First Cities of India: Harappan Civilisation Flashcards

A set of vocabulary-style flashcards covering the characteristics, major cities, archaeological history, and key figures of the Harappan Civilisation.

Togao culture

The pre-Harappan culture of Neolithic times found at Mehrgarh in Baluchistan, which represents the roots of the Harappan civilisation.

Ravi or Hakra culture

Another neolithic culture of the pre-Harappan period found at sites like Harappa, Kunal, Bhirrana, and Farmana.

Bronze Age

The historical period to which the Harappan civilisation belonged.

$$1500000\,\text{Sq. Kms}$$

The total area covered by the Harappan civilisation, extending from Afghanistan to Maharashtra and from the Makaran coast to Haryana.

Harappan Civilization Time Period

A well-developed and rich civilisation that flourished in the Indian subcontinent between $3500-3000\,\text{B.C.E.}$

English bond masonry

A method of using two headers and two stretchers alternatively while building a wall, especially useful in earthquake-prone regions.

Standardised Brick Ratio

The specific size of bricks used in the Harappan civilisation in the ratio of $1:2:4$.

Standardised Weights

Harappan measuring weights that increased in the proportion of $8$.

Harappa

A major site situated on the banks of the river Ravi in the Sahiwal district of Punjab, Pakistan, covering $150\,\text{Hectares}$.

Sir Mortimer Wheeler

The Director General of the Archaeological Survey of India who conducted important excavations at Harappa in $1946$ and traced the fortification wall around the citadel.

Ghaggar-Hakra

A river known as Ghaggar in India and Hakra in Pakistan that many scholars identify as the vanished river 'Saraswati'.

Charles Masson

A British traveller who, in $1829$, was the first to visit and write about the archaeological remains at Harappa.

Sir Alexander Cunningham

The first Director General of the Archaeological Survey of India who conducted excavations at Harappa during $1872-73\,\text{C.E.}$

Rakhaldas Banerjee

The archaeologist whose excavations at Mohenjodaro began in $1921-22$.

Mohenjodaro

The biggest discovered Harappan city in Pakistan, built on the banks of the river Sindhu (Indus) in the Larkana district.

Kalibangan

An urban centre located in the Hanumangarh district of Rajasthan on the river Ghaggar, known for a ploughed field dated to $2800\,\text{B.C.E.}$

Brijabasi Lal and Balkrishna Thapar

The individuals who directed the excavations at Kalibangan starting in $1960$.

Lothal

A Harappan port and trading centre situated near the Gulf of Kutch on the river Bhogao, known for its ancient dock and engineering excellence.

S.R. Rao

The archaeologist who supervised the excavations at Lothal from $1955$ to $1960$.

Dholavira

The fifth largest Harappan city, discovered by J.P. Joshi in Khadirbet, Gujarat, known for its four-section division and planned water management system.

Rakhigarhi

The largest Harappan site in India and Pakistan, located in the Hissar district of Haryana on the banks of the Chautang river, covering more than $350\,\text{Hectares}$.