ca. 9,000 to 1,000 BCE
• India: A Historical Overview [Asia Society]
Background reading about "the people and characteristics of India's historical eras, from the early Indus River Valley civilization, through the Mughal period to present day."

• South Asia , 8,000-2,000 B.C. [Timeline of Art History, The Metropolitan Museum of Art]
"South Asia is the center of one of the great ancient civilizations of the world—the Indus Valley/Harappan civilization in present-day Pakistan and northwestern India. Copper metallurgy, stone bead making, and seal carving develop in conjunction with the elaboration of ceramics, some decorated with an early form of writing." With a period overview, list of key events, and three related artworks.

Timeline • The Story of India: Beginnings [PBS]
Excellent annotated timeline with text, images, and video clips throughout.

• The Dawn of Civilization: Development of Early Settlements on the Indus Plain (ca. 3000-2600 B,C,) [Indus Civilization Exhibition, Tokyo Metropolitan Museum/Nagoya City Museum/Tokai University]
Text and images about the pottery and copper/bronze agricultural implements excavated at the Indus plain settlements of Kot Diji and Amri.

ca. 2,600 to 800 BCE
• South Asia , 2,000-1,000 B.C. [Timeline of Art History, The Metropolitan Museum of Art]
"As the culture of the great Indus Valley civilization declines, new languages and cultural orientations are introduced into South Asia by people migrating from the northwest." With a period overview, list of key events, and four related artworks.

• Indus Civilization [Indus Civilization Exhibition, Tokyo Metropolitan Museum/Nagoya City Museum/Tokai University]
Text and images about the cities of the Indus River and Ghaggar-Hakra River (ca. 2600 BCE): "This marked the beginning of the Indus Civilization. Each major city was linked with others through rivers, which served as transportation and communication highways. This extensive network over a vast area supported a prosperous and stable society, and advances in technology in these cities yielded products that were traded as far away as the Arabian Sea and Mesopotamia." Includes information about urban planning, daily life, "the sacred and the revered," recent excavations, and maritime trade.

• Ancient India: Indus Valley [The British Museum]
A unit on "the growth of civilization around the Indus Valley. Users can explore the ancient Indus Valley city of Mohenjo-Daro and look at some of the artefacts found by archaeologists from this excavation." Select the "Staff Room" link at left for a teacher's guide to this website and its contents.

• Indus Civilization Geography [Harappa.com]
An introduction to the major archaeological sites of the Indus Valley civilization. With maps and images.

• Mojenjo-Daro: Introduction to the Site [Harappa.com]
Illustrated introduction (with map and chronology) and in-depth essay about the archaeological site of Mohenjo-Daro, by anthropology professor Jonathan Mark Kenoyer (University of Wisconsin at Madison).

• Indus Civilization: The Successors [Indus Civilization Exhibition, Tokyo Metropolitan Museum/Nagoya City Museum/Tokai University]
Text and images about the cultures that followed the Indus Civilization: "Most of the cities of the Indus Civilization were abandoned by circa 1800 B.C. However, a number of village cultures continuing some aspects of the Indus tradition later developed in these regions. By at least 1500 B.C. Indo-Aryan speakers had entered South Asia, and by circa 700 B.C. they had established new cities along the Ganges River."

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ca. 2,600 to 1,700 BCE
• Writing: Indus Valley [Art of the First Cities: The Third Millennium B.C. from the Mediterranean to the Indus, The Metropolitan Museum of Art]
"The Indus script was invented around 2600 B.C. as large cities and associated administrators emerged across the region of the Indus Valley. Archaeologists are still trying to find out where the script was invented and how to decipher it, but they have begun to understand how the script was used and possibly why it disappeared." With a short introduction and two images with descriptions.

• Ancient India: Writing [The British Museum]
A unit on "the numerous scripts used in Ancient India. An 'epigraphy' activity allows users to investigate one of the undeciphered Indus scripts." Select the "Staff Room" link at left for a teacher's guide to this website and its contents.

• The Indus Script [Harappa.com]
An in-depth overview of various theories concerning the origins and meaning of the Indus Valley script, with articles by and interviews with leading scholars in the field. Also includes a "dictionary" of some of the most common Indus signs.

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• The Divine World: Indus Valley [Art of the First Cities: The Third Millennium B.C. from the Mediterranean to the Indus, The Metropolitan Museum of Art]
"For the Indus culture religious beliefs are reflected in imagery on seals, figurines, painted pottery, and even in the layout of cities. One symbol that appears associated with deities is the pipal tree. There is no evidence for temples, and it is possible that these sacred trees may have been important shrines in the Indus culture." With a short introduction and two images with descriptions.

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• The Ruler: Indus Valley [Art of the First Cities: The Third Millennium B.C. from the Mediterranean to the Indus, The Metropolitan Museum of Art]
With image and description of the "priest-king" sculpture (ca. 2000-1900 BCE) from Mohenjo-daro.

• Embodying Indus Life: Terra Cotta Figurines from Harappa [Harappa.com]
With more than 70 examples of anthropomorphic and terra-cotta figurines from Harappa and other Indus civilization archaeological sites. Text by Sharri R. Clark, Ph.D., Harvard University.

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