Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents Summary for Volumes 1, 2 and 3
- Contents
- Volume 1 Maps
- Volume 2 Maps
- Volume 3 Maps
- About the Contributors
- Volume 1
- I. Introduction
- II. Africa
- III. South and Southeast Asia
- 1.20 The Palaeolithic of South Asia
- 1.21 The Early Palaeolithic of Southeast Asia
- 1.22 South and Southeast Asia: DNA
- 1.23 The Upper Palaeolithic of South and Southeast Asia
- 1.24 Post-Pleistocene South Asia: Food Production in India and Sri Lanka
- 1.25 The Indus Civilisation
- 1.26 India beyond the Indus Civilisation
- 1.27 Historic India
- 1.28 Early Food Production in Southeast Asia
- 1.29 Complex Society in Prehistoric Mainland Southeast Asia
- 1.30 Summary of Historic Mainland Southeast Asia
- 1.31 Prehistory of the Indonesian Archipelago
- 1.32 The Philippines
- 1.33 South and Island Southeast Asia: Languages
- IV. The Pacific
- Volume 2
- Volume 3
- Index
- References
1.25 - The Indus Civilisation
from III. - South and Southeast Asia
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 05 August 2014
Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents Summary for Volumes 1, 2 and 3
- Contents
- Volume 1 Maps
- Volume 2 Maps
- Volume 3 Maps
- About the Contributors
- Volume 1
- I. Introduction
- II. Africa
- III. South and Southeast Asia
- 1.20 The Palaeolithic of South Asia
- 1.21 The Early Palaeolithic of Southeast Asia
- 1.22 South and Southeast Asia: DNA
- 1.23 The Upper Palaeolithic of South and Southeast Asia
- 1.24 Post-Pleistocene South Asia: Food Production in India and Sri Lanka
- 1.25 The Indus Civilisation
- 1.26 India beyond the Indus Civilisation
- 1.27 Historic India
- 1.28 Early Food Production in Southeast Asia
- 1.29 Complex Society in Prehistoric Mainland Southeast Asia
- 1.30 Summary of Historic Mainland Southeast Asia
- 1.31 Prehistory of the Indonesian Archipelago
- 1.32 The Philippines
- 1.33 South and Island Southeast Asia: Languages
- IV. The Pacific
- Volume 2
- Volume 3
- Index
- References
Summary
Introduction
The study of the Indus civilisation – or more broadly defined, the Indus Tradition – has seen major advances in the past decade that challenge many earlier interpretations and provide new insight into the organisation and character of this urban culture (Map 1.25.1). New surveys in areas that were once poorly studied have revealed the presence of numerous settlements prior to the rise of cities, as well as new towns and villages that supported the major cities themselves. Excavations at the major cities, as well as at smaller settlements, have revealed new aspects of settlement and subsistence patterns; technological development; and aspects of socioeconomic, political and ideological organisation. The most frustrating challenge is the continued lack of bilingual texts that would help in deciphering the Indus script. However, some new discoveries in the study of the Indus writing system provide clues about its development over time and the patterns of sign use on specific types of objects. The decline, transformation and legacy of this urban civilisation are also aspects that have received considerable attention, with hotly debated topics that link it to later cultures in historical South Asia. The following chapter presents a general overview of the current state of research on the Indus Tradition along with some of the most significant new discoveries and questions that still need to be answered.
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- The Cambridge World Prehistory , pp. 407 - 432Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2014
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