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HarappaWikipedia

Harappa
Coordinates:

FromWikipedia,thefreeencyclopedia

303744N725150E

ForthehistoricalcivilizationknownastheHarappa,seeIndusValleyCivilization.

Harappa(Punjabipronunciation:[ppa]Urdu:

)is

Harappa

(Urdu)

anarchaeologicalsiteinPunjab,Pakistan,about24km(15mi)
westofSahiwal.Thesitetakesitsnamefromamodernvillage
locatedneartheformercourseoftheRaviRiver.Thecurrent
villageofHarappais6km(3.7mi)fromtheancientsite.
AlthoughmodernHarappahasalegacyrailwaystationfromthe
periodoftheBritishRaj,itistodayjustasmallcrossroadstown
ofpopulation15,000.
ThesiteoftheancientcitycontainstheruinsofaBronze
Agefortifiedcity,whichwaspartoftheCemeteryHcultureand
theIndusValleyCivilization,centeredinSindhand
thePunjab.[1]Thecityisbelievedtohavehadasmanyas
23,500residentsandoccupiedabout150hectares(370acres)
withclaysculpturedhousesatitsgreatestextentduring
theMatureHarappanphase(26001900BC),whichis

Alargewellandbathingplatformsareremainsof
Harappa'sfinalphaseofoccupationfrom2200to
1900BC.

consideredlargeforitstime.[2][3]Perarchaeologicalconvention
ofnamingapreviouslyunknowncivilizationbyitsfirstexcavated
site,theIndusValleyCivilizationisalsocalledtheHarappan
Civilization.
TheancientcityofHarappawasheavilydamagedunderBritish
rule,whenbricksfromtheruinswereusedastrackballastin
theconstructionoftheLahoreMultanRailway.In2005,a
controversialamusementparkschemeatthesitewas
abandonedwhenbuildersunearthedmanyarchaeological
artifactsduringtheearlystagesofbuildingwork.Apleafrom
ShownwithinPakistan

thePakistaniarchaeologistAhmadHasanDanitotheMinistryof
Cultureresultedinarestorationofthesite.[4]

Location
Coordinates

Contents[hide]
1 History

SahiwalDistrict,Punjab,Pakistan
303744N725150E

Type

Settlement

Area

150ha(370acres)

2 Cultureandeconomy

History

3 Archaeology

Periods

Harappa1toHarappa5

4 EarlysymbolssimilartoIndusscript

Cultures

IndusValleyCivilization

5 Geneticstudies
6 Notes
7 Seealso
8 References
9 Externallinks
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harappa

Sitenotes
Condition

Ruined

Ownership

Pakistan

Publicaccess Yes
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History

HarappaWikipedia

[ edit ]

TheIndusValleyCivilization(alsoknownastheHarappanculture)
hasitsearliestrootsinculturessuchasthatofMehrgarh,
approximately6000BCE.Thetwogreatestcities,Mohenjodaroand
Harappa,emergedcirca2600BCEalongtheIndusRivervalley
inPunjabandSindh.[5]Thecivilization,withapossiblewritingsystem,
urbancenters,anddiversifiedsocialandeconomicsystem,was
rediscoveredinthe1920safterexcavationsatMohenjodaroinSindh
nearLarkana,andHarappa,inwestPunjabsouthofLahore.A
numberofothersitesstretchingfromtheHimalayanfoothillsin
eastPunjab,Indiainthenorth,toGujaratinthesouthandeast,and
toPakistaniBalochistaninthewesthavealsobeendiscoveredand
studied.AlthoughthearchaeologicalsiteatHarappawasdamagedin
1857[6]whenengineersconstructingtheLahoreMultanrailroad(as
partoftheSindandPunjabRailway),usedbrickfromtheHarappa
ruinsfortrackballast,anabundanceofartifactshasnevertheless
beenfound.[7]Thebricksdiscoveredweremadeofredsand,clay,
stonesandwerebakedatveryhightemperature.Asearlyas1826
HarappalocatedinwestPunjabattractedtheattentionofaBritish
officerinIndia,getscreditforpreliminaryexcavationsinHarappa.

Cultureandeconomy

[ edit ]

Mapshowingthesitesandextentof
theIndusValleyCivilisation.Harappawas
thecenterofoneofthecoreregionsofthe
IndusValleyCivilization,locatedin
centralPunjab.TheHarappan
architectureandHarappanCivilizationwas
oneofthemostdevelopedintheoldBronze
Age.

IndusValleycivilizationwasmainlyanurbanculturesustainedby
surplusagriculturalproductionandcommerce,thelatterincludingtradewithSumerinsouthernMesopotamia.
BothMohenjoDaroandHarappaaregenerallycharacterizedashaving"differentiatedlivingquarters,flatroofed
brickhouses,andfortifiedadministrativeorreligiouscenters."[8]Althoughsuchsimilaritieshavegivenriseto
argumentsfortheexistenceofastandardizedsystemofurbanlayoutandplanning,thesimilaritiesarelargelydue
tothepresenceofasemiorthogonaltypeofciviclayout,andacomparisonofthelayoutsofMohenjoDaroand
Harappashowsthattheyareinfact,arrangedinaquitedissimilarfashion.
ThechartweightsandmeasuresoftheIndusValleyCivilization,ontheotherhand,werehighlystandardized,and
conformtoasetscaleofgradations.Distinctivesealswereused,amongotherapplications,perhapsfor
identificationofpropertyandshipmentofgoods.Althoughcopperandbronzewereinuse,ironwasnotyet
employed."Cottonwaswovenanddyedforclothingwheat,rice,andavarietyofvegetablesandfruits
werecultivatedandanumberofanimals,includingthehumpedbull,weredomesticated,"[8]aswellas"fowlfor
fighting".[9]Wheelmadepotterysomeofitadornedwithanimalandgeometricmotifshasbeenfoundin
profusionatallthemajorIndussites.Acentralizedadministrationforeachcity,thoughnotthewholecivilization,
hasbeeninferredfromtherevealedculturaluniformityhowever,itremainsuncertainwhetherauthoritylaywitha
commercialoligarchy.HarappanshadmanytraderoutesalongtheIndusRiverthatwentasfarasthePersian
Gulf,Mesopotamia,andEgypt.Someofthemostvaluablethingstradedwerecarnelianandlapislazuli.[10]
WhatisclearisthatHarappansocietywasnotentirelypeaceful,withthehumanskeletalremainsdemonstrating
someofthehighestratesofinjury(15.5%)foundinSouthAsianprehistory.[11]Paleopathologicalanalysis
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demonstratedthatleprosyandtuberculosiswerepresentatHarappa,withthehighestprevalenceofbothdisease
andtraumapresentintheskeletonsfromAreaG(anossuarylocatedsoutheastofthecity
walls).[12]Furthermore,ratesofcraniofacialtraumaandinfectionincreasedthroughtime,demonstratingthatthe
civilizationcollapsedamidillnessandinjury.Thebioarchaeologistswhoexaminedtheremainshavesuggested
thatthecombinedevidencefordifferencesinmortuarytreatmentandepidemiologyindicatethatsomeindividuals
andcommunitiesatHarappawereexcludedfromaccesstobasicresourceslikehealthandsafety,abasicfeature
ofhierarchicalsocietiesworldwide.[12]

Archaeology

[ edit ]

Theexcavatorsofthesitehaveproposedthefollowingchronologyof
Harappa'soccupation:[3]
1.RaviAspectoftheHakraphase,c.33002800BC.
2.KotDijian(EarlyHarappan)phase,c.28002600BC.
3.HarappanPhase,c.26001900BC.
4.TransitionalPhase,c.19001800BC.
5.LateHarappanPhase,c.18001300BC.
Byfarthemostexquisiteandobscureartifactsunearthedtodatearethe
small,squaresteatite(soapstone)sealsengravedwithhumanoranimal
motifs.Alargenumberofsealshavebeenfoundatsuchsitesas
MohenjoDaroandHarappa.Manybearpictographicinscriptionsgenerally

MiniatureVotiveImagesorToy
ModelsfromHarappa,ca.2500.Hand
modeledterracottafigurineswith
polychromy.

thoughttobeaformofwritingorscript.[citationneeded]Despitetheeffortsof
philologistsfromallpartsoftheworld,anddespitetheuseofmoderncryptographicanalysis,thesignsremain
undeciphered.ItisalsounknowniftheyreflectprotoDravidianorothernonVediclanguage(s).Theascriptionof
IndusValleyCivilizationiconographyandepigraphytohistoricallyknownculturesisextremelyproblematic,inpart
duetotherathertenuousarchaeologicalevidenceofsuchclaims,aswellastheprojectionofmodernSouthAsian
politicalconcernsontothearchaeologicalrecordofthearea.Thisisespeciallyevidentintheradicallyvarying
interpretationsofHarappanmaterialcultureasseenfrombothPakistanandIndiabasedscholars.InFebruary
2006aschoolteacherinthevillageofSembianKandiyurinTamilNadudiscoveredastonecelt(tool)withan
inscriptionestimatedtobeupto3,500yearsold.[13][14]IndianepigraphistIravathamMahadevanpostulatedthat
thefoursignswereintheIndusscriptandcalledthefind"thegreatestarchaeologicaldiscoveryofacenturyin
TamilNadu".[13]BasedonthisevidencehegoesontosuggestthatthelanguageusedintheIndusValleywas
ofDravidianorigin.However,theabsenceofaBronzeAgeinSouthIndia,contrastedwiththeknowledgeof
bronzemakingtechniquesintheIndusValleycultures,callsintoquestionthevalidityofthishypothesis.

EarlysymbolssimilartoIndusscript

[ edit ]

ClayandstonetabletsunearthedatHarappa,whichwerecarbondated33003200BCE.,containtridentshaped
andplantlikemarkings."Itisabigquestionastoifwecancallwhatwehavefoundtruewriting,butwehave
foundsymbolsthathavesimilaritiestowhatbecameIndusscript"saidDr.RichardMeadowofHarvardUniversity,
DirectoroftheHarappaArcheologicalResearchProject.[15]Thisprimitivewritingisplacedslightlyearlierthan
primitivewritingsoftheSumeriansofMesopotamia,datedc.3100BCE.[15]Thesemarkingshavesimilaritiesto
whatlaterbecameIndusScript.[15]

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Geneticstudies

[ edit ]

HarrapansarecategorizedasHaplogroupLM20.

Notes

[ edit ]

Theearliestradiocarbondatingmentionedonthewebis
2725185BCE(uncalibrated)or3338,3213,3203BCEcalibrated,
givingamidpointof3251BCE.Kenoyer,JonathanMark(1991)Urban
processintheIndusTradition:Apreliminaryreport.InHarappa
Excavations,19861990:AmultidisciplinaryapproachtoSecond
Millenniumurbanism,editedbyRichardH.Meadow:2959.
MonographsinWorldArchaeologyNo.3.PrehistoryPress,Madison
Wisconsin.
Periods4and5arenotdatedatHarappa.Theterminationofthe
HarappantraditionatHarappafallsbetween1900and1500BCE.
Mohenjodaroisanothermajorcityofthesameperiod,located
inSindhprovinceofPakistan.Oneofitsmostwellknownstructuresis
Harappa.FragmentofLargeDeep
Vessel,circa2500B.C.E.Redpottery
withredandblackslippainted
decoration,415/1661/8in.(12.5
15.5cm).BrooklynMuseum

theGreatBathofMohenjodaro.

Seealso

[ edit ]

CharlesMassonFirstEuropeanexplorerofHarappa
Dholavira
Lothal
Harappanarchitecture
Mandi,UttarPradesh,India
Mehrgarh
SheriKhanTarakai
Mohenjodaro
SokhtaKoh
Kalibangan
Rakhigarhi

References

[ edit ]

1.^Basham,A.L.Dani,D.H.(Winter19681969)."(Reviewof)AShortHistoryofPakistan:BookOne:PreMuslim
Period." .PacificAffairs.41(4):641643.doi:10.2307/2754608

viaJSTOR.

2.^Fagan,Brian(2003).Peopleoftheearth:anintroductiontoworldprehistory.Pearson.p.414.ISBN978013111316
9.
3.^ a b"ArcheologicalSiteofHarappa" .WorldHeritageCentre.UNESCO.Retrieved19February2013.
4.^Tahir,Zulqernain.26May2005.ProbebodyonHarappapark

,Dawn.Retrieved13January2006.Archived

11

March2007attheWaybackMachine.
5.^Beck,RogerB.LindaBlackOps,LarryS.Krieger,PhillipC.Naylor,DahiaIboShabaka,(1999).WorldHistory:
PatternsofInteraction.Evanston,IL:McDougalLittell.ISBN039587274X.Citeusesdeprecated
parameter|coauthors=(help)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harappa

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6.^MichelDanino.TheLostRiver.PenguinIndia.
7.^Kenoyer,J.M.,1997,TradeandTechnologyoftheIndusValley:NewinsightsfromHarappaPakistan,World
Archaeology,29(2),pp.260280,Highdefinitionarchaeology
8.^ a bLibraryofCongress:CountryStudies.1995.HarappanCulture
9.^[1]

.Retrieved13January2006.

Poultry:Identification,Fabrication,UtilizationbyThomasSchnellerCengageLearning,28September2009

page16
10.^Pollard,Elizabeth(2015).WorldsTogether,WorldsApart.NewYork:Norton.p.67.ISBN9780393922073.
11.^[2]

RobbinsSchugG,KMGray,VMushrifTripathy,andARSankhyan.(2012)APeacefulRealm?Traumaandsocial

differentiationatHarappa.InternationalJournalofPaleopathology2(23):136147.Retrieved10January2014.
12.^ a b[3]

RobbinsSchugG,KElaineBlevins,BrettCox,KelseyGray,andVMushrifTripathy.(2013)Infection,

Disease,andBiosocialProcessattheEndoftheIndusCivilization.PLOSONE0084814.Retrieved10January2014.
13.^ a bSubramaniam,T.S.(May1,2006)." "Discoveryofacentury"inTamilNadu" .TheHindu.Retrieved20080521.
14.^Subramaniam,T.S.(May1,2006)."SignificanceofMayiladuthuraifind" .TheHindu.Retrieved20080523.
15.^ a b c BBC,UKwebsite."Earlistwritingfound" .BBCNews.Retrieved17July2012.

Externallinks

[ edit ]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harappa

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