Harappan Civilization and Economy

(Agriculture, trade and commerce, urban centres

and industries transportation)

1. Introduction

Scholarly research and archaeological discoveries from various sites on the

Indian subcontinent show that humans have improved the environment and
made it suitable for habitation for a very long time. They have created or
produced a variety of items required for survival. Archaeological digs at various
locations, including Bagor (Bhilwara, Rajasthan), Chopdani, Mahagara (Uttar
Pradesh), and Mehrgarh (Kachi, Baluchistan), among others, shed light on how
people gradually domesticated animals, created their habitats, produced pottery,
food, and developed agricultural, artisanal, and technological activities, as well
as possibly business transactions and some form of administrative authority (as
some seals found from the stage IV of the Mehrgarh excavations, c. 3500 BCE).
Most people work hard to improve their surroundings in order to ensure an easy
and comfortable life. It endures through the ages, passing from one generation
to the next. We can conclude that the Mehrgarh people were typical of their
time in light of the archaeological discoveries. They were probably still
developing their personal circumstances. As a result, they laid the foundation
for the gradual emergence of the well-known urban civilization. At
Mohenjodaro and Harappa, we discover that it has established roots. Alexander
Cunningham visited the Harappa site and purchased a few seals there. Then, we
learn that Dayaram Sahani was the one who started the excavations at Harappa
and found the ruins of this urban civilization there. In 1922, Rakhaldas
Bandyopadhyaya's remains were discovered at Mohenjodaro. Since then,
numerous archaeologists—including John Marshall, Rafiq Mughal, J. M.
Kenoyer, Shereen Ratnagar, and Richard H. Meadow, to name a few—have
given us important insights into the daily lives and varied pursuits of the
Harappans. The Indus Valley region is no longer the only place where these
artefacts can be found; they can also be found in Pakistan's Punjab, Baluchistan,
Jammu, Punjab, Haryana, western Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Gujarat. Given
the size of this civilization and the significance of Harappa as the first site to be
discovered, Harappan civilization has replaced Indus civilization as the
preferred nomenclature. According to scholarly estimates, the Harappan
civilization was home to 40,000,000. Food was obviously one of their most
important needs, and its availability required production. This makes us
consider how much they produce in terms of agriculture.

2. Agriculture

The Harappans grew paddy, as revealed by excavations at Rangpur and Lothal

in Gujarat. According to academic studies, the Harappans grew a variety of
crops, including millets, mustard, bajra, wheat, cotton, and lentils. They may
have grown these crops with the aid of the plough. It's interesting to note that
plough models made of terracotta have been discovered in Banawali and
Bhawalpur. We are informed that a field with plough marks has been
discovered in Rajasthan's Kalibangan. It is believed that the furrowed field
belonged to the pre-Harappan period. It would seem that the Harappans were
well on their way to being mature when they learned how to use a plough to
produce agricultural crops. We can deduce from this that the Harappans
produced a significant amount of agricultural crops. The discovery of brick-
built granaries at Harappa and Mohenjodaro may provide evidence in favour of
this. Both measured roughly 9000 square feet. According to Wheeler, the grains
of wheat, barley, and husk were found in the pits that were circular and to the
south of the Harappan granary.
The Harappans were reportedly skilled in animal husbandry as well. Our
attention has been drawn to the finding of goat, cattle, sheep, and ox bone
fragments. However, the rains made it easier to cultivate the Harappans' crops.
We discover that they utilised wells to guarantee a supply of subterranean water
for irrigation.

3. Industries

The Harappans developed their stone blade industries in a qualitative manner,

according to scholars. There was probably the craftsman who made those
blades. Our focus has been brought to this specific area. We have knowledge of
Sind's stone quarries and worker settlements.

The inhabitants of Harappa were also skilled users of bronze and copper. We
have copper items like fishhooks, saws, razors, utensils, etc. as well as bronze
goods like axes, chisels, knives, etc. We also have bronze animal statues from
Daimabad, such as a buffalo, an elephant, and chariot-like carriage puller oxen,
in addition to these products. Even though we are unsure of the significance of
these bronze objects, it does seem that their mastery of the metallurgical process
enabled them to create them. We have copper ores, slag, and Mohenjodaro
crucibles for the melting of metals.
They were also adept at creating beads. It's interesting to note that Banawali
now has a bead-making shop. Information about the Lothal bead factory's
excavation is also available. In this regard, R. S. Bisht informs us that numerous
beads, the majority of which were made of carnelian, were discovered at the
store. We offer beads made from shell, steatite, copper, and gold.
Potteries were developed by the Harappans. These were containers, plates,
bowls, and storage jars. There have also been reports of domestic pottery, such
as saddle querns and pounders. At a kiln, the potteries underwent firing. They
have located the kiln. We are informed that Chanhudaro produced crafts.
Kalibangan was where bangles were made. Potteries were typically made with
black on red, red, grey, black, and red. There are both coarse and fine categories
of pottery. We have Kalibangan dishes on stands, and the people of that era also
produced gold and silver jewellery. From Mohenjodaro, Lothal, and Harappa,
these have been reported. There were bracelets, armlets, necklaces, and other
ornaments made of gold. We are informed that pottery production utilised both
hand- and foot-powered wheels.
Information about brick production is available. Bricks were used, both fired
and unfired. The fired bricks were made in kilns. We are informed that drains,
wealthy people's homes, and public buildings were all constructed using fired
bricks. On the other hand, mud bricks were employed in the construction of
common people's homes.

4. Trade and Business

Therefore, it would seem that some people in the Harappan civilization

produced food, some produced utilitarian goods, and some people consumed
those goods. It goes without saying that these items needed to be moved from
one location to another. Thus, we begin to learn about the trading relationships
that the people of Harappa once had with other cultures. In this regard, we are
aware of the routes they had taken in their dealings with other parties.
According to what is known, people from the Karachi area travelled to
Mohenjodaro along the west bank of the Indus River before crossing it to travel
to Chanhudaro. Sind and Kutch and Kathiawar in Gujarat were connected by a
route. Both land and river routes connected Bhawalpur, central Indus, and
Rajasthan. East Punjab and Sind were connected by a road network as well. The
well-known Mesopotamian cuneiform inscriptions attest to the fact that under
Sargon, ships sailed from Magan, Meluha, and Tilmun or Dilmun to the port of
Agade. Scholars have also revealed that the Harappan traders visited
Mesopotamia. The same cuneiform inscriptions also mention a Meluhan
settlement and a ship-owning trader from Meluha. We learn that Magan was a
learned man who lived in Oman or on the Makran coast. The lower Indus region
has been the location of Meluha. The Persian Gulf region's Tilmun or Dilmun
has also been linked to Bahraine. At this point, it should be stressed that there is
scholarly debate surrounding the locations' identifications. In this context, it
should be noted that if the structure at Lothal in Gujarat is accepted as a dock in
accordance with S. R. Rao, it would seem that the Harappans engaged in long-
distance maritime trade. The watercraft that is shown on their seals supports
this. The Bactria-based Harappan artefacts have caught our attention (north-
east Afghanistan). As a result, the Harappans may have had trade connections to
Iran, as is said. We have mature Harappan stage seals from Susa in Iran.

5. Transportation

Therefore, it would seem that the Harappans had ongoing long-distance trading
networks. Carriages had to be used because of this. On the basis of the model
carts discovered, we can infer this. As a result, we can say that they made use of
the two-wheeled carts. They most likely also used carts with four wheels. We
have Chanhudaro carts made of bronze and clay. They also made use of boats.
Now, based on how the watercraft is depicted on their seals, we can deduce its
type.

Measurements and Weights

It should go without saying that using weights and measures is required in order
to conduct business. No exception was made by the Harappans. We are
informed that they were able to maintain such a sizable network of trade by
adhering to a standard system of weights and measures. Their fundamental unit
weighed 13.63 gm. It was 10.9 kgs that was the heaviest.
7. Life of the Trader of the Harappan Civilization

The life that the merchant had built by pursuing trade and commerce is closely
related to both. Due to a lack of information, it is challenging to make a
determination in the case of the Harappan civilization. The excavations at
Banawali, however, have caught our attention. According to scholars, the ruins
of a house at Banawali that contained a room modelled after what might be
called a drawing room today have been discovered. The room's floor was
covered in mud bricks. Weights, measures, and seals from the house have been
discovered. Large jars of various sizes have been discovered embedded in the
home's floor. The residence had a bathroom. A wash basin was installed in the
bathroom. A height was used to position the basin. Interesting to note is that the
basin was placed in a room corner. It was situated close to a drain through
which sewage was discharged. As a result, the building has been identified as
the residence of a wealthy trader.

8. Urban Centres

In the urban centres of the Harappan civilization, there are two key features that
stand out. The hierarchy of urban centres is one, and the other is the pattern of
urban layout. Mohenjodaro and Harappa are two of this civilization's well-
known urban centres. These two urban areas occupied 200 hectares and 150
hectares of land, respectively. According to what is known, Mohenjodaro once
had 85 000 residents, and Harappa once had 65 000.
The Harappan urban centre has two distinct sections, as we can see. The upper
city and lower town are these. Citadel is the name of the upper city, which is
located atop a man-made mound. We discover that the citadel sector contained
public buildings. In the lower area of the urban centre, people used to reside in
their homes. For the sake of clarity, let's talk about the two areas of the city
separately.

8.1 The Citadel Sector

Typically, the city's westernmost region was where the citadel sector was
located. The portion of the citadel had a rectangular shape. The citadels at
Mohenjodaro, Harappa, Lothal, and Kalibangan all have this shape. The
Mohenjodaro Great Bath, the granaries at Mohenjodaro and Harappa, and the
Mohenjodaro Assembly Hall are well-known examples of public structures in
the city's citadel district. There was a rectangular tank in the Great Bath. It had
two staircases that went up and down in different directions. To get to the Bath,
one used these staircases. According to what is said, this bath was used by the
aristocracy. The large granary was located close to the Bath. At the southern
end of the citadel was a pillared hall. Twenty pillars lined the hall. It supposedly
took up a space of 750 square metres. We are also informed that ceremonies
were held in this hall where people gathered. We see that the city of Dholavira
in Gujarat's Kachchha region was divided into three sections: the upper sector,
the middle sector, and the lower sector. At this point, it should be noted that the
two-sector pattern was not followed in the case of Dholavira. However,
Dholavira's city limits extended over 60 hectares. Another distinctive urban
element of the Harappan civilization has caught our attention. We are informed
that the northern and southern sectors of Kalibangan's citadel were once again
split into two. Only in Kalibangan is this pattern clearly discernible. Again, the
citadel sector of the city of Lothal was typically found to the south-east of the
lower sector rather than to the west. It is unusual to find an urban layout like
this. Let's focus on the lower-class area of the city now.

8.2 The Lower Town

People used to reside in the city's poorer areas, as was previously mentioned.
According to what is said, the lower part of the city contained substantial
residential structures. A residential building with a 300 sq. m. lot has caught our
attention. A courtyard was present. 27 rooms surrounded the courtyard.
Mohenjodaro was where the house was located. The majority of the homes in
the lower town area had courtyards, as we can see. Living spaces were added all
the way around the courtyard. In the lower part of Mohenjodaro, we discovered
that there were 700 wells for about 2000 residential homes. Excellent and
hygienic drainage systems were used by the Harappans. The covered main
drains were connected to the drains of residential buildings. This demonstrates
the Harappans' strong sense of public hygiene as well as the level of municipal
organisation they had attained. We discover that the lower areas of
Mohenjodaro, Harappa, Chanhudaro, and Kalibangan had streets, lanes, and
roads.
However, recent excavations in Gujarat have caught our attention. These digs
reveal that Harappan urbanism had spread to other regions.