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Post by Saurabh on Feb 12, 2016 16:46:43 GMT 5.5
Indus Valley people seem to have loved toys. They made many toys, such as toy carts and toy animals, from baked clay.
- Archaeologists have found model cows that waggle their heads on a string, and toy monkeys that could slide down ropes, and little squirrels.
- They have also discovered toy carts have a little roof, to keep off the rain and hot sun.
- Indus children may also have played with pull-along animals on wheels, as well as rattles and bird-whistles all made from terracotta.
- One clay figure is of a boy holding a small disc, probably used in a throw-and-chase game.
- One Indus model animal is of a squirrel eating a nut.
- One bronze sculpture shows man driving a chariot pulled by two oxen.
- Some Indus carts had 2 wheels, and others 4 wheels.
- Bird-whistles were handy for attracting birds when hunting.
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Post by Saurabh on Feb 12, 2016 16:50:40 GMT 5.5
- Maze puzzles and dice games were enjoyed by children and adults.  - People in the Indus Valley played board games like this, moving pieces beween squares.  - This little dog was made with a flat bottom, so it could stand up. It has a collar made of beads.  Cont... |
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Post by Saurabh on Feb 12, 2016 16:53:13 GMT 5.5
- Toys like this monkey were cleverly made to climb ropes or nod their heads.  - This mystery object has an animal face. The holes for strings suggest a mask. For a puppet? Or perhaps it was a charm?  - Clay model of a cart, pulled by oxen or water buffalo. These figures, probably toys, show us what life-size working carts were like.  |
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Post by Saurabh on Feb 12, 2016 16:56:04 GMT 5.5
In fact, every 10th find in Indus Valley Civilisation is games-related:
Every 10th find from the ruins of the Indus Valley Civilisation 4,000 years ago relates to some sort of game, says a recent study from Sweden. Elke Rogersdotter from the University of Gothenburg in Sweden studied play-related artefacts found at excavations in the ruins of Mohenjodaro in present-day Pakistan.
The remains constitute the largest urban settlement from the Bronze Age in the Indus Valley, a cultural complex of the same era as ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia, according to a Gothenburg statement.
Rogersdotter’s study shows some surprising results. Almost every 10th find from the ruined city is play-related.
They include, for instance, different forms of dice and gaming pieces.
“The marked quantity of play-related finds and the structured distribution shows that playing was already an important part of people’s everyday lives more than 4,000 years ago,” Elke said.
Play was central element of people’s lives in Mohenjodaro 4000yrs back:
An archaeology thesis from the University of Gothenburg, Sweden, has revealed that play was a central element of people’s lives even 4000 years ago.
Elke Rogersdotter is investigating the social significance of the phenomenon of play and games in the Bronze Age Indus Valley in present-day Pakistan.
“They have been regarded, for example, as signs of harmless pastimes and thus considered less important for research, or have been reinterpreted based on ritual aspects or as symbols of social status,” Past Horizons quoted her as saying.
She has studied play-related artefacts found at excavations in the ruins of the ancient city of Mohenjodaro in present-day Pakistan.
Rogersdotter’s thesis shows that almost every tenth find from the ruined city is play-related - like different forms of dice and gaming pieces. “The marked quantity of play-related finds and the structured distribution shows that playing was already an important part of people’s everyday lives more than 4,000 years ago,” she said.
“The reason that play and game-related artefacts often end up ignored or being reinterpreted at archaeological excavations is probably down to scientific thinking’s incongruity with the irrational phenomenon of games and play,” Rogersdotter added.
“The objective of determining the social significance of the actual games therefore, in turn, challenges established ways of thinking. It is an instrument we can use to come up with interpretations that are closer to the individual person. We may gain other, more socially-embedded, approaches for a difficult-to-interpret settlement.”
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Post by Saurabh on Feb 12, 2016 17:13:01 GMT 5.5
Work and play
We only know a little about what it was like to be a child in the Indus Valley cities. Children could play in the courtyards of houses, and probably on the flat roofs, too. The roof could be a fun place to play: you could wave to your friends across the street!
Most children had to work hard. Even small children helped with the daily tasks. Children were taught how to make things, how to farm, how to hunt. They learned these skills from older members of their family, and from people with special skills, such as potters, bead-makers and metal-workers.
Did children go to school?
Some children may have gone to school. A scribe, who knew how to read and write, would teach some children the same skills. A priest would teach religious lessons. Whether there were schools, and if many children went to school, is something we don't know. Perhaps only rich children had lessons.
Ancient civilisations needed people with skills, just as we do. So traders, scribes, potters jewellers, builders, farmers and others like them would teach children their skills.
Did people have pets?
Archaeologists have found paw prints left by animals preserved within the ruins of Indus cities. Children may have had pet monkeys, and perhaps birds in cages, or even lizards and snakes! Hunters might have brought home baby deer or wild pigs. Children could also look after baby farm animals such as lambs or kids (baby goats).
We know that dogs lived in Indus Valley cities, because dog bones have been found. Perhaps some dogs were guard dogs, or hunting dogs. Some were probably family pets.
Playing games
Indus Valley people enjoyed gambling and playing board games. At Harappa archaeologists found dice made from cubes of sandstone and terracotta. These are probably the oldest dice in the world.
The Indus people may have been the first to use cube dice with six sides and spots, just like the ones we use today. Ivory made from elephant tusks was used to make counters for board games.
Indus Valley people also liked the cruel sport of cock-fighting. They probably bet on which bird would win. They kept camels too, so perhaps they went camel racing!
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