LOOKING BACK: ABOUT THE HARAPPANS

The Harappan culture existed between 5500 BCE to 1500 BCE. It is divided into three stages – the early phase (6000-2600 BCE) – which some historians call pre-Harappans; the most prosperous and advanced stage, known as mature Harappans (2600-1900 BCE) and the declining years or late Harappans (1900-1500 BCE) Though identified as the Indus Valley civilisation, because the first discovered sites of the culture – Harappa and Mohenjo-daro flourished on the banks of the Indus river, sites with similar cultural traits have been found along the Ghaggar and in other places in Haryana Gujarat and Rajasthan.

The Harappans were pioneers in the field of civil engineering and are believed to have introduced urban settlements in the Indian subcontinent. The Harappan Civilization was also one of the earliest urban cultures in the world. They built well-organised towns with walls, two or more divisions in cities, an advanced drainage system, water harvesting (a structure known as the Great Bath in Mohenjodaro is believed to be the earliest example of a public water tank) baked brick structures, fine pottery and silk production. A Harappan-era dockyard has been found at Lothal and there is evidence of flourishing trade with Mesopotamia, Iran and Egypt. They also had a system of weights and measures, seals and a script – though historians are yet to decipher it.