INDUS VALLEY CIVILIZATION

Context

2020 marked the 100 years of the discovery of Indus Valley Civilization (IVC).
And a new study in the recent past showed that dairy products were being produced by the Harappans as far back as 2500 BCE.

Indus Valley Civilization	Features
Period	Bronze Age
Date	3300 BC – 1300 BC
Geographical Range	Indus River Basin; NW India & Eastern Pakistan
Preceded by	Mehrgarh
Succeeded by	Painted Grey Ware Culture
Noted for	Urban planning, baked brick houses, elaborate drainage systems, water supply systems, clusters of large non-residential buildings, and new techniques in handicraft (carnelian products, seal carving) and metallurgy (copper, bronze, lead, and tin)
Status	UNESCO World Heritage Site

Phases

Archaeological Findings

Harappa	Cemetery H & R37; Coffin burial; Phallus worship; Mother goddess, Bullock Carts, Single Roomed Barracks, Granaries, Sandstone Steatite of a youth with muscular body, Bronze Image of a Dog Attacking a Deer, Sandstone Girl Dancer, Reserved slip ware of Mesopotamian Type
Mohenjo-Daro	Prepared garments, Pashupati seal, Bronze statue of a dancing girl, Ivory weight balance, The Great Bath, The Great Granary, Priest king statue (of steatite), human skeleton huddled together
Kalibangan	Lower fortified town, Fire Altar, Boustrophedon style writing, Wooden drainage, Copper ox, Evidence of earthquake, Wooden plough, Camel’s bone, 6 types of pottery
Lothal	Dockyard, Port Town, Evidence of Rice, Fire Altar, Ivory weight balance, Copper dog.
Rangpur	Evidence of Rice
Surkotada	Horse bone, stone covered grave, Human ashes
Chanhudaro	Bangle factory, Ink pot, only city without citadel, Carts with seated driver, Small Pot Shell Ornament Makers Factory, Metal Workers Factory, Bead Making Factory Shell Ornament Makers Factory
Balakot	Bangle Factory
Daimabad	Bronze Buffalo, Copper Rhinoceros, Copper Elephant
Amri	Remains of Rhinoceros
Ropar	Dog buried with humans, steatite seal, oval pit burials.
Banawali	Oval shaped settlement, only city with radial streets, toy plough
Dholavira	Only site to be divided into three parts, giant water reservoir, unique water harnessing system, Dam, Embankments, stadium, rock – cut architecture
Balakot	Shell Ornament makers Factory
Rakhigarhi	Skeletons of a 4,500-old woman, Clay plough

Note: Indus Valley Script has not yet been deciphered. 70% of the city is yet to be excavated.

Recent Findings

After studying 59 shards of pottery from Kotada Bhadli, in present-day Gujarat, researchers showed the earliest direct evidence of dairy product processing in IVC.
This throws fresh light on the rural economy of the civilization.
Researchers also confirmed the presence of cattle, water buffalo, goat, cow and sheep found in the area.
Until now, there was no evidence of cow from IVC.
Cows and water buffalo consumed millets, while sheep and goats ate nearby grass and leaves.
Most of the cattle and water-buffalo died at an older age, suggesting they could have been raised for milk.
Whereas the majority of goat/sheep died when they were young, indicating they could have been used for meat.
Milk was produced in surplus so that it could be exchanged and there could have been some kind of trade between settlements.
This could have given rise to an industrial level of dairy exploitation.