Lahore University of Management Sciences
HIST xxx
Exploring the Indus Valley Civilization: The
World of Third Millennium BC
Fall 2015
Instructor
Room No.
Office Hours
Email
Telephone
Secretary/TA
TA Office Hours
Course URL (if
any)
Tehnyat Majeed
Course Basics
Credit Hours
Lecture(s)
Recitation/Lab (per week)
Tutorial (per week)
Course Distribution
Core
Elective
Open for Student
Category
Close for Student
Nbr of Lec(s) Per
Week
Nbr of Lec(s) Per
Week
Nbr of Lec(s) Per
Week
Duration
Duration
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Lahore University of Management Sciences
Category
COURSE DESCRIPTION
In 1924, the Indian subcontinent joined the ranks with Mesopotamia and Egypt as a cradle of the most ancient civilization in the
world, setting the historical clock back to the third millennium BC for this region. The discovery was momentous. On the fertile
plains of the river Indus, covering a vast expanse of almost one million square kilometers, the remains of carefully planned towns
reflected complex social organization, orderly provision of civic amenities, building and weight standards, effective water
management systems, dynamic trade and communication networks, specialized workshops and advanced craft technologies. While
archaeological findings have helped us to reconstruct some aspects of urban life of this bygone age, deep mystery still shrouds this
sophisticated five thousand year old civilization because many of its essential riddles remain hidden in its undeciphered script and
in its obscure iconographic signs and symbols. Historians and archaeologists continue to trawl through the material evidence to
seek clues to this civilization’s dominant belief system, political administration and ultimately, to its fate.
This course introduces the enigmatic world of the proto-historic Indus Valley civilization (2600 BC – 1900 BC), also called the
Harappan culture, by examining the archaeological record and the surviving material culture as documented and analyzed in the
scholarly discourse emerging within the last century. Moreover, it looks at the ecological concerns and intellectual debates
surrounding the archaeology of Harappa that have subtly influenced notions of cultural identity and national narratives in the
region. Sessions are structured around specific themes that provide an understanding of the geographical extent, trans-regional
interactions, and the cultural patrimony of the Harappan civilization. This course also provides an opportunity for students to have
a first-hand experience of participating in a UNESCO-Lahore Museum collaborative project entitled Inheriting Harappa.
COURSE PREREQUISITE(S)

No requirement
COURSE OBJECTIVES



To familiarize students with the historical and cultural heritage of South Asia, in general, and Indo-Pak
subcontinent, in particular
To bring forth the relevance of the archaeology of the Indus and its impact on shaping identities
To develop critical inquiry and independent analytical thinking on the subject
Learning Outcomes
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

Gain a historical knowledge of the proto-historic world
Acquire knowledge of the broad concepts and key issues
Be able to conduct independent research on topics related to Harappan culture
Grading Breakup and Policy
Class Participation and Attendance: 15%
Group Presentations (Lahore Museum collections based): 20%
Midterm Examination (objective): 20%
Project: Written Assignment (2000 words) 20%
Final Examination: 25%
Lahore University of Management Sciences
Examination Detail
Midterm
Exam
Yes/No:
Combine Separate:
Duration:
Preferred Date:
Exam Specifications:
Final Exam
Yes/No:
Combine Separate:
Duration:
Exam Specifications:
SESSION
TOPICS
1
Introduction I
- Overview of the course outline and topics
2
Introduction II
- Course structure breakdown and grading scheme
- Archaeology basics
- On reading the sources
REQUIRED READINGS
I. DISCOVERY: THE PROTO-HISTORIC SUBCONTINENT
3
Discovering Harappa
Chronology
Marshall, Harappa and Mohenjo Daro, pp.181-186.
Danino, A Great Leap Backwards, pp.83-99.
4
The Archaeologists of the Indus
- Marshall
- Wheeler
- Kenoyer
Shinde et al., Basic Issues in Harappan Archaeology,
pp.63-72
Mapping the Harappan Civilization
- Indus and her Tributaries
- Significant Sites
- The Mythical River Sarasvati
Danino, The Mighty Sarasvatī, pp.35-56.
5-6
II. LEGACY: THE SEARCH FOR IDENTITY
7-89
Indus Seals and Writing
- Indus iconography
- Indus language and script
Video: Rajesh Rao
Ameri, Regional Diversity in the Harappan World,
pp.355-374.
Hiltebeitel, The Indus Valley “Proto-Śiva”, pp.767797.
Yadav, Indus Script, pp.1-36.
Kenoyer, Master of Animals and Animal Masters in
the Iconography of the Indus Tradition, pp.37-58.
Lahore University of Management Sciences
Indus Urbanization Process
- Town planning
- Harappa
- Mohenjo-daro
- Ganweriwala
- Lothal
- Shortugai
Kenoyer, Urban Process in the Indus Tradition,
pp.29-60.
Possehl, A short history of Archaeological discovery
at Harappa, pp.5-10
Meadow, Excavations at Harappa 2000-2001,
pp.207-225.
Vidale, Aspects of Palace Life in Mohenjo-daro,
pp.59-76.
1314
Indus Burials
- Cemetery R 37 culture
- Cemetery H culture
- Potteries
Possehl, Burial Customs and Biological Diversity of
the Peoples of the Indus Civilization, pp.157-177.
Rissman (1988), Public Displays and Private Values:
A Guide to Buried Wealth in Harappan Archaeology,
209-228.
15
Preparing for the Mid-Term
16
MID-TERM EXAM
101112
III. CONTACT: CONNECTIONS & CONTINUUMS
Indus contemporaries
- Mesopotamia (Sumer & Elam)
- Dilmun, Magan & Meluhha
- Central Asia
Possehl, Shu-ilishu’s Cylinder Seal, pp.42-43.
Thompson, Ancient Stateless Civilization, pp.365384.
Trading Networks
- Maritime
- Overland routes
- Bead-making industry
Khan, Ancient Cultural Contacts across the Indus
Valley, pp.33-44.
2122
The Vanishing Civilization
- Harappa and the Vedic culture
- Aryan invasion theory
Vajracharya, Unicorns in Ancient India and Vedic
Ritual, pp.135-147.
Danino, The Intangible Heritage, pp.225-251.
23
Indus Gallery Visit Lahore Museum
2425
Cultural heritage, ownership and Identity
1718
1920
Vidale, The Short-Horned Bull on the Indus Seals,
pp.147-157.
Possehl, The Middle Asian Interaction Sphere, pp.4042.
Rao, Shipping and Maritime Trade of the Indus
People, pp.30-37.
Danino, The Sarasvati’s Testimony, pp.252-282.
Chase, Materializing Harappan Identities, pp.63-78.
2627
Exhibiting the Indus
- Special Exhibition
- Educational & Public Programme
28
FINAL EXAM
Textbook(s)/Supplementary Readings
Lahore University of Management Sciences
General Reading
Kenoyer, J. M. (1998). Ancient Cities of the Indus Valley Civilization, American Institute of Pakistan Studies, Oxford, New York:
Oxford University Press.
Selected Readings
Ameri, M. (2012). Regional Diversity in the Harappan World: The Evidence of the Seals, in Connections and Complexity: New
Approaches to the Archaeology of South Asia, eds. S. Abraham, P. Gullapalli, T.P. Raczek, and U.Z. Rizvi, Left Coast Press. [Regional
Diversity Harappa_Seals]
Chase, B. et al. (2014). Materializing Harappan Identities: Unity and diversity in the borderlands of the Indus Civilization, Journal of
Anthropological Archaeology, vol.35, pp.63-78. [Harappan Identities_Borderlands_Chase_2014]
Danino, M. (2010). The Lost River: On the Trail of the Sarasvatī, London, New Delhi: Penguin Books.
Hiltebeitel, A. (1978). The Indus Valley Proto-Śiva”. Reexamined through Reflections on the Goddess, the Buffalo, and the
Symbolism of Vāhanas, Anthropos, Vol.73, no.5/6, pp.767-797. [Indus Valley Proto Siva_Hiltebeitel_1978]
Kenoyer, J. M. (1991). Urban Process in the Indus Tradition: A Preliminary Model from Harappa, In Harappa Excavations 1986-1990:
A Multidisciplinary Approach, ed. Richard H. Meadow, Monographs in World Archaeology No.3, Madison: Prehistory Press, pp.2960. [Kenoyer1991_Urban Process in the Indus Tradition A prelimina]
Kenoyer, J.M. (2010). Master of Animals and Animal Masters in the Iconography of the Indus Tradition, in The Master of Animals in
Old World Iconography, eds. D. B. Counts & B. Arnold, Budapest: Archaeolingua Alapítvány, pp.37-58. [Kenoyer 2010 Master of
Animals]
Kenoyer, J.M. (2011). Changing Perspectives of the Indus Civilization: New Discoveries and Challenges, Journal of the Indian
Archaeological Society, Number 41, pp.1-18. [Kenoyer_Changing Perspectives of the Indus Civilization]
Khan, F.A. (1992). Ancient Cultural Contacts across the Indus Valley, in South Asian Archaeology Studies, (ed.) Gregory Possehl, New
Delhi, Bombay, Calcutta: Oxford & IBH Publishing Co.Pvt.Ltd, pp.33-44.
Marshall, Sir John (1926). Harappa and Mohenjo Daro, Annual Report of the Archaeological Survey of India, 1923-24, pp.47-54;
reprinted in Ancient Cities of the Indus, (ed.) G.L. Possehl, New Delhi: Vikas Publishing House Pvt Ltd, pp.180-186.
Meadow, R.H. & J.M. Kenoyer (2005), Excavations at Harappa 2000-2001: New Insights on Chronology and City Organization, in
South Asian Archaeology 2001, eds. C. Jarrige and U. Lefevre, Paris: CNRS, pp.207-225. [Kenoyer2005_Excavations at Harappa 20002001 New insights on]
Possehl, G. L. (2002). Burial Customs and Biological Diversity of the Peoples of the Indus Civilization, in The Indus Civilization: A
Contemporary Perspective, New Delhi: Vistaar Publications, pp.157-177.
Possehl, G. (1991) , A Short History of Archaeological Discovery at Harappa, in Harappa Excavations 1986-1990: A Multidisciplinary
Approach, ed. Richard H. Meadow, Monographs in World Archaeology No.3, Madison: Prehistory Press, pp.5-10. [Harappa198690_02_Possehl-History]
Possehl, G. (?).Shu-ilishu’s Cylinder Seal, Expedition, vol.48, no.1, pp.42-43. [Shu-ilishus-Cylinder-Seal]
Possehl, G. (?). The Middle Asian Interaction Sphere, Expedition, vol.49, no.1, pp.40-42. [Middle Asian Interaction Sphere_Possehl]
Rao, S.R. (1965). Shipping and Maritime Trade of the Indus People, Expedition, Spring, pp.30-37. [Shipping_Maritime Trade_Rao].
Rissman, Paul (1988), Public Displays and Private Values: A Guide to Buried Wealth in Harappan Archaeology, World Archaeology,
vol.20, no.2, 209-228.
Shinde, V. et al. (2006). Basic Issues in Harappan Archaeology: Some Thoughts, Ancient Asia, vol.1, pp.63-72. [Harappan
Archaeology_Basic Issues.pdf]
Thompson, T.J. (2005). Ancient Stateless Civilization: Bronze Age India and the State in History, The Independent Review, Vol.10,
no.3, pp.365-384. [Harappan trade and commerce]
Vajracharya, G.V. (2010). Unicorns in Ancient India and Vedic Ritual, Electronic Journal of Vedic Studies, vol.17, issue 2, pp.135-147.
Lahore University of Management Sciences
[Unicorn-compressed]
Vidale, M. (2010). Aspects of Palace Life at Mohenjo-daro, South Asian Studies, vol.26, no.1, March, pp.59-76.
[Aspects_Palace_life_MohenjoDaro_Vidale_South_Asian_Studies-libre]
Vidale, M. (2005). The Short-Horned Bull on the Indus Seals: A Symbol of the Families in the Western Trade?, in South Asian
Arcaheology, Proceedings of the Seventeenth International Conference of the European Association of South Asian Archaeologists
97-11 July 2003, Bonn), ed. U. Franke-Vogt & Hans-Joachim Weisshaar, pp. 147-157. [Shorthorned Bull_Seal_Vidale]
Yadav, N. & M.N. Vahia (2011). Indus Script: A Study of its Sign Design, Scripta, Vol.3, June, pp.1-36.