ECONOMY AND TRADE

INTRODUCTION

1. Indus Valley Civilization is one of the earliest centres where men settled and progressed to
live a highly civilized life.

2. This civilization, familiar to the world as the Indus Valley Civilization or the Harappan
Culture, flourished about 5000 years ago.

3. Some of the sites discovered revealed the existence of a highly advanced people thousands of
years ago in this region.

4. These people had achieved a high degree of material life with varied occupations and
complex institutions.

SOME SITES OF INDUS VALLEY

1. Mohenjodaro- Located in Sindh, Pakistan on the banks of river Indus.

Excavated by R.D. Banerjee in 1922

2. Harappa- Located in Pakistan on the bank of river Ravi

Daya Ram Sahni began the first significant excavations

3. Kalibangan- Located in the Hanumangarh district of Rajasthan on the banks of dry bed of
Ghaggar river
Excavated by Amlanand Ghosh, B. B. Lal & Balkrishna Thapar

ECONOMY

1. The Harappan civilization occupied a varied landscape. It included alluvial plains,

mountains, plateau, and sea coasts.

2. The area was rich enough to generate surplus which was crucial for urbanization.

3. One aspect which differentiates the Mature Harappan phase from the Early Harappan is the
scale of economic activity.

4. Agriculture-

◦ The cultivation of rabi or winter crops seems to be the dominant practice in Harappan
civilization.

◦ There was increase in the cultivation of kharif or summer crops like millet and rice in
mature Harappan phase.
 ◦ Among the implements used, a terracotta plough model is found from Banawali and
Bahawalpur.

◦ A ploughed field has been revealed at Kalibangan.

◦ The Kalibangan field consisted of two sets of furrows crossing each other at right angles,
thus forming a grid pattern. It is likely that two crops were raised in the same field.

◦ Copper sickles have been recovered from several sites.

◦ The irrigation techniques must have varied from region to region. In Sind, it is possible
that floods in the Indus were used for irrigation purposes, a technique known as sheet-
flooding.

5. Domestication of Animals-

◦ Domestic animals found at the sites include cattle, buffalo, sheep, goat, pig, camel,
elephant, dog, cat, ass and others.

◦ Cattle and buffaloes must have supported agriculture and served as draught animals.

◦ The presence of horse is considered controversial.

◦ Hunting of animals was an important activity. Animals hunted include wild buffalo, deer,
wild pig, ass, jackal, rodents and hare.

◦ The site of Harappa has given evidence of marine cat fish. Hence it seems that coastal
communities may have traded in dried fish in inland settlements.

6. Food gathering was also practiced. Wild rice was consumed in the Ganga Yamuna Doab.

7. The Harappans depended on multiple subsistence strategies. This was done to mitigate risk.
If crops failed, they could depend upon hunting.

8. Crafts-

◦ A wide range of crafts were practiced in the Mature period.

◦ It seems from the archaeological record that the Harappans used more copper than
bronze.

◦ Pottery-

‣ The most common pottery occurring in the Harappan cities is the red ware.

‣ It is a wheel-made and baked pottery. There are both plain and decorated pots.
 ‣ Paintings included pipal leaves, fish-scales and intersecting circles which have
continued from the Early Harappan phase.

‣ Pottery kilns have been found at Mohenjodaro, Harappa, Nausharo and Chanhudaro

◦ Metallurgy-

‣ Harappans were aware of copper, gold and silver metallurgy.

‣ Harappans knew techniques like forging, sinking, hot and cold welding.

‣ The objects were mostly polished.

‣ Sixteen copper furnaces have been found at Lothal.

‣ Harappans also manufactured ornaments of gold and silver. It has been recovered
from Mohenjodaro, Harappa, and Allahdino.

◦ Bead-Making-

‣ The most famous artefacts manufactured by Harappans were their beads.

‣ Some like carnelian beads were an important export item.

‣ The beads of both precious metals, and semi-precious stones like agate, jasper,
steatite, and lapis lazuli were known.

◦ Weights and Measures-

‣ The Harappans used a standardized system of weights and measures.

‣ Most weights were of cubical shape and made of chert.

TRADE

Internal Trade

1. Harappan trade was based on barter. A wide variety of goods were traded.

2. The discovery of factory sites in the limestone hills of Sukkur and Rohri indicates that chert
blades were mass-produced here and sent to various Harappan settlements in Sindh.

3. The Khetri deposits of Rajasthan must have been an important source of copper.

4. Lead and zinc probably also came from Rajasthan.

5. Tin is available in the Tosam area of modern Haryana, but other possible sources are
Afghanistan and central Asia.

6. Gold may have come from the Kolar fields of Karnataka.

7. Most varieties of semi-precious stone used for bead manufacture came from Gujarat.

8. Several routes of trade and communication connected the various parts of the Harappan
culture zone—Balochistan, Sindh, Rajasthan, Cholistan, Punjab, Gujarat, and the upper doab.

External Trade

1. Indus civilization might have interacted and exchanged goods with contemporary
civilizations.

2. Many of the Indus artefacts have been discovered from many sites in West Asia.

3. An important export item to the cities of Mesopotamia was long barrel-cylinder carnelian
beads and etched carnelian beads.

4. Recovery of Indus and Indus-like seals also support the existence of trade.

5. The Mesopotamian texts tell us about trading links with Dilmun, Magan and Meluhha. It is
not clear whether Meluhha refers to Harappans.

6. Carnelian beads were also exported to the sites in north and south Iran.

7. Harappans also had trade contacts with Afghanistan and Central Asia.

◦ Lapis lazuli from Afghanistan and tin from Central Asia were greatly valued.

8. The most important evidence of trade with Afghanistan comes from an isolated Harappan
trading outpost at Shortughai.

9. Ivory and ivory objects may have been exported by the Harappans to Afghanistan,
Turkmenistan, and perhaps the Persian Gulf.

10. Jade must have come from Turkmenistan.