FAMILY SETUP DURING URBAN PHASE OF 2600-1900 BCE: AN ANALYSIS OF SOCIAL STRATIFICATION IN INDUS CIVILIZATION

Abstract

First times a British Charles Mason in 1829 drew the attention about Indus Civilization. Later on, the Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro were placed on the South Asian map and many discoveries happened afterwards.  Research has shown that cities, towns, villages and campsites existed and thrived from 2600 to 1900 BCE. Within the busy life, how Indus families were socially organized is one of the most important focus of this paper.

To understand the social level of women- this paper is established on the discoveries of terracotta human figurines and the issue of family setup is analyzed through contextual methodology utilizing morphological examination along with other archaeological evidences and compared with contemporary civilizations like Mesopotamia and Egypt.

The results provided a base scenario of Indus society as they were organized in fraternity and family system; living jointly in one house keeping different social status.  Some females were placed high as a deity or goddess. This research recommends that a large-scale examination of cultural objects, cemeteries and grave goods may be propelled to have a flawless knowledge for social organization of Indus people.