Indus River Valley and Mesopotamia

  
Indus River Valley and Mesopotamia

    Within the documentary Indus: The Unvoiced Civilization and the first chapter of Patrick S. Bresnan’s India Before the Vedas, both works discuss the Indus River Valley Civilization- Mohenjo-Daro and Harappa. However, both works emphasize different aspects of this society and its advancements. 

Trade Map of Indus River Valley and Mesopotamia from Indus: Unvoiced Civilization

    In the documentary, Indus: The Unvoiced Civilization the relationship between Mesopotamia and the Indus River Valley Civilization was explored. These ancient societies had trade connections, which was ascertained by the presence of Indus artifacts in Mesopotamian and Bahraini sites, such as "red carnelian" jewelry and Indus seals (Indus: 45:52). "Many Indus carnelian artifacts" have been found within the royal tomb at Umm Al Nar (Indus: 46:13). Bahrain was a trading hotspot, due to its location on the Arabian peninsula. In Bahrain, there were hundreds of burial mounds near one of their larger trading ports.

Shu-ilishu's Cylinder Seal 

    Researchers are excavating this burial site and finding Indus artifacts, further showing the interconnectedness of these societies. Learning of the relationship between Mesopotamia and the Indus Valley was extremely interesting, as within all my years of learning of the two, I had never seen them linked in such a way. It was exciting to know that thousands of years ago, these ancient and seemingly separate civilizations were actually in contact with each other, and possibly even allies. There was an artifact called "Shu-ilishu's Cylinder Seal" found within Mesopotamia depicting Indus "translators from Meluha" alongside Mesopotamian royalty, showing that the two may have had some sort of diplomatic relationship (Indus: 51:32). This further shows the interlacing of these two societies.

    Indus: The Unvoiced Civilization places an emphasis on the complexities of the Indus Valley Civilization, especially within their architecture and trade. The documentary is filled with details of their extraordinary architectural achievements, lasting impacts on Indian society, and theories about their language and traditions. Differing from Indus, Patrick Bresnan’s review of the Indus Valley Civilization focuses on the societal aspects, such as the caste system and what happened to the Indus people after the decline of the Harappan Age. His brief mention of the relationship between Mesopotamia and the Indus River Valley Civilization, is that the two were within the “cradle of civilization” together (Bresnan 5). 

    These two sources develop the relationship between two of the most ancient civilizations in a way that reflects the focus of their work. Bresnan is more focused on exploring the culture within India before the Vedic Age while Indus is more focused on exploring the influence of the Indus Valley civilization on the world around them.

Works Cited

“A Carnelian Feast at the British Museum.” Harappa, 3 Jan. 2017, www.harappa.com/blog/carnelian-feast-british-museum.

“India Before the Vedas.” Awakening: An Introduction to the History of Eastern Thought, by Patrick S. Bresnan, Pearson, 2013, pp. 1–15.

Indus: The Unvoiced Civilization, Films Media, Accessed 31 Aug. 2021.

Possehl, Gregory L. “Shu-Ilishus's Cylinder Seal.” Harappa, www.harappa.com/content/shu-ilishus-cylinder-seal.

“Sealing .” Harappa, www.harappa.com/seal/7.html.