Make a comparative study of the harappan and the mesopotamian civilisation
Answers
Introduction:-
The heart of the history of India or the first human life
of Indian subcontinent, the Great Indus valley civilisation. It is also known
as “The Harrapan civilisation.” It was spreaded across parts of India as well
as large part of Pakistan. The name Indus valley comes from its main river in
its river system which is the Indus River. It was a civilisation of the Bronze
Age and it dated from 3000 BC – 1500 BC. It was one the 1st
civilisations taking place in the world history. The people of Indus valley civilization were
extremely peaceful and advanced in farming.
They
were also good in the field of trade. They traded with the Mesopotamian and
Egyptian civilization.
The land of Ziggurats
or the Mesopotamian civilization was known for its complex government
structures. The area of it was just like in the shape of a crescent and so was
also called “the ancient fertile crescent area”. It was situated between the
two fertile rivers- Tigris and Euphrates. It was in existence from 3500-1800
BC. These people were hot-minded and used to fight which caused often wars
between people, rulers and other countries. Due to these wars the civilization
declined.
Main content:-
Geography:-
Mesopotamian civilization is mostly located in Iraq. It forms a crescent
shape and so is called “the fertile crescent”. Mesopotamia encompasses the land between the Euphrates and Tigris rivers, both of which have
their headwaters in the Armenian Highlands. Both rivers are fed by numerous
tributaries, and the entire river system drains a vast mountainous region.
Overland routes in Mesopotamia usually follow the Euphrates because the banks
of the Tigris are frequently steep and difficult. The climate of the region is
semi-arid with a vast desert expanse in the north which gives way to a 15,000
square kilometres (5,800 sq mi) region of marshes, lagoons, mud
flats, and reed banks in the south. In the extreme south, the Euphrates and the
Tigris unite and empty into the Persian Gulf. There were three major problems of the geography
which are unpredictable floods/dry summers, no natural barriers for protection
as the small villages were in the open plains which were defenceless, &
lastly there were limited natural resources like metal, wood and stone. But for
this they found a excellent solution which is building of irrigation ditches,
city walls with mud bricks, and trade of resources which couldn’t be found
there respectively.
The Indus Valley
Civilization encompassed most of Pakistan and parts of south-western India, and
Afghanistan, extending from Pakistani Baluchistan in the west to Uttar Pradesh in the east, north-eastern
Afghanistan to the north and Maharashtra to the south. It had rich
agricultural lands which were surrounded by highlands, desert, and ocean. The
climate was pleasant and cool; also it was ideal for farming due to the monsoon
rains.
weapons:-
Indus valley civilization was a peaceful civilization. The people were
more attached to agriculture and trading and thus usage of weapons was found
very less. Other than weapons there are many agricultural tools found such as
the plough, etc. The weapons which could be found are sword, spears, daggers,
saw, bow and arrow, etc. Many of these were made up of bronze.
The Mesopotamians were advanced in the science of making tools and
weapons. The Sumerians were expert in making unique and advanced tools and
weaponry which helped them to last long. Sumerians developed the wheel to use
it in the farm as well as in the wars. The geography of this civilization is
such that the water can’t reach every part of the civilization. Thus they
developed efficient water transporting system which could be evident through
the “Hanging Gardens of Babylon.” Moving towards weaponry they used usually
bronze for it. The main weapons are Bow and arrow, spears, battle axes, etc.
They also had war chariots which would help them to move fast for attack. They
used several other equipments such as the Javelins, etc. For defence they used
to have helmets and armours.