Discovery of the Harappan civilisation
Topic: Studying Indian History: Sources, Dating and Historiography · NCERT: Class 6, Ch 6 "The Beginnings of Indian Civilisation"
Meaning
This is the story of how scholars learned that a city-based civilisation existed in the Indus valley long before the Ganga-valley cities. Alexander Cunningham reported a Harappan seal in 1875. He could not place it in history, because he believed Indian history began with the Ganga-valley cities. Excavations in the 1920s then proved that the civilisation existed. The discovery pushed India's known history back by thousands of years.
Example
Daya Ram Sahni excavated Harappa in 1921, and R.D. Banerji found similar seals at Mohenjodaro from 1922. In 1924, John Marshall announced a new civilisation in the Indus valley. Matching seals from Mesopotamia showed that it was as old as Mesopotamia. It was said that "Marshall left India three thousand years older than he had found her."
Don't confuse with
- Mohenjodaro as the first site found: Harappa was excavated first, in 1921, so the civilisation is called "Harappan".
Related concepts
- Alexander Cunningham
- Archaeological Survey of India
- Illustrated London News
- Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act 1958
- National Monuments Authority
- National Mission on Monuments and Antiquities
- Antiquities and Art Treasures Act 1972
- Repatriation of antiquities