What did the Indus Valley people trade?


Indus Valley Civilization was one of those early urban civilizations that were originated in 2300 BC which was developed in the river basins of Sutlej, Ravi, and Indus. When the archaeologists started exploring this place, many proofs regarding the Harappan culture and Indus Valley trade were found. Historians claim that this was the land of early development where trade and agricultural economy came into existence.

Agricultural Trade

With the rivers surrounding their area, the land was fertile and they used to cultivate many crops such as Barley, Wheat, Melon seeds and oil crops like Sesame, Mustard, and Dates. These were traded by farmers with the other people. Cotton was also cultivated and was traded to make cloth out of it, which was also marketed.

Article Trade

The people of Indus valley civilization knew how to make things from mud and clay. The city workers used to make Pots, Plates, and glasses out of mud and clay to sell them. The traders would bring the materials that workers need and collect the finished goods for trade.

Unearthed ornaments and the accessories made out of Seashells, Pearls, and beads were also traded. The Harappan people even made Terracotta Pots and painted them to trade. Coloured gemstones such as turquoise, lapis and lazuli were also sold by them. Metals and tools made up of flint stones were the main articles traded.

Foreign Trade

The Harappan people used to trade with foreign lands traveling through seas. The seaports found in Harappan civilization state that they were not bound to their own territories. They had traded with Iran and Afghanistan for Minerals, while Lead and Copper were exported from India. It was found that they also imported Jade from China and Cedarwood which were all traded through the rivers such as Sutlej, Ravi, and Indus.

The hand-made balance for weighing things was also developed at that time and used equal size and weighed stones for measurements. These balances were used to trade the things.

Updated on: 30-Jul-2019

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