Harappan Civilisation
Chapter 3 · Maharashtra Board · Textbook Page 16
An urban civilisation developed in the Indian subcontinent approximately 4,500 years ago. It is known as ‘Harappan Civilisation.’ This civilisation was so advanced that its cities were marked with clean and wide roads, meticulous town planning, flourishing trade and the use of writing. The Harappan Civilisation reveals to us that, even thousands of years ago, the lifestyle of our ancestors was highly disciplined and mature.
Simple Explanation
About 4,500 years ago, an urban civilisation developed in the Indian subcontinent. An urban civilisation is a civilisation in which people live in developed towns and cities.
This civilisation is called the Harappan Civilisation. It was very advanced for its time.
Its cities had clean and wide roads. This shows that the people gave attention to the planning and organisation of their cities.
The cities also had meticulous town planning. This means that the towns were planned carefully and in an organised manner.
The Harappan people had flourishing trade. This means that trade was well developed and people exchanged goods with other regions.
They also used writing, which was another important feature of their civilisation.
The civilisation tells us that even thousands of years ago, our ancestors had a highly disciplined and mature lifestyle. They lived in an organised way and had developed systems for their cities and daily life.
| Meanings | Marathi Arth | Hindi Arth |
|---|---|---|
| Urban — related to cities | शहरी / नागरी | शहरी |
| Civilisation — an organised way of life of a society | संस्कृती / नागरी संस्कृती | सभ्यता |
| Subcontinent — a large part of a continent | उपखंड | उपमहाद्वीप |
| Approximately — about; nearly | अंदाजे / सुमारे | लगभग |
| Advanced — highly developed | प्रगत | उन्नत / विकसित |
| Meticulous — very careful and detailed | अत्यंत काळजीपूर्वक | बहुत सावधानीपूर्वक |
| Town planning — planned development of a town | नगररचना | नगर नियोजन |
| Flourishing — growing and developing well | भरभराट होत असलेले | फलता-फूलता / समृद्ध |
| Trade — buying, selling or exchanging goods | व्यापार | व्यापार |
| Disciplined — organised and following proper rules | शिस्तबद्ध | अनुशासित |
| Mature — well developed and sensible | प्रगल्भ / विकसित | परिपक्व |
An urban civilisation is a developed civilisation based around organised towns and cities. The Harappan Civilisation was an urban civilisation because its cities were carefully planned and had organised facilities.
An urban civilisation is a developed civilisation with organised towns and cities. Harappan cities had many planned features.
Harappan cities were carefully planned with wide roads, organised houses, separate sections and an efficient drainage system.
The cities were built in an organised way. Roads, houses and drainage were properly planned.
The Harappan people lived an organised life. They had well-planned houses, water facilities, different foods, cotton and silk clothes, and various ornaments.
Their houses, food, clothing and ornaments show that they had a developed and organised lifestyle.
They practised agriculture, grew crops such as wheat and barley, and traded goods with distant regions such as Mesopotamia.
Farming and trade were important activities. They grew crops and exchanged goods with other regions.
Changes in rivers, natural calamities and the decline of trade may have weakened the cities. People gradually moved from cities to smaller villages.
Several problems may have affected the cities. As the cities became weaker, people moved towards smaller villages.
Let us peep through history into Harappan Civilisation and try to find answers to these questions.
Simple Explanation
The textbook asks us to look into the history of the Harappan Civilisation.
We will study the civilisation and its people and find answers to important questions about their cities, lifestyle, agriculture, trade and decline.
| Meanings | Marathi Arth | Hindi Arth |
|---|---|---|
| Peep — to look into or see briefly | डोकावून पाहणे | झाँकना / देखना |
| History — the study of the past | इतिहास | इतिहास |
| Answers — responses to questions | उत्तरे | उत्तर |
‘Civilisation indicates development of a way of life using available natural resources’. Discuss in class what you understand from this statement.
A civilisation develops its way of life by using the natural resources available around it, such as water and fertile land.
People use natural resources to meet their needs and develop their way of living. This becomes an important part of the development of a civilisation.
| Meanings | Marathi Arth | Hindi Arth |
|---|---|---|
| Civilisation — an organised and developed way of life | संस्कृती / नागरी संस्कृती | सभ्यता |
| Indicates — shows or points out | दर्शवते / सूचित करते | दर्शाता है / संकेत करता है |
| Development — growth or improvement | विकास | विकास |
| Natural resources — useful things obtained from nature | नैसर्गिक साधनसंपत्ती | प्राकृतिक संसाधन |
| Available — present and ready to be used | उपलब्ध | उपलब्ध |
| Statement — something that is said or written | विधान / वक्तव्य | कथन / वक्तव्य |
A civilisation is a social and cultural system.
Simple Explanation
A civilisation is a social and cultural system in which people live together as a society and develop their culture.
Social refers to people and the way they live and interact with one another.
Cultural refers to the way of life, practices and traditions of people.
Therefore, a civilisation includes both the social and cultural life of a group of people.
| Meanings | Marathi Arth | Hindi Arth |
|---|---|---|
| Social — related to society and people living together | सामाजिक | सामाजिक |
| Cultural — related to the way of life and culture | सांस्कृतिक | सांस्कृतिक |
| System — an organised set of connected parts | व्यवस्था / प्रणाली | व्यवस्था / प्रणाली |
In the previous lesson, we learnt how riverine civilisations emerged. They gradually developed into urban civilisations. Harappan Civilisation is one of the ancient riverine civilisations. Many sites associated with this civilisation have been discovered in the Indus valley, hence, it is also known as ‘Indus Valley Civilisation.’ A civilisation is named after the site, where it was first discovered. Excavations at Harappa first began in 1921. Harappa is situated on the banks of the River Ravi in Punjab. Therefore, this civilisation known as the ‘Harappan Civilisation.’
Simple Explanation
In the previous lesson, we learned about riverine civilisations, which developed near rivers.
These civilisations gradually developed into urban civilisations, where towns and cities came into existence.
The Harappan Civilisation is one of the ancient riverine civilisations.
Many sites connected with this civilisation were discovered in the Indus Valley. Therefore, it is also called the Indus Valley Civilisation.
A civilisation is named after the site where it was first discovered.
Excavations at Harappa began in 1921. Harappa is situated on the banks of the River Ravi in Punjab.
Therefore, the civilisation came to be known as the Harappan Civilisation.
| Meanings | Marathi Arth | Hindi Arth |
|---|---|---|
| Riverine — related to a river | नदीशी संबंधित | नदी से संबंधित |
| Emerged — came into existence | उदयास आली / अस्तित्वात आली | अस्तित्व में आई |
| Gradually — slowly, step by step | हळूहळू | धीरे-धीरे |
| Urban — related to cities | शहरी / नागरी | शहरी |
| Ancient — very old; belonging to the past | प्राचीन | प्राचीन |
| Associated — connected with | संबंधित / जोडलेले | संबंधित / जुड़ा हुआ |
| Valley — low land between hills or mountains | खोरे | घाटी |
| Excavation — digging a site to discover remains | उत्खनन | उत्खनन |
| Situated — located in a particular place | स्थित | स्थित |
| Banks — land beside a river | नदीकाठ | नदी का किनारा |
River valley civilisations
Human life was more dependent on agriculture during Neolithic period. That gave rise to stable life. Settled villages came into being.
Simple Explanation
During the Neolithic period, human life became more dependent on agriculture.
As people depended more on farming, they began to live a more stable life.
People began staying in one place instead of moving from place to place. As a result, settled villages came into existence.
| Meanings | Marathi Arth | Hindi Arth |
|---|---|---|
| Neolithic period — the period associated with the New Stone Age | नवाश्मयुग | नवपाषाण काल |
| Dependent — needing something for support | अवलंबून | निर्भर |
| Agriculture — farming and cultivation of crops | शेती / कृषी | कृषि / खेती |
| Stable — steady and not changing or moving often | स्थिर | स्थिर |
| Settled — living in one place | स्थायिक / स्थिरावलेले | स्थायी रूप से बसे हुए |
| Villages — settlements where people live | गावे | गाँव |
Where Humans might have established settled villages?
Village settlements were established where needs like availability of water, fertile land and system of transport were satisfied. All these factors were available on the river banks. The ancient river valley civilisations develop in vicinity of rivers. These were Tigris-Euphrates (Mesopotamia), Nile (Egypt), Huang-Ho (China), Indus (Harappa).
Simple Explanation
People established villages in places where their important needs could be fulfilled.
One important need was the availability of water. Water is necessary for human life and daily activities.
Another important need was fertile land. Fertile land is suitable for growing crops.
A good system of transport was also needed to move people and goods.
These important factors were available near river banks. Therefore, people established settlements near rivers.
Ancient river valley civilisations developed near rivers. The textbook gives the examples of Tigris-Euphrates in Mesopotamia, Nile in Egypt, Huang-Ho in China and Indus associated with Harappa.
| Meanings | Marathi Arth | Hindi Arth |
|---|---|---|
| Settlement — a place where people live | वस्ती / वसाहत | बस्ती / बसावट |
| Availability — the state of being available | उपलब्धता | उपलब्धता |
| Fertile — able to produce good crops | सुपीक | उपजाऊ |
| Transport — movement of people or goods | वाहतूक | परिवहन / यातायात |
| River bank — land beside a river | नदीकाठ | नदी का किनारा |
| Vicinity — nearby area | जवळचा परिसर | आस-पास का क्षेत्र |
| Mesopotamia — the region associated with the Tigris-Euphrates rivers | मेसोपोटेमिया | मेसोपोटामिया |
| Huang-Ho — a river associated with ancient China | ह्वांग-हो नदी | ह्वांग-हो नदी |