The End or a New Beginning? The Decline of the Sindhu-Sarasvati Civilisation

Vocabulary flashcards covering key terms, dates, and causes related to the decline and legacy of the Sindhu-Sarasvati (Harappan) civilisation from Chapter 6: The Beginnings of Indian Civilisation.

Sindhu-Sarasvati civilisation

One of the oldest civilisations in the world, whose inhabitants created planned cities with efficient water management, diverse crafts, brisk trade, and productive agriculture.

'Dancing Girl' figurine

A Harappan figurine depicting bangles covering an entire arm, a style and cultural practice still visible in parts of Gujarat and Rajasthan today.

1900 BCE

The approximate period when the Sindhu-Sarasvati civilisation began to fall apart, resulting in the abandonment of cities and the disappearance of its earlier government or administration.

2200 BCE climatic change

A global environmental shift that brought reduced rainfall and a drier phase, making agriculture more difficult and reducing food supplies to Harappan cities.

Sarasvati River

A major river whose central basin dried up, leading to the sudden abandonment of nearby urban settlements.

Kalibangan and Banawali

Harappan cities located in the central basin of the Sarasvati River that were suddenly abandoned when the river dried up.

Harappan warfare and invasion evidence

A disproven hypothesis for the civilisation's end; archaeological evidence shows no trace of warfare or invasion, and Harappans did not seem to keep an army or weapons of war.

Post-urban rural settlement shift

The migration of Harappans away from declining cities into hundreds or thousands of small rural settlements, where access to food and water was easier.