An Encyclopaedia of Indian Archaeology v1.c9.s7.1

v1.c9.s7.1

Of the Copper/Bronze Age cultures of the subcontinent the Harappa culture [4.9] stands out as are overridingly important one, giving s. Asia a prominent shelf in global prehistory. It has been variously called the Harappa culture, Harappa culture and Indus civilization, the first two on the ground that the culture was first recognized in 1921 as a distinctive culture at Harappa in Dt Montgomery of Punjab, Pakistan (though the remains of Harappa had been known even in the 19th century), and the last on the ground that early explorations had shown that the major sites of the culture lay in the Indus Valley. The terms have been criticized on various grounds, but the consensus is that both should be allowed to stay as they have gained wide currency. The culture was a civilization, whether defined archaeologically, where it means a culture with cities, the residents of which depend on the hinterland for their subsistence, occupying themselves with specialized jobs including crafts and trade, or whether defined anthropologically as a subclass: a more particular kind of culture and society (Redfield, 1962, pp. 364-5).