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Showing posts with the label Indus Valley Civilization

Revealed the Faces of Early Punjabis

How did Our Ancestors Looked Like? Ancient people of Punjab (Punjabi: پنجابی (Shahmukhi), ਪੰਜਾਬੀ (Gurmukhi), पंजाबी (Devanagri), are an Indo-Aryan ethnic group of North Indian origin; which includes parts of Sindh , Punjab , Haryana , and Gujarat . Punjab region has been the location of some of the oldest civilizations in the world, the the Indus Valley Civilization. Excavation of pre-historic sites at Harrapa , Mohenjodaro , Ropar , Dholvira , Kalibangan , and Rakhigarhi reveal an advanced society that may be the cradle of Indian civilization. Map of Indus Valley Civilization Political Controversy on Origin of Indo-Aryans During 19th Century European ethnographers and, of course, most famously, Adolf Hitler , also considered Aryans the master race who had conquered Europe, although the German leader considered them to be of Nordic lineage. Hindu right-wingers believe the source of Indian civilization are the Arya - a nomadic tribe of horse-riding, cattle-rearing warrior

Unicorn Seals

Indus Valley Seals - Unicorn or Holy Cow? Unicorn Seal from Harrapa, Punjab I have been fascinated by the Indus Valley civilization ever since I studied the subject in my junior high school in India.  One of the unique identifier for the Indus Valley is the so called "Unicorn Seals". A number of variations of this seal has been found across various Indus Valley sites. But most of the characteristics are the same.  The seal from Mohenjo-daro measures 29 mm (1.14) inches on each side and is made of fired steatite. Steatite is an easily carved soft stone that becomes hard after firing. On the top are "pictographs" of an as yet undeciphered Indus script, one of the very first writing systems in history. Below is the well-known unicorn figure of Indus Valley culture. Whether it designates a real or mythical animal is also disputed. Beneath it is a "sacred object," which could have been anything from a tree, religious banner, an animal's trough, an

The Indus Valley Heritage of Punjab, Sindh, and Gujarat

Artist Visualization of Indus Valley Port The people of Indus Valley have practiced the act of survival as an art. Its obvious that these people were merchants and traders by profession and not a militarized colony under a sovereign. In my opinion, most researchers have  failed to study the evolution of this business community in that region over last 5000 years.  Merchants of Indus Valley - artist visualization The Harrappan people of Indus Valley were engaged in trade with China, Persia, Mesopotamia, and Near East.  The Indus cities were connected with rural agricultural communities and distant resource and mining areas through strong trade systems. They used river boats and bullock carts for transport. This trade is reflected in the widespread distribution of exquisite beads and ornaments , metal tools and pottery that were produced by specialized artisans in the major towns and cities. Jewelry from Indus Valley Cotton, lumber, grain, livestock and other food stu