Indus Valley Lecture

Indus Valley Lecture

• First, the introductory speaker spent about 10 minutes introducing professor kenoyer with a variety of useless information
• Changing perspectives on regional origins
• Originally thought to be result of diffusion from the west

• Most scholars have debunked theory of migration from Mesopotamia
• All comes from Christian models of origins

• Professor proposed model of interactions

• When populations come together to work they produce something indigenous
• Would not be able to survive without help of other societies

• Rock carvings found throughout parts of India like Kashmir
• Was place of domestication of animals that later hit the world
• Professor has recently decided to include Oman on the map of locations which has ancient trading civilizations

• Excavations in places like Mehrgarh illustrate the merging and interacting of different civilizations

• Bangles were very distinctive ornaments for men and women in Indus Valley

• Professor found shell bangles in oman

• Region needs to have enough space to hold variety of resources and enough to create a surplus of goods

• Indus Valley is perfect for surplus

• Trade networks also used to pass along ideologies

• For example, handi cooking pot is a distinctive stly

• Harappans used geographical tracking in order to avoid building parts of the city in place of natural disaster like flooding

• They built walls around the city as well

• Had a lot of facilities to provide late night protection like caravans

• Truly advanced society, provide caravans and etc

• Professor believes all the states were independent communication

• Some pieces from the Indus are moving down south

• Trends are showing that we have major, semi-independent city states

• Relatively corporate rule with different kingdoms competing for overall power
• IV cities provided water and sewage systems in different part of the city
• Provided baths to city citizensas well

• Unicorm seals emphasized unicorn and they showcase a developed Harappan writing system over time

• There are  3 phases of Indus valley writing
• Seals could have a variety of purposes
• Seals in oman have differences from seals in indus valley

• Through trade, we see evidence of elite ornaments like necklaces and headdresses

• Harappan men had beards and headdresses for most part

• Harappans were very advanced in metallurgy getting metals from a variety of places
• Most people were not buried in the Indus Valley as lack of burials found
• Issues in identifying how Harappans got to Oman

• Carnelian beads and everything is there
• Domestic and ritual styles of indus

• Mesopotamia: traders and bead makers and other craftspeople
• Some factors that could have helped transition to second urbanization

• Overextension of socio-economic and ritual networks
• Disruption of the agricultural base and drying up of hakra system
• Harappa and mohenjo-daro overpopulated
• No evidence of invasion or massive population decline
• Definite evidence of warfare