Chapter?4: Early Societies in South Asia Chapter Outline Harappan society Background Neolithic villages in Indus River valley by 3000 B.C.E. Earliest remains inaccessible because of silt deposits and rising water table Also little known because writing not yet translated Foundations of Harappan society The Indus River Runs through north India, with sources at Hindu Kush and the Himalayas Rich deposits but less predictable than the Nile Wheat and barley were cultivated in Indus valley Cultivated cotton before 5000 B.C.E. Complex society of Dravidians, 3000 B.C.E. No evidence about political system Harappa and Mohenjo-daro: two main cities Each city had a fortified citadel and a large granary Broad streets, marketplaces, temples, public buildings