Harappan Civilisation: An Enigma and Discovery

• John Marshall, Director-General of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), announced the discovery of the “civilisation of the Indus Valley” in 1924.
• The Harappan civilisation, named after Harappa, was the first site to be discovered in the area.
• The civilisation was a technological powerhouse, excelling in town planning, water harvesting, building reservoirs, stadia, warehouses, underground sullage systems, massive fortification walls, and building seafaring boats.
• It was known for its craftsmanship, making seals of steatite and carving them with realistic human and animal motifs and a script within a cramped space of two cm by 1.5 cm.
• Two ASI archaeologists, Daya Ram Sahni and Rakhal Das Banerji, were instrumental in the discovery, credited by Marshall in his article.
• The Harappan civilisation can be divided into an early phase (3200 BC to 2600 BC), the mature period (2600 BC to 1900 BC), and the late phase (1900 BC to 1500 BC), when it decayed and collapsed.
• The most characteristic features of the Harappan civilisation were the fully developed Indus script, finely carved stamp seals, standardised measures, large-scale use of burnt brick, and exquisite lapidary art.
• The discovery filled the gap in South Asian history and added one more ancient civilization in Asia, besides the Egyptian and the Mesopotamian.