Art Relics Shed Light on Mysterious Ancient Civilization
A society still silent and secreted beneath the earth of the Himalayas, the earliest civilization associated with Hindu/Indian art history is the Indus Valley Civilization (IVC). This society is dated approximately to 2600-1900 BC, and the sites of importance were Mohenjo-Daro and Harappa. Scholars have determined that the IVC did have a form of writing, but it is undecipherable—not unlike the Linear A script of the Minoans in modern day Crete. Therefore, much of what is known of this culture comes from archaeological investigations and historical examinations of their art.
Excavated ruins of Mohenjo-daro, Sindh province, Pakistan, showing the Great Bath in the foreground. (CC BY SA 1.0)
Cultural Themes Found in the Art
Based on the finds of the region, common themes and iconography have been identified. Human figures are often depicted in yoga positions or dance, both associated with the religion of the period (a form of Hinduism) as well as leisure and spiritual health. It was also highly uncommon to find works of art without any jewelry adorning them; jewelry contributed highly to the IVC views of beauty. Naturalism is not yet a prominent feature of art; women are often depicted with slender bodies, large breasts, and elongated limbs, while men are either shown in a similar fashion (minus the large breasts) or with a swollen belly to emphasize the "breath of life". Further, women are most often nude, while men wear a loincloth.
Indus Valley Architecture
Architecture during this period was predominately made out of fired brick (and occasionally mud brick). Some of the best surviving structures are the large public baths, made with corbelled vaults (wherein the stones are stacked inward to form a point) and fitted with drain pipes made from terracotta. It is uncertain if these baths were used for hygienic purposes or religious rituals.
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Piece of red pottery from IVC. Harappa. Fragment of large vessel. (CC BY 2.0)
Art on Indus Valley Civilization Pottery
Pottery from this period was likely made on the wheel, and was painted like the pottery in ancient Greece. Much of the decoration was made of geometric shapes with a preference for vegetal and animal images, likely due to the high fertility of the region. (The IVC often flooded due to its location at the bottom of the Himalayas.) The pottery was red with black paint—however, they were not "black-figure"—and there was no empty space on the items. From the designs depicted on the pieces, it is believed that there was some form of afterlife worshipped by the people of the IVC. Further, much of the pottery was discovered buried, reiterating the idea of an afterlife by the implication that these pieces would be needed in another life.
Storage jar. C. 2700-2000 BC. Chanhudaro. Pakistan. Indus Civilization. National Museum, New Delhi (Public Domain)
Unique Individual Stamp Seals Make Intriguing Art
Stamp seals are one of the most prominent works that survive. Another similarity between the ancient Minoans and the IVC are these seals, as it is believed they were used in lieu of a signature on official documents. No two seals are alike, and it is believed that the Minoan ones depict religious events. The ones at IVC are similarly believed to depict the ancient religion of the culture.
Indus valley seals with Bull, Elephant, and Rhinoceros, 2500–1900 BC. By MrABlair23. (Public Domain)
One of particularly interesting examples depicts a "yogi" (a yoga master), seated with tigers, rhinoceroses, and elephants surrounding him. As the man has antlers on his head, bangles on his arms, and a necklace, scholars have ascertained this man is likely a god and thus that this seal indicates the ancient, supernatural roots of yoga. According to research by art historians, the people of this culture did not believe beauty existed if a person was not appropriately adorned.
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Seal discovered during excavation of the Mohenjodaro archaeological site in the Indus Valley has drawn attention as a possible representation of a "yogi". (Public Domain)
Human Abstraction in IVC Art
Another intriguing comment on the artistic preferences of the people in the Indus Valley region has been discovered through extended examination of pieces like these seals—items that depict both humans and animals on a single surface. It has become evident that humans were portrayed in much more abstract forms, while animals were more realistically portrayed. It is likely that this pattern stems from the religious and spiritual emphases associated with the culture. The worshipping preferences of the IVC (hypothesized through archaeological finds) and how scholars infer (from the ancient Sanskrit texts called the Vedas) that the IVC viewed their Hindu gods, indicates these focuses on definitive animals, abstraction and dancing motifs were dominant. Through a closer examination of the cultures in this region that followed the IVC, more data will likely arise.
Top Image: Three examples of Indus Valley Art: Indus Priest/King Statue. It was found in Mohenjo-daro in 1927 and on display in the National Museum, Karachi, Pakistan. (Mamoon Mengal/CC BY SA 1.0), Replica of 'Dancing Girl' of Mohenjo-daro at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya in Mumbai, India (Joe Ravi/CC BY SA 3.0), Seal from Indus Valley Civilization - 2600 BC. (Raj Kukreja/CC BY NC ND 2.0)
By Riley Winters
References
Coningham, Robin; Young, Ruth. The Archaeology of South Asia: From the Indus to Asoka, c.6500 BCE–200 CE. Cambridge University Press, 2015.
Marshall, John. Mohenjo-Daro and the Indus Civilization: Being an Official Account of Archaeological Excavations at Mohenjo-Daro Carried Out by the Government of India Between the Years 1922 and 1927. Asian Educational Services, 1931.
McIntosh, Jane. The Ancient Indus Valley: New Perspectives. ABC-CLIO, 2008.
Pittman, Holly. Art of the Bronze Age: southeastern Iran, western Central Asia, and the Indus Valley. Metropolitan Museum of Art: NY, 1984.
Srinivasan, Doris Meth. Many Heads, Arms and Eyes: Origin, Meaning and Form in Multiplicity in Indian Art. Brill, 1997.
Wright, Rita P. The Ancient Indus: Urbanism, Economy, and Society. Cambridge University Press, 2009.