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Harappan/ Indus Civilization (Main Crops , Animals, Imports and Exports)

Main Crops :  Wheat and Barely;  Evidence of  cultivation  of rice in Lothal and Rangpur  ( Gujarat) only . Other Crops : Dates, mustard , sesamum,  cotton etc. Indus people were the first to produce    cotton in the world.
Animals : Sheep, goat, humped and humpless  bull , buffalo, boar, dog, cat, pig, fowl, dee5r, tortoise , elephant ,camel, rhinoceros, tiger etc.
Lion was not known to Indus people . From Amari,  a single  instance of the Indian rhinoceros has been reported.
There was extensive inland and foreign trade. Foreign trade with Mesopotamia  or Sumeria (Modern Iraq,) Bahrain etc flourished.
Imports
From
Gold
Kolar  (Karnataka) , Afghanistan, Persia, (Iran)
Silver
Afghanistan, Persia (Iran), South India
Copper
Khetri ( Rajasthan), Baluchistan, Arabia
Tin
Afghanistan, Bihar
Lapis Lazuli and Sapphire
Badak- shan (Afghanistan)
Jade
Central Asia
Steatite
Shaher –i-Sokhta (Iran) , Kirther Hills (Pakistan)
Amethyst

Maharasthtra

 Agate
 Chalcedonies and Saurashtra  and  West India Carnelians.

Exports : Agricultural products , cotton goods , terracotta figurines, pottery ,certain beads (from  Chanhudaro), conch- shell ( from Lothal), ivory products , copper etc.


A very interesting feature of this civilization was that Iron was not known to the people.
The Sumerian texts refer to trade relations with ‘Meluha’  which was the name given to the Indus  region.
Shatughai and Mundigaq  were the Indus sites found in Afghanistan.

The Sumerian texts also refer  to two intermediate stations _ Dilmun ( BAHRAIN) and Makan  ( Makran coast). Susa and Ur are Mesopotamian  places where Harappan seals were found.

The Harappans were the earliest people to produce cotton (It was called ‘Sindon ‘ by the Greeks).

As there is no evidence of coins , barter is assumed  to have been the normal method of exchange of goods.

Lothal was an ancient port of Indus civilization.

The Indus Civilization was primarily urban.

There is no clear –cut evidence of the nature of polity, but it seems that the ruling authority of Indus Civilization was a class of merchants.

 The Harappan people didn’t worship their gods in temple . Not temple in fact has been  unearthed.  An idea of their religion is formed  from  the statues and figurines found.