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 Exhibitions
The
Asia Society Presents ...
Great
Cities, Small Treasures:
The Ancient World of the Indus Valley
View
of Mohenjo-daro.
Photo:
Jonathan Mark Kenoyer One
of the great civilizations of the ancient world, the
Indus valley civilization flourished 5,000 years ago
in the valley of the river Indus. Twice as extensive
as its contemporary civilizations--the Old Kingdom of
Egypt and the Sumerian city-states of Ur and Lagash--it
was a culture of great sophistication and power. Its
people built hundreds of planned cities, the first in
the world, and had trade links with Mesopotamia and
Oman. For seven hundred years the civilization flourished;
then for unknown reasons it disintegrated and was forgotten.
Rediscovered in the 19th
century by archaeologists, this great civilization has
remained virtually unknown to American audiences. This
spring, the Asia Society brings together more than a
hundred ancient artifacts from Pakistan in Great
Cities, Small Treasures: The Ancient World of the Indus
Valley. On view from February 11 to May 3, this
exhibition will be the first opportunity for U.S. audiences
to see works in terra cotta, bronze, gold, semi-precious
stone, and shell produced in the Indus region in the
3rd and 2nd millennium BCE. The exhibition is part of
Pakistan 1997-98, events celebrating the 50th
anniversary of Pakistan's founding. Related events at
the Asia Society include performances, lectures, readings,
film screenings, and a symposium.
Most
striking in the Indus valley civilization was its
emphasis on the organization of everyday civic life.
Cities located thousands of miles apart were laid
out according to similar plans. Most cities of the
river plain were built on man-made mud platforms to
raise them above yearly floods. The settlements were
organized along a grid pattern of broad avenues and
narrower streets. Unprecedented in the ancient world
was the complex and sophisticated drainage system
of the Indus cities, which carried waste water from
each house and street. There must have been a strong
centralized authority that planned and maintained
these civic amenities. While Egyptians built pyramids
to their Pharaohs, and Mesopotamians built ziggurats
to their Gods, the Indus valley people built solid
homes and symmetrical roads. Other civilizations had
monuments to their leaders, but the Indus valley city
was a monument to its citizens.
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(Priest-king) Seated male sculpture, or Priest-King,
Mohenjo-daro
low-fired
white steatite, National Museum, Karachi, Courtesy
of the Department of Archaeology and Museums,
Ministry of Culture, Government of Pakistan
Carnelian
and copper alloy necklace or belt, Mohenjo-daro
Carnelian
and copper alloy, Mohenjo-daro Museum, Courtesy
of the Department of Archaeology and Museums,
Ministry of Culture, Government of Pakistan Discovery
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The
minuscule and finely carved seals and tiny polished
gemstones with perfectly-centered drill-holes
are among the small treasures on show. These
artifacts reveal something about the exquisite
ability of the Indus craftsmen. Jewelry made
in by Indus craftsmen has even been found in
the royal burials at Ur. Other objects offer
tantalizing if partial glimpses into the daily
life and religion and beliefs of the Indus people.
There are seals depicting mysterious rites;
shell vessels that may have been for ritual
libation, and the famous "Priest-King"
sculpture which may depict a person of sacred
and secular authority.
Humped
bull seal, Mohenjo-daro
unfired
tan steatite, Islamabad Museum,
Courtesy of the Department of Archaeology and
Museums, Ministry of Culture, Government of
Pakistan
The
conditions that led to the rise and decline of
the Indus valley civilization remain obscure,
in part because linguists and archaeologists have
been unable to decipher its writing system. The
ancient writings of Egypt and Mesopotamia have
been deciphered; they provide scholars with unique
perspectives on the history of these peoples.
In contrast, the language of the Indus valley
civilization remains a mystery. What we do know
is learned chiefly through the interpretation
of the its ancient artifacts. These small treasures
provide us with tantalizing glimpses into the
life and culture of the peoples of the ancient
cities of the Indus Valley.
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