📘 **CHEAT SHEET – Class 12 History
Chapter 1: Bricks, Beads and Bones (Harappan Civilisation)**
1️⃣ Harappan Civilisation (Indus Valley) – Introduction
- समय: 2600 BCE – 1900 BCE
- क्षेत्र: Indus valley + NW India + Pakistan
- प्रमुख नगर: Harappa, Mohenjodaro, Dholavira, Lothal, Kalibangan, Banawali
2️⃣ Harappan Town Planning (सबसे महत्वपूर्ण)
✔ Grid pattern – सड़कों का सीधा-सीधा जाल
✔ Town divided – Citadel (ऊपरी भाग) + Lower town
✔ Drainage system – Covered drains, soak pits
✔ Standardized bricks – 1:2:4 ratio
✔ Wells – प्रचुर मात्रा में
3️⃣ Important Sites & Their Special Features
Mohenjodaro
- Great Bath
- Granary
- Assembly hall
Harappa
- Granaries
- Copper scale
Dholavira (Gujarat)
- Water conservation system
- Signboard with inscriptions
Lothal (Gujarat)
- Dockyard
- Bead-making industry
Kalibangan
- Ploughed fields
- Fire altars
4️⃣ Agriculture & Technology
- मुख्य फसलें: Wheat, barley, lentils, mustard, cotton
- बैल द्वारा hal (plough)
- सिंचाई: नहरें और बारिश पर निर्भरता
- तांबा, कांसा, पत्थर के औज़ार
5️⃣ Craft Production
Beads
- Lothal = Bead manufacturing centre
- Carnelian, lapis lazuli, shell, copper
Metallurgy
- Copper, bronze, gold, silver
- Lost-wax casting technique
Pottery
- Red & black pottery
- Painted designs
6️⃣ Trade
Internal Trade
- Raw materials: Stones, metals
- Workshop sites: Nageshwar, Balakot, Lothal
Foreign Trade
- Mesopotamia (Iraq) के साथ व्यापार
- Harappan seals वहाँ मिले
- Commodities: beads, lapis lazuli, copper, shell, textiles
7️⃣ Harappan Religion
- Mother Goddess
- Proto-Shiva (Pashupati seal)
- Sacred animals: unicorn, humped bull
- Fire altars (Kalibangan)
(important: कोई पक्का मंदिर नहीं मिला)
8️⃣ Script and Seals
- Harappan script अभी भी unreadable
- Mostly pictographic
- Seals: steatite से बने
- Uses: Trade + identity + authentication
9️⃣ Burials & Social Life
- Graves with pottery
- Multiple burial types
- Elite class: larger houses, better items
- Social hierarchy मौजूद थी
🔟 Decline of Harappan Civilisation (BIG EXAM TOPIC)
Possible reasons:
- River shifts (Ghaggar-Hakra drying)
- Floods
- Climate change
- Decline in trade
- Deforestation
(No single reason is confirmed)
⭐ Most Important Exam Questions
✔ Great Bath features & significance
✔ Why Harappans are called urban civilisation
✔ Standardisation (bricks, weights)
✔ Craft production: beads, pottery, metals
✔ Town planning
✔ Trade with Mesopotamia
✔ Causes of decline
✔ Evidence from archaeological findings
✔ Burials & social differences