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Compare and contrast Indus River Valley civilization with other early civilizations
Indus valley civilization and mesopotamian civilization
Indus valley civilization and mesopotamian civilization
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The Harappan civilization, which emerged in 3300 B.C.E, is, for a variety of reasons, one of the most intriguing civilizations that have ever existed. It stretched along the Indus River Valley, from Pakistan to Afghanistan. This civilization, which was made up of a large number of small communities, was technologically very advanced, and, indeed, included many of the features of the society that we have today. The Harappans were one of the first to have a system of writing, which, however, historians have not yet been able to translate. Nevertheless, the society has left us numerous ruins, which provide much information about it. (See Appendix 1A) Harappa, an Indus River Valley civilization, whose written records we have not yet been able to translate, has nonetheless left some remains that help us understand the society’s urban planning, trade, lifestyle, agriculture and mortality rate. From the remains left by the Harappan society, archaeologists today are in a position to understand the civilization’s urban planning. The Indus River Valley Civilization stretched on for about 3000 km and probably more. Over the last few years, archaeologists have discovered a number of major structures dating back to about 2600 B.C.E. These structures were made of baked bricks. They give us clues about the material that was used for the planning of the city. (See Appendix 1B) From such remains, archaeologists have discovered that house and streets were laid out in a certain pattern, which was from North to South and from East to West. Multi-storied houses have been found, indicating that Harappan civilization had buildings very much like some of our own. The houses were designed in such a way that each one faced a small alley, which means ... ... middle of paper ... ...vide an in-depth view of their society. The reason for the decline of the civilization is not yet known, but there are some fascinating hints. Religious seals were used by the Harappan people, which at first show exquisite carved figures of bulls, elephants, and tigers. At a late period, however, these seals were made of clay rather than stone, and, instead of the beautiful figures of animals that had appeared previously, had only crude geometric engravings, a possible indication that the society was in decline. Historians are not yet in a position to explain this in any definite way, but they understand that the seals were important and used for political purposes as well as in religious rites. A mysterious society, the Harappa may not have writing, but they certainly have left fascinating remains, which suggests that they may have been a great society.
Through examining these texts, it is evident that the advantages historians have when drawing on evidence such as this is that they can easily reveal certain social and cultural values of the society from which the authors came from, just as easily as it shows social and cultural values of the society of which it was written about. The limitations for historians when collecting written evidence is that some key features of the complex civilizations written about were often left out or could be easily misinterpreted or
"The Indus and the swastika." Indus Valley: What They Did For Us. BBC, n.d. Web.
When analyzing ancient civilization and how it began, there are many elements and aspects that should be considered. Questions such as how did civilization begin? What lead to its creation? Where did it begin, and why in that particular location? Many of these questions can be examined and answered by researching what many believe is the world’s earliest civilization, Mesopotamia. It is widely believed that this region was chosen and supported one of the world’s first civilizations. This area was settled over 10,000 years ago by a group of people known as the Sumerians (Cunningham & Reich, 2010).
The Nile and Indus River Valley civilizations were both unique civilizations in their own way in comparison. Yet despite being separated by thousands of miles there are similarities in these two ancient civilizations. It is seen that amongst ancient civilizations, rivers are fundamental for them to prosper and provide for a relatively stable society for which a people can grow and develop. There are general similarities with pinpoint differences as well as general differences with pinpoint similarities. Both civilizations have left their influence on human civilization and history, with their unique characteristics of their religion, way of life, social classes, cultures, technological advancements, government systems, rulers and notable
Hause, S., & Maltby, W. (2001). The Ancient Near East: Mesopotamia, Egypt, Phoenicia and Israel. Essentials of Western Civilization (pp.7-15). California: Wadsworth.
Stratton, E. (2002). The evolution of Indian stupa architecture in east Asia. New Delhi: Vedams.
Coffin, Judith, Joshua Cole, Robert Stacey, and Carol Symes. 2011. Western Civilizations. New York, London: W. W. Norton & Company.
McKay, J/P/, Hill, B.D., Buckler, J., Ebrey, P.B., Beck, R.B., Crowston, C.H., & Wiesner-Hanks, M.E. (2008). A History of World Societies, Volume A: From Antiquity to 1500. New York, NY: Bedford/St. Martin's
We learn about ancient civilizations through literature, artifacts, and stories passed down from generation to generation. The Mesopotamian civilization is one of earth's earliest civilizations, and it's also one we know very little about. We can gather information about these people's way life, beliefs, and geographical location. The Epic of Gilgamesh, a literary work from this time period, shows us several important pieces of information that helps us understand this ancient civilization. This epic shows us the Mesopotamian peoples belief system, their views on death, and their description of the after life.
Damrosch, David, and David Pike. The Longman Anthology of World Literature. The Ancient World. Volume A. Second Edition. New York: Pearson/Longman, 2009. Pgs. .656-691. Print.
The Mycenaean civilization flourished for four hundred years in the late Bronze Age before collapsing in to small bands of subsistence farmers. Some historians attribute this decline to ‘the Sea People’ who terrorized the Egyptians, Anatolians and the Hittites. But could a mysterious people who left no archeological proof of their existence really bring about the collapse of entire civilizations?
Centuries before Julius Cesar, Galileo, Aristotle, Socrates, and albert Einstein; There was an ancient civilization that arose out of nowhere. They Settled upon the Tigris, and Euphrates Rivers, known as the fertile crest of Mesopotamia. These settlers are known as the Sumerians. The Sumerians were an agricultural society, who lived off their crops and the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers to trade goods. So when presented the terrible question “Why they existed?” The Sumerians believed that they existed to serve their gods by worship and dedicated work. Through the Sumerian Literature, architecture, and artwork the Sumerians let their purpose be known.
Early on we see the emergence of civilization in China, where relatively isolated within geographical barriers, China’s early civilization developed with little contact with other cultures. During the Neolithic period, peoples living in environmentally distinctive zones—the Yellow and Yangzi River Valleys—mastered agriculture, animals became domesticated, the production of ceramics became more elaborate, built fortified towns, and developed better practice relating to the treatment of the dead. Later on during the Shang Dynasty, (ca. 1500–ca. 1050 B.C.E.), China entered the Bronze Age. Shang civilization was urban, its cities encompassing an aristocratic and religious core around which grew industrial and residential districts. Beyond these were farming settlements. The Shang practiced human sacrifice, and human remains compose some of the contents of the rich underground tombs. The Shang period saw the emergence of writing, the distinct logographic system that enabled centuries of cultural continuity.
This paper explores life at Mehrgarh and its importance as one of the major cities of the Indus valley civilization. Mehrgarh represents long chronological sequence from the 7th millennium to the 3rd millennium B.C. which has been divided into seven main periods from the Pre-Ceramic Neolithic to the Bronze Age. The third period belongs to the farming society (agriculture and animal husbandry).
The Indus Valley is primarily known for the rise of a large civilization, and this took place in the not so distant past. The first settlers in the Harappan area established themselves near the Ravi River around 3300 BC in a small agricultural village ( Kenoyer 3). The date of 3300 BC means that agriculture in the Indus Valley first appeared a mere 3000 years ago. Though the first agricultural settlements may have been small, large cities eventually developed. Other archaeological records estimate the age early Indus Valley occupation at between 2175-1750 BC ( Fitzsimons 10). So through this information it can be concluded that the early Indus Valley had agricultural beginnings within the last 3500 years. The region lies in a lowland valley along the Indus river, the Himalaya mountains, along with other river tributaries feed the river causing severe flooding ( Fitzsimons 11). Due to the severe flooding in the Indus Valley technological innovations had to take place to combat the problem. “Against the menace of the river the men of this civilization built huge walls of brick surfaced with baked brick” ( Fitzsimons 11). Although little evidence of irrigation has been found, perhaps due to the close pro...