. The twin cities of Mohenjo-
Daro and Harappa formed the hub of the
civilization.
It appears to have flourished at the same time as
the Akkadian civilization in Mesopotamia.

Mohenjo - Daro
(“Mound of the Dead”)
2600 – 1900 BCE
One of the world’s most ancient
cities
Discovered in the 1920s
Sindh province in modern-day
Pakistan
(prior to the 1920s, the
earliest reliable date for the
history of India was spring of
326 B.C. when Alexander the
Great raided the northwestern
border.

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Covered parts of today’s Punjab, Haryana, Sindh,
Baluchistan, Gujarat and fringes of Uttar Pradesh

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The origin, rise, and decline of the
Indus
Valley civilization remain a mystery
A number of theories surround the civilization’s
relatively sudden disappearance (1500 BCE):

1. Invasion by Aryans (Indo-Iranians)


2. Environmental changes
(e.g. volcanic activity, drought, flood – but not
violence)
3. Both
•The Aryan Invasion Theory is one of the most hotly
contested theories in archaeology today, in part
because it is caught up in the politics of the region.
•Some historians point out that Harappa had lost its
urban character by 2000 BCE, i.e. 500 years before
the Aryan arrival.
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THE ARYANS = a controversial topic
Origin: grasslands of Eastern Europe/Western Asia, the Caspian
Sea, Anatolia, and south-central Asia. Some archaeologists say the
Aryans already had iron weapons, while others believe they
developed them in India. Some claim they crossed the Himalayas in
horse-drawn chariots.

Hitler twisted some archaeological theories to put


forward the Aryans as a master race of Indo-Europeans,
who were supposed to be Nordic in appearance and
directly ancestral to the Germans. These Nordic
invaders were defined as directly opposite to native
south Asian peoples, called Dravidians, who were
supposed to have been darker-skinned.
 Colonial mentality + Nazi propaganda
None of the parts of this theory have been
scientifically (biologically, archaeologically) proven.
Hindu swastika Nazi swastika
(good luck symbol) (a symbol of Fascism)
But Indo-
European
(Indo-Aryan)
languages
are a reality
Scholars had long noted
the similarities
between Sanskrit,
the ancient language in
which
the classical Vedic
texts are written, and
other Latin-based
languages such as
French and Italian.
 
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PHILOSOPHY /
LITERATURE
Vedic texts
From Sanskrit वेद véda = knowledge
e.g. Rigveda = a book of hymns
The first literature of the Indian subcontinent came
after the Harappan period and is known as Vedic.
It doesn't appear to mention the Harappan
civilization.
Originated around 1500 BCE
Codified between 1200 and 900 BCE
Composed in Sanskrit , the classical language of
India The Vedas formed the basis of early Hinduism

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RELIGION
Hinduism = a diverse tradition

Vedic Hinduism
Folk Hinduism
Worship
Philosophy
Yogic (meditative, mental/physical) tradition
Morality
(based on concepts like karma,
dharma, others)
Social rules and customs

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CONTRIBUTIONS
ARCHITECTURE,
ENGINEERING

•Palaces, granaries, baths including ablution


baths
•No grand monuments but sophisticated
planning principles
•A degree of urban planning which the Romans
achieved only later, after a gap of 2500 years:
•Unique urban characteristics:
traffic intersections; drainage;
adaptation of architecture to climate

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MATHEMATICS,
ASTRONOMY

•Decimal number system


•Concept of zero as a number
•Indian origin of Arabic
numerals
•Early contributions
to arithmetic, algebra
•Cross-fertilization with
Islamic scientific traditions

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LITERATURE:
Sanskrit epics
Ramayana
and Mahabharata
•Ramayana (“Rama’s Journey”):
24,000 verses
•Story of Rama (incarnation of
the Hindu god Vishnu) whose
wife Sita is abducted by
Ravana, the demon king of
Lanka
•Themes of human existence,
proper relationships; concept
of dharma

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THE “INDIAN[IZED]
OCEAN
WORLD”
THE “INDIAN[IZED] OCEAN WORLD”

•xxx

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THE “INDIAN OCEAN WORLD”
“A world that…

emerged, developed, interacted


and made itself rich, sophisticated,
knowledgeable and skilled
without reference to Europe”
Ziauddin Sardar

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THE “INDIAN OCEAN WORLD”
a world of maritime contact 
 innovations in seafaring technology 
trading centres 
ideas nowledge
cultural patterns

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SE Asia: Pervasive Indian influence
Indianized languages
(Thai, Khmer, Burmese, Javanese),
scripts, texts, practices

Prambenam
(central Java)

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SE Asia: Pervasive Indian influence
Indianized languages
(Thai, Khmer, Burmese, Javanese),
scripts, texts, practices

Borobudur
(also on Java island)

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Ramayana

•The basis of many texts,


music, dance forms across
India and SE Asia
•(In Hindu tradition, dance
was a sacred art;
a re-enactment of
religious text)

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Kerala

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Malabar Coast
(northern half of Kerala,
parts of present-day Karnataka)

Similar physical environment


Same colonial influences
(Portuguese, Dutch, British)

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Pre-Islamic Malay states
(before 14th century CE):
Political and social structures
reflecting Indian influence

With the arrival of Islam:


‘Divine King’  Rajah
Brahmin class  ulama, Sayyids

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‘Malay Islam’

Religion = agama
Fasting = puasa
Heaven = syurga
Hell = neraka

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‘Malay Islam’

Religion = agama
Fasting = puasa
Heaven = syurga
Hell = neraka

All Sanskrit terms, with mystical


connotations in Hinduism
Malay identity:
based on contradictions

Agama
Bahasa  nationalism
Rajah  feudalism

Nationalism, feudalism = Indian


rather than Islamic influence

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