| Name | Harappa |
|---|
| Pushpin map | Pakistan |
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| Coordinates region | PK |
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| Subdivision type | Country |
|---|
| Subdivision type1 | Province |
|---|
| Subdivision name | |
|---|
| Subdivision name1 | Punjab |
|---|
| Subdivision type2 | District |
|---|
| Subdivision name2 | Sahiwal District |
|---|
| Subdivision type3 | Tehsil |
|---|
| Timezone | Pakistan Standard Time |
|---|
| Utc offset | +5 |
|---|
Harappa (
Urdu/
Punjabi: , ) is an
archaeological site in
Punjab, northeast
Pakistan, about west of
Sahiwal. The site takes its name from a modern village located near the former course of the
Ravi River. The current village of Harappa is 6 km from the ancient site. Although modern Harappa has a train station left from the British times, it is today just a small (pop. 15,000) crossroads town.
The site of the ancient city contains the ruins of a Bronze Age fortified city, which was part of the Cemetery H culture and the Indus Valley Civilization, centered in Sindh and the Punjab. The city is believed to have had as many as 23,500 residents—considered large for its time.
The ancient city of Harappa was greatly destroyed under the British Raj, when bricks from the ruins were used as track ballast in the making of the Lahore-Multan Railroad.
In 2005, a controversial amusement park scheme at the site was abandoned when builders unearthed many archaeological artifacts during the early stages of construction work. A plea from the prominent Pakistani archaeologist Ahmed Hasan Dani to the Ministry of Culture resulted in a restoration of the site.
History
and extent of
Indus Valley Civilization (green).]]
The
Indus Valley Civilization (also known as Harappan culture) has its earliest roots in cultures such as that of
Mehrgarh, approximately 6000 BCE. The two greatest cities,
Mohenjo-daro and Harappa, emerged circa 2600 BCE along the
Indus River valley in
Punjab and
Sindh. The civilization, with a
writing system, urban centers, and diversified
social and
economic system, was rediscovered in the 1920s after excavations at
Mohenjo-daro (which means "mound of the dead") in Sindh near
Sukkur, and Harappa, in west
Punjab south of
Lahore. A number of other sites stretching from the
Himalayan foothills in east
Punjab,
India in the north, to
Gujarat in the south and east, and to
Balochistan in the west have also been discovered and studied. Although the archaeological site at Harappa was partially damaged in 1857 when engineers constructing the
Lahore-
Multan railroad (as part of the
Sind and Punjab Railway), used
brick from the Harappa ruins for
track ballast, an abundance of artifacts has nevertheless been found.
Culture and economy
Indus Valley civilization was mainly an urban culture sustained by surplus agricultural production and commerce, the latter including trade with
Sumer in southern
Mesopotamia. Both
Mohenjo-daro and Harappa are generally characterized as having "differentiated living quarters, flat-roofed brick houses, and fortified administrative or religious centers." Although such similarities have given rise to arguments for the existence of a standardized system of urban layout and planning, the similarities are largely due to the presence of a semi-orthogonal type of civic layout, and a comparison of the layouts of
Mohenjo-daro and Harappa shows that they are in fact, arranged in a quite dissimilar fashion. The chert weights and measures of the Indus Valley Civilization, on the other hand, were highly standardized, and conform to a set scale of gradations. Distinctive seals were used, among other applications, perhaps for identification of property and shipment of goods. Although
copper and
bronze were in use,
iron was not yet employed. "
Cotton was woven and dyed for clothing;
wheat,
rice, and a variety of vegetables and fruits were
cultivated; and a number of animals, including the
humped bull, were
domesticated."
[ Wheel-made pottery—some of it adorned with animal and geometric motifs—has been found in profusion at all the major Indus sites. A centralized administration for each city, though not the whole civilization, has been inferred from the revealed cultural uniformity; however, it remains uncertain whether authority lay with a commercial oligarchy. There appears to be a complete lack of priestly "pomp or lavish display" that was common in other civilizations.
]
Archaeology
By far the most exquisite and obscure artefacts unearthed to date are the small, square steatite (soapstone) seals engraved with human or animal motifs. A large number of seals have been found at such sites as Mohenjo-daro and Harappa. Many bear pictographic inscriptions generally thought to be a form of writing or script. Despite the efforts of philologists from all parts of the world, and despite the use of modern cryptographic analysis, the signs remain undeciphered. It is also unknown if they reflect proto-Dravidian or other non-Vedic language(s). The ascription of Indus Valley Civilization iconography and epigraphy to historically known cultures is extremely problematic, in part due to the rather tenuous archaeological evidence of such claims, as well as the projection of modern South Asian political concerns onto the archaeological record of the area. This is especially evident in the radically varying interpretations of Harappan material culture as seen from both Pakistan and India-based scholars.
Notes
The earliest radiocarbon dating mentioned on the web is 2725+-185 BCE (uncalibrated) or 3338, 3213, 3203 BCE calibrated, giving a midpoint of 3251 BCE. Kenoyer, Jonathan Mark (1991) Urban process in the Indus Tradition: A preliminary report. In Harappa Excavations, 1986-1990: A multidisciplinary approach to Second Millennium urbanism, edited by Richard H. Meadow: 29-59. Monographs in World Archaeology No.3. Prehistory Press, Madison Wisconsin.
Periods 4 and 5 are not dated at Harappa. The termination of the Harappan tradition at Harappa falls between 1900 and 1500 BCE.
Mohenjo-daro is another major city of the same period, located in Sindh province of Pakistan. One of its most well-known structures is the Great Bath of Mohenjo-daro.
Dholavira is an ancient Metropolitan City. The Harappans used roughly the same size bricks and weights as were used in other Indus cities, such as Mohenjo Daro and Dholavira. These cities were well planned with wide streets, public and private wells, drains, bathing platforms and reservoirs.
See also
Charles Masson - First European explorer of Harappa
Dholavira
Lothal
Harappan architecture
Mandi, Uttar Pradesh, India
Mehrgarh
Sheri Khan Tarakai
Mohenjo-daro
Sokhta Koh
References
External links
Harappa.com
Category:4th-millennium BC architecture
Category:Ancient India
Category:Archaeological sites in Pakistan
Category:Bronze Age
Category:Populated places in Sahiwal District
Category:Indus Valley sites
Category:Former populated places in Pakistan
