Periodisation of the Indus Valley Civilisation

Bronze Age
↑ Chalcolithic
Near East (c. 3300–1200 BC) Anatolia, Caucasus, Elam, Egypt, Levant, Mesopotamia, Sistan, Canaan Bronze Age collapse South Asia (c. 3000– 1200 BC) Ochre Coloured Pottery Cemetery H Europe (c. 3200–600 BC) Aegean, Caucasus, Catacomb culture, Srubna culture, Beaker culture, Unetice culture, Tumulus culture, Urnfield culture, Hallstatt culture, Apennine culture, Canegrate culture, Golasecca culture, Atlantic Bronze Age, Bronze Age Britain, Nordic Bronze Age China (c. 2000–700 BC) Erlitou, Erligang
arsenical bronze writing, literature sword, chariot
↓Iron Age

The Indus Valley Tradition is a term used to refer to the cultures of the Indus and Ghaggar-Hakra rivers, stretching from the Neolithic Mehrgarh period down to the Iron Age or Indo-Gangetic Tradition.

The Indus Valley Tradition is divided into four eras, and each era can be divided into various phases. A phase is an archaeological unit possessing traits sufficiently characteristic to distinguish it from all other units similarly conceived.^[1] Each phase can be subdivided into interaction systems.

3300-2600	Early Harappan
Date range (BCE)	Phase	Era
7000-5500	Mehrgarh I (aceramic Neolithic)
5500-3300	Mehrgarh II-VI (ceramic Neolithic)	Regionalisation Era 5500-2600
3300-2800	Harappan 1 (Ravi Phase)
2800-2600	Harappan 2 (Kot Diji Phase, Nausharo I, Mehrgarh VII, Rakhigarhi)
2600-1900	Mature Harappan (Indus Valley Civilisation)	Integration Era
2600-2450	Harappan 3A (Nausharo II)
2450-2200	Harappan 3B
2200-1900	Harappan 3C
1900-1300	Late Harappan (Cemetery H); Ochre Coloured Pottery	Localisation Era
1900-1700	Harappan 4
1700-1300	Harappan 5
1300-300	Painted Gray Ware, Northern Black Polished Ware (Iron Age)	Indo-Gangetic Tradition

Early Food Producing Era

The Early Food Producing Era corresponds to ca. 7000-5500 BCE. It is also called the Neolithic period. The economy of this era was based on food production, and agriculture developed in the Indus Valley. Mehrgarh Period I belongs to this era.

Regionalisation Era

The Regionalisation Era corresponds to 5500-2600 BCE. The Early Harappan phase belongs to this Era. This era was very productive in arts, and new crafts were invented. The Regionalisation Era includes the Balakot, Amri, Hakra and Kot Diji Phases.

1A/B	Ravi aspect of the Hakra Phase	ca. 3300-2800 BCE
2	Early Harappan/Kot Diji Phase	ca. 2800-2600 BCE

Integration Era

The Integration Era refers to the period of the "Indus Valley Civilisation". It is a period of integration of various smaller cultures.

3A	Harappan Phase	ca. 2600-2450 BCE
3B	Harappan Phase	ca. 2450-2200 BCE
3C	Harappan Phase	ca. 2200-1900 BCE

Localisation Era

The Localisation Era (1900-1300 BCE) is the fourth and final period of the Indus Valley Tradition. It refers to the fragmentation of the culture of the Integration Era.

The Localisation Era comprises several phases (Shaffer 1992):

Punjab Phase (Cemetery H, Late Harappan). The Punjab Phase includes the Cemetery H and other cultures. Punjab Phase sites are found in Harappa and in other places.
Jhukar Phase (Jhukar and Pirak) The Jhukar Phase refers to Mohenjo-daro and sites in Sindh.
Rangpur Phase (Late Harappan and Lustrous Red Ware). Rangpur Phase sites are in Kachchh, Saurashtra and mainland Gujarat.

The Pirak Phase is a phase of the Localisation Era of both the Indus Valley Tradition and the Baluchistan Tradition.

4	Harappan/Late Harappan Transitional	ca. 1900-1700 BCE
5	Late Harappan Phase (Cemetery H)	ca. 1700-1300 BCE

Other Periodisations

S. P. Gupta periodised the Harappan Civilisation in a chronological framework that spans the dates from 4000 BCE to 1400 BCE, taking into account new discoveries:^[2]

Formative Phase	e.g., Mehrgarh-IV-V	ca. 4000 - 3500 BCE
Early Phase	e.g., Kalibangan-I	ca. 3500 - 2800 BCE
Period of Transition	e.g., Dholavira-III	ca. 2800 - 2600 BCE
Mature Phase	e.g., Harappa-III, Kalibangan-II	ca. 2600 - 1900 BCE
Late Phase	e.g., Cemetery H, Jhukar	ca. 1900 - 1500 BCE
Final Phase	e.g., Dholavira	ca. 1500 - 1400 BCE

Another older nomenclature classifies the Indus Valley Civilisation into Early, Mature and Late Harappan. According to Erdosy, the Indus Valley Tradition nomenclature "is much more informative than the traditional Early/Mature/Late Harappan classification which should now be discarded." ^[3]

References

↑ Willey and Phillips 1958, Method and Theory in American Archaeology
↑ S.P. Gupta. The dawn of civilisation, in G.C. Pande (ed.)(History of Science, Philosophy and Culture in Indian Civilization, ed., D.P. Chattophadhyaya, vol I Part 1) (New Delhi:Centre for Studies in Civilizations, 1999)
↑ Erdosy, George (editor) The Indo-Aryans of Ancient South Asia, 1995, p. 4

S.P. Gupta. The dawn of civilization, in G.C. Pande (ed.)(History of Science, Philosophy and Culture in Indian Civilization, ed., D.P. Chattophadhyaya, vol I Part 1) (New Delhi:Centre for Studies in Civilizations, 1999)
Kenoyer, J.M. 1998 Ancient Cities of the Indus Valley Civilization. Oxford University Press and American Institute of Pakistan Studies, Karachi.
Kenoyer, J. M. 1991a The Indus Valley Tradition of Pakistan and Western India. In Journal of World Prehistory 5(4): 331-385.
Kenoyer, J. M. 1995a Interaction Systems, Specialized Crafts and Culture Change: The Indus Valley Tradition and the Indo-Gangetic Tradition in South Asia. In The Indo-Aryans of Ancient South Asia: Language, Material Culture and Ethnicity, edited by G. Erdosy, pp. 213–257. Berlin, W. DeGruyter.
Shaffer, J. G. 1992 The Indus Valley, Baluchistan and Helmand Traditions: Neolithic Through Bronze Age. In Chronologies in Old World Archaeology (3rd Edition), edited by R. Ehrich, pp. 441–464. Chicago, University of Chicago Press.
Article with Timeline
Ancient Civilisations Timeline

Indus Valley Civilisation

History and culture	Indus River Periodisation Bhirrana Culture Mehrgarh Culture Kulli Culture Amri Culture Bara Culture Cemetery H Culture

Architecture	Harappan architecture Sanitation of the Indus Valley Civilisation Great Bath, Mohenjo-daro Inventions of the Indus Valley Civilisation

Language and script	Harappan language Indus script

Indus Valley sites in Pakistan	Harappa Mohenjo-daro Nausharo Chanhudaro Mehrgarh Lakhueen-jo-daro Larkana Pirak Kot Diji Rehman Dheri Amri Sutkagan Dor Sokhta Koh Tharro Hills Pir Shah Jurio Allahdino Balakot Ongar Ganeriwala Nindowari Judeir-jo-daro Dabarkot

Indus Valley sites in India	Dholavira Gola Dhoro Lothal Bhagatrav Rangpur Jognakhera Surkotada Kalibangan Manda Alamgirpur Daimabad Malwan Kunal Rakhigarhi Rupnagar Rupar Hulas Kanmer Oriyo timbo Dher Majra Lohari Ragho Dwarka Kuntasi Loteshwar Mandi Farmana Ganeshwar Sothi Siswal Sanauli Sanghol Pabumath Nagwada Babar Kot Balu Bara Bargaon Bhagwanpura Bhirrana Banawali Rojdi Kotla Nihang Khan Kerala-no-dhoro Mitathal Desalpur

Indus Valley sites in Afghanistan	Mundigak Shortugai

Related topics	Meluhha Ochre Coloured Pottery culture Northern Black Polished Ware Painted Grey Ware culture

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