Indus Valley Civilization: Characteristics and Significance | History Optional for UPSC (Notes) PDF Download

Characteristics and Significance of the Harappan People

The population estimates for Harappan cities, based on scholarly studies, suggest that Mohenjodaro, the largest Harappan city, had a population of around 35,000 people.

To understand what the Harappan people looked like, what they wore, and how they spent their leisure time, scholars rely on terracotta, stone, and bronze sculptures, as well as skeletal remains.

Clothes

• Women: Harappan women, as depicted in figurines, typically wore a short skirt made from cotton or wool.
• Men: Male figurines are often bare-headed, although some are depicted with turbans. Many are nude, making it challenging to determine their clothing. However, some stone sculptures suggest that men wore a dhoti-like lower garment and an upper garment, possibly a shawl or cloak, draped over the left shoulder and under the right arm. Other clothing items included a kilt and a shirt, worn by both men and women. Some sculptures indicate the use of cotton clothes, with patterns like trefoils and red colors.

Hairstyles

• Women: Harappan women styled their hair in various ways, including braids,buns(either at the back or side of the head),separate locks or ringlets, and sometimes wrapped around the head like a turban. What appears to be a fan-shaped headdress might actually be hair stretched over a frame, possibly adorned with flowers or flower-shaped ornaments. Such hairstyles or headdresses could signify women of importance or deities.
• Men: Men's hairstyles varied, including braids,buns, and loose hair. Most male figurines have beards styled in various ways, from a goatee to a more common combed and spread-out style, as seen in the famous 'priest-king' figurine. Both men and women had long hair.

Ornaments

• Female figurines are often depicted wearing a variety of ornaments, including necklaces,chokers,hair ornaments,bangles,belts, and waist ornaments. Many beautiful pieces of jewelry have been discovered at Harappan sites.
• Male figurines often wore even more ornaments than modern Indian men, including rings,bracelets, and neck and hand ornaments. While growing a beard was fashionable, many men chose to shave their mustaches. There are some similarities in the hairstyles and ornaments of men and women, but also notable differences. For example, both men and women wore bangles and necklaces, but men rarely wore multi-strand necklaces made of graduated beads.

Terracotta Toys

• Excavations at Harappan sites have uncovered a wide array of terracotta toys, including balls,rattles,whistles,gamesmen,carts with movable parts, and animals on wheels. There are also spinning tops made of terracotta and shell, as well as clay marbles found in the courtyards of houses.
• Miniature terracotta cooking vessels,beds, and other toy furniture have been discovered, suggesting that children played with these items to mimic household activities. Figurines depicting children playing with toys have also been found.
• Numerous terracotta figurines of dogs, some with collars, indicate that people kept dogs as pets. Additionally, some figurines of people and animals have a comic appearance, reflecting a sense of humor among the Harappan people.

Terracotta Figurines of Women

• Some of the female figurines discovered at Harappan sites might depict goddesses, but many appear to represent ordinary women. The worship of female deities in figurines suggests the capacity to envision divinity in a feminine form. However, this does not imply that ordinary women held power or high social status.
• Figurines of women engaged in work are rare. Those portraying women grinding or kneading have been unearthed at sites like Nausharo, Harappa, and Mohenjodaro, indicating the association of women with food-processing activities. Some of the plump female terracotta figures could signify pregnant women. Excavations at Harappa have uncovered a burial containing a woman and a baby, possibly indicative of death during childbirth. Certain female figurines from Harappan sites depict women carrying suckling infants on their left hips or close to their breasts.
• An unusual terracotta figure from Nausharo shows a male figure with a feminine headdress holding an infant. Tiny terracotta representations of small children have been discovered at most sites.

Heterogeneity of Harappan People

• Early research on Harappan skeletons aimed to categorize the Harappans into distinct racial types. However, contemporary studies have moved away from these outdated and often arbitrary racial classifications. Kenneth A. R. Kennedy's examination of skeletons from Harappan sites reveals biological diversity among different regions, along with a resemblance to the present-day populations of these areas.
• For instance, the Harappans from Punjab shared physical characteristics with today's Punjabis, while those from Sindh bore similarities to the modern inhabitants of Sindh. Kennedy's research also noted the prevalence of malaria among the Harappan population.

Structure of Harappan Society

• The lack of deciphered written records poses a significant challenge in understanding Harappan society, necessitating careful inferences based on archaeological evidence. The Harappan culture zone was inhabited by a diverse population comprising villagers and urban dwellers.
• Occupational groups within Harappan society included farmers, herders, hunter-gatherers, craftspeople, fisherfolk, merchants, sailors, rulers, administrative officials, ritual specialists, architects, carpenters, brick masons, well diggers, boat makers, sculptors, shopkeepers, sweepers, and garbage collectors, among others. Some farmers may have resided in cities while cultivating nearby fields. Artifacts such as terracotta net sinkers and arrow points found at Mohenjodaro and Harappa indicate the presence of hunters and fisherfolk within the city population.
• While the level of social differentiation in Harappan society may not have been as pronounced as in Mesopotamia and Egypt, variations in house sizes and the presence of jewelry hoards suggest disparities in wealth and social status. Affluent groups likely included rulers, landowners, and merchants. Although differences in class and rank based on occupation, wealth, and status undoubtedly existed, claims regarding the existence of a caste system in Harappan society remain speculative.

Food Habits

• Staple Foods: Harappans in Sind and Punjab consumed wheat and barley as their main staples. In Rajasthan, townsfolk relied mainly on barley.
• Dietary Preferences: Harappans in Gujarat, particularly in Rangpur and Surkotda, favored rice and millet. They obtained fats and oils from sesame seeds,mustard, and possibly ghee. Honey might have been used as a sweetener.
• Fruits and Nuts: Seeds of jujube and dates found at Harappan sites suggest a preference for these fruits. They likely also consumed bananas,pomegranates,melons,lemons,figs, and mangoes. A variety of wild nuts and fruits were part of their diet, along with peas.
• Non-Vegetarian Foods: The Harappans also enjoyed non-vegetarian food, as evidenced by the discovery of bones from deer,bears,sheep, and goats. They were familiar with fish, milk, and curd.
• Absence of Certain Foods: Interestingly, they did not have tea or potato chips.

Warfare

• Evidence of Conflict: There is strong evidence that the Harappans engaged in warfare. Many Early Harappan sites, such as Kot Diji and Kalibangan, were found to be burnt down. While accidental fires could destroy large towns, it is more likely that some settlements were set ablaze by victorious groups.
• Human Remains: Skeletons scattered in the streets of Mohenjodaro suggest violent conflict. Typically, societies have an ordered way of disposing of their dead, but the Harappans must have faced extraordinary circumstances if they left their dead unburied.
• Fortifications: The presence of citadels and fortifications around many Harappan towns indicates a need for protection against outsiders. Some protection walls may have also served as flood defenses. However, the wealth of the Harappan townships compared to surrounding rural areas likely motivated them to fortify their settlements.
• Weapons: Some copper and bronze weapons have been found, further supporting the idea of conflict during this period.