Quick Revision Notes: Class 6 Social Science

Chapter: In the Earliest Cities (Harappan Civilization)

Time Period: Around 4,700 years ago (c. 2500 BCE).
Discovery: First discovered in the 1920s in the Indus Valley region (modern-day Pakistan and western India).
Key Sites:
- Harappa (Punjab, Pakistan)
- Mohenjodaro (Sindh, Pakistan)
- Dholavira and Lothal (Gujarat, India)
- Kalibangan (Rajasthan, India)
- Banawali (Haryana, India)

Cities were generally divided into two or more parts:

The Citadel (पश्चिम भाग / ऊँचा हिस्सा):
- Usually smaller and higher.
- Special buildings were constructed here (e.g., Great Bath in Mohenjodaro).
The Lower Town (पूर्वी भाग / निचला हिस्सा):
- Larger and lower.
- Where common townspeople lived.

The Great Bath (महास्नानगार): Found in Mohenjodaro. A lined brick pool water-tightened with a layer of natural tar, meant for ritual bathing by important people.
Drainage System (जल निकास प्रणाली):
- Houses had well-planned, covered drains connected to street drains.
- Inspection holes were provided at regular intervals to clean them.
Town Planning: Streets were laid out in a straight grid pattern, cutting each other at right angles. Houses were made of baked bricks.

Rulers: People who planned the city construction and sent people to distant lands to get metals and precious stones.
Scribes (लिपििक): People who knew how to write, helped prepare seals, and probably wrote on other materials that did not survive.
Craft Persons (शिल्pकार): Men and women who made various things in workshops or at home (e.g., beads, stone weights, copper tools, and seals).
Farmers and Herders: Lived in the countryside and supplied food to the city craftpersons, rulers, and writers.

Stone Weights: Made of chert (a type of stone), carefully shaped to weigh precious goods.
Beads and Ornaments: Made of carnelian (a red stone), copper, bronze, gold, and shell.
Seals (मुहरें): Made of stone, usually rectangular, featuring animal figures and an undeciphered script.
Terracotta Toys: Carts, ploughs, and animal figurines used by children.
Cotton: Grown in Mehrgarh from about 7,000 years ago; actual pieces of cloth were found attached to the lid of a silver vase in Mohenjodaro.

Definition: Raw materials are substances that are found naturally (like wood, ores of metal) or produced by farmers/herders (like cotton).
Sources of Materials:
- Copper: Present-day Rajasthan and Oman (West Asia).
- Tin: Brought from present-day Afghanistan and Iran.
- Gold: Brought from present-day Karnataka.
- Precious Stones: Brought from Gujarat, Iran, and Afghanistan.

Crops Grown: Wheat, barley, pulses, peas, rice, sesame, linseed, and mustard.
Agricultural Tool: The plough was used to dig the earth for turning the soil and planting seeds. Since real wooden ploughs did not survive, toy models have been found.
Water Management: Irrigation methods were used because rainfall was scarce in some regions. Water was stored and used for watering crops.

Dholavira (Gujarat):
- Located on Khadir Beyt in the Rann of Kutch.
- Unlike other cities divided into two parts, Dholavira was divided into three parts, each surrounded by massive stone walls with open areas for public ceremonies.
- Large letters of the Harappan script carved out of white stone and inlaid in wood.
Lothal (Gujarat):
- Stood beside a tributary of the Sabarmati, close to the Gulf of Khambhat.
- Had a dockyard where boats came in from the sea and through river channels.
- A storehouse was found here where many seals and bead-making workshops were discovered.

Around 3,900 years ago, a major change took place.
Reasons for Decline (Theories):
- Rivers dried up.
- Deforestation and heavy grazing led to the loss of green cover.
- Floods or river shifting.
- Rulers lost control.
People abandoned their cities and moved to newer, smaller settlements to the east and south.