Name the two literary sources of information about the Harappan Civilization.
Answers
Required Answer:
☑Earliest inscriptions, namely, the seals of Harappa, dated about 2500 BC, have not been deciphered so far by any epigraphist. The later inscriptions were engraved in the Prakrit Language in the third century B.C. Ashokan inscriptions were written in the Brahmi script from left to right.
Answer:
The archaeological sources are immense when it comes to rediscovering the harappan civilization.There are 100s of sites uncovered which belong to the harappan period which include harappa,mohenjodaro,lothal,Dholavira,nageshwar,balakot,Rakhigarhi etc.With each site having its unique evidence and structures such as the great bath at mohenjodaro, the reservoir at Dholavira and the traces of bead making worksops which include the tools used for making beads and it is clear what each site was used for.For beads nageshwar and balakot were famous as they were the coastal regions.The palace like structure at one of fhe sites is thought to be the king’s palace but again there is no consensus on what kind of a governance existed,whether there was one king or many but this becomes more confusing when we uncover the bust of the “priest king”; the sculpure is thought to be that of a king but again there is no such concrete proof.
beads
The harappan civilization was well known for its creative bead making.Many mini and complex tools for bead making have been uncovered.Beads were used for ornamental purposes which included beads made out of jasper,agate,carnelian and many other stones which were etched into the mould and carnelian which was fired and then carved and fitted to make beads .Gold ornaments have also been uncovered.Waste material at the bead making sites also constitutes a great source.
Pots
A number of different styles and sizes of pots and vessels have been uncovered with very large pots and some being very small.larger pots were used for keeping a variety of things and one of these vessels was the one in which ashes were kept and it is still preserved in the national museum at Delhi.Another unique vessel known as the amphorae has been discovered which came somewhere from mesopotamia and carried a liquid but there is no mention of what this liquid actually was.
Burials.
many harappan burials show the harappans faith in the afterlife.The harappans overall did not believe in burying precious gold items with the dead and merely copper mirrors and ornaments have been found in burials which shows that they did believe in After life . Many burials had two people buried in them and a peculiar feature which shows a sort of heirarchy in harappan realm is that some burials are well lined with bricks and othrers have a more plain layout.The drainage system of harappans was complex and techinically made.All the streets intersected at 90 degrees and each house made on a raised platform. The houses had separate drains with each connected to the main drain of the city.They even had in place a sort of rain water harvesting system.Harappan houses were sometimes even double storeyed and the centered around a courtyard.Architects very intellgently laid out a plan where the door of the house would open in such a way that it gave no inside view and maintained the privacy. Bricks were standardized throughout the settlements with same length and width.
Seals
The most outstanding feature of the period are its seals made of terracota.The famous proto shiva seal is of great mention here.This seal represents a yogi sitting with animals surrounding him.Many historians believe him to be an early form of shiva who was worshipped by harappans but there in no proper evidence.The seals often had names and title of the owner on it.Many terracota figurines of mother goddesses and toys contribute to the study of Indus civilization.
Script
The indus script has not been deciphered till date and is often referred to as an enigmatic script.The script has too many signs of arrow like shapes is often known as wedge shaped. It seems that the people began by writing from the right side and ended in the left.
Trade
There are many mentions in the mesopotamian sources about their trade links with Indus people and they viewed harappans as the land of seafarers.A number of items were exchanged between the harappans and mesopotamians . Indus strong trade links with many other middle eastern civilizations of the time.