Description
Respond to ONE of the three questions below in 3-4 pages that are double spaced, in 12 point font, with 1 inch page margins.
Please read the questions carefully, and indicate CLEARLY which one you are answering. Please try to use your own words as much as possible. Please try to avoid long quotations.
1. What do we know about the origins and spread of the Harappan Civilization of the Indus Valley? What were the most probable causes of its decline?
2. What do the pillar and rock inscriptions of Emperor Asoka tell us about the changes that took place in the administration of the Maurya Empire after the great battle of Kalinga?
3. How did Mahmud of Ghazni succeed in leading multiple military expeditions into India? Did his raids have any lasting impact?
GUIDELINES
Please consult your textbook, online sources and class notes to write your answers. These questions have been designed specifically around class lectures and the course material provided in this course. Please avoid long quotes from the textbook.
You are free to consult websites on Indian history available on the internet, such as Wikipedia. However, their contents are not always reliable, and you will not find all the necessary information in one place to answer these questions. Remember: sites on the internet cannot replace the textbook, reader or class lectures on which this assignment is based. Reproducing material from unsolicited websites will not help you write a successful or effective essay. Doing so without proper citations would amount to plagiarism.
CITATIONS
You can use footnotes such as: R. K. Narayanan, Gods, Demons and Others, Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1993. After the first citation you can use an abbreviated form: Narayanan, Gods, Demons, pp. 23-24. For two consecutive footnotes citing the same text, you may use ibid, such as:
1. Narayanan, Gods, Demons, p. 23
2. Ibid. p. 24
Explanation & Answer
Attached.
Indus Valley Civilization - Outline
Thesis Statement: This essay discusses the origins and spread of the Harappa Civilization of the
Indus Valley. Furthermore, it examines the most probable causes of its decline.
I.
II.
Introduction
Origins and Spread of the Harappa Civilization
A. Origin
B. Spread
III.
Probable causes of the decline of Indus Valley Civilization
A. Attack by Aryans
B. Climate Change
C. Reconstruction in the cities
D. Sudden fall of Rainfall
IV.
Conclusion
INDUS VALLEY CIVILIZATION
Name
Course
Date
1
Indus Valley Civilization
Introduction
The Indus Valley Civilization was a major civilizations in India. This civilization took
place along the Indus River that is located between Pakistan and Northwest India.1 Thus, its
name comes from the name of the river. This civilization is also known as Harappa Civilization
because it was first excavated in the city of Harappa. Indeed, civilization has so many aspects of
Harappa culture. Historically, Indus Valley Civilization happened sometimes between 33001300 BCE. However, its peak was in 2600-1900 BCE.2 Nevertheless, Indus Valley Civilization
had remained unknown until 1921 when Sir John Marshall's archaeological team discovered it.
Essentially, this civilization is categorized in the Bronze Age period because the objects found in
the various sites of The Indus Valley Civilization were made of bronze. However, the inhabitants
of the ancient Indus River Valley came up with new forms of metallurgy, such as copper, lead,
bronze, and tin. Additionally, they engaged in intricate handicrafts. Nonetheless, the Harappa
civilization started to decline in 1800 BCE. This essay discusses the origins and spread of the
Harappa Civilization of the Indus Valley. Furthermore, it examines the most probable causes of
its decline.
1
Claudia Martin, The Indus Valley (London Wayland, 2017), 10.
2
Ibid., 28
2
Origins and Spread of the Harappa Civilization
Origin
The archaeological data from the excavation in the 19th and 20th centuries show that
Indus Valley Civilization started in 3300BCE along the Indus River in Pakistan.3 This was in the
fertile and vast Indus River plains. Subsequently, the civilization spread d to northeast
Afghanistan and northwest India. Many studies preceded the discovery of this civilization, but
they did not yield fruits. Prior to the discovery of Indus Civilization, Egypt and Mesopotamia
civilizations were believed to be the only ancient civilizations in the history of humankind.
Importantly, the Indus Civilization had distinct features. Markedly, its people did not build
massive monuments, and they did not burry the rich in the golden tombs the way people in Egypt
and Mesopotamia civilizations did. Besides, there were no emperors or mummies. Distinct from
other early civilizations, the Indus Valley Civilizations seem to have been very peaceful. This is
evidence because there were very few weapons at the excavation sites of this civilization.
Furthermore, no evidence of the army was found on this site. The human bones that were
extracted from this place had no signs of violence, nor did the buildings showed any indication
of battle.4 This makes Harappa Civilization so unique and exciting. Fundamentally, Indus Valley
civilizations devoted a considerable amount of time and resources to the living and the common.
This was contrary to what other civilizations did. They spent much of their time and money on
the dead, rich, and supernatural. They believed that living is more valuable than the dead.
Nevertheless, inhabitants of this civilization believed in an afterlife.
3
Naval Viyogi, T...
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