In the Earliest Cities Class 6 Notes – Quick Revision

In the Earliest Cities Class 6 notes explain the Harappan or Indus civilisation: its planned cities, drainage, houses, crafts, trade, farming, writing, important sites and the gradual decline of its urban centres.

Updated for 2026–27: the familiar older NCERT chapter In the Earliest Cities is still widely searched and useful for revision. In NCERT’s current Class 6 Social Science book Exploring Society: India and Beyond, the related topic appears as Chapter 6 – The Beginnings of Indian Civilisation. These notes preserve the old search title while aligning the explanation with the current Harappan-civilisation topic.

Key idea	What to remember
Harappan civilisation	One of the world’s earliest urban civilisations, with its mature urban phase roughly from 2600 to 1900 BCE.
Major cities	Harappa, Mohenjo-daro, Dholavira, Lothal, Kalibangan and other settlements.
Town planning	Planned streets, strong brick construction, water systems and covered drainage in many settlements.
Crafts and trade	Beads, pottery, seals, metalwork, shell objects, weights and long-distance exchange networks.
Food and farming	Wheat, barley, pulses, sesame and other crops; cattle, sheep, goats and other animals were reared.
Writing	The Harappan script remains undeciphered.
Urban decline	Large cities declined after about 1900 BCE; scholars discuss environmental, river, economic and settlement changes rather than one single proven cause.

Watch & Learn: English + Hindi Video Lessons

English: Indus Valley Civilization – Crash Course

This public Magnet Brains full-chapter lesson is designed specifically for Class 6 NCERT History and explains Harappa, city planning, houses and drains, crafts, raw materials, food, Gujarat sites, seals and the decline of the cities.

हिंदी: In the Earliest Cities – NCERT Class 6

यह सार्वजनिक NCERT Class 6 History हिंदी पाठ हड़प्पा सभ्यता, नगर-योजना, घरों और नालियों, शिल्प, कच्चे माल, भोजन, गुजरात के नगरों, मुहरों और नगरों के पतन को सरल भाषा में समझाता है।

The Story of Harappa and the First Cities

Harappa, in present-day Pakistan, was excavated in the early 1920s. Discoveries at Harappa and Mohenjo-daro revealed an extensive Bronze Age urban civilisation spread across a large part of the north-western Indian subcontinent. Archaeologists now use the term Harappan civilisation for this wider cultural system.

The mature urban phase is generally dated to about 2600–1900 BCE, although earlier settlements and cultural phases existed before this period.

How Were Harappan Cities Planned?

• Many settlements used carefully made baked or mud bricks in standardised proportions.
• Streets and lanes were laid out in planned patterns in major cities.
• Many houses were built around courtyards and had access to wells or bathing areas.
• Covered drains and wastewater channels show sophisticated urban water management.
• Mohenjo-daro is famous for the Great Bath, a carefully built tank whose exact use is still debated.
• Dholavira is especially noted for reservoirs and large-scale water management.
• Different neighbourhoods and raised sectors existed, but modern archaeology is cautious about assuming that every raised area was simply a royal “citadel”.

Harappan homes varied in size. Many were arranged around courtyards, and some had bathing areas connected to drains. Wells were common at major sites such as Mohenjo-daro, showing that water supply and wastewater disposal were important parts of city life.

Crafts, Trade and Harappan Writing

• Craft workers produced beads, pottery, seals, ornaments, metal tools and shell objects.
• Copper, tin, semi-precious stones, shells and other raw materials moved through regional and long-distance trade networks.
• Standardised weights suggest organised exchange and measurement.
• Harappan seals often show animals and short inscriptions.
• The Harappan script has not yet been conclusively deciphered, so historians cannot read these inscriptions with certainty.

Food, Farming and Animals

Harappan communities depended on farming, herding, craft production and trade. Archaeological remains show crops such as wheat, barley, pulses, sesame and other plants. Cattle, sheep, goats and other animals were also important. Farming practices differed from region to region, depending on local soil, rivers and rainfall.

Important Harappan Sites

Site	Why it is important
Harappa	One of the first major sites excavated; gave the civilisation its common archaeological name.
Mohenjo-daro	Known for planned streets, drainage, wells and the Great Bath.
Dholavira	Famous for sophisticated reservoirs, water management and distinctive urban planning.
Lothal	Important craft and trade centre in Gujarat; often discussed in relation to maritime exchange.
Kalibangan	Known for distinctive settlement remains and evidence connected with agriculture and ritual activity.

Why Did the Harappan Cities Decline?

After about 1900 BCE, many large Harappan urban centres became smaller or were abandoned, while populations shifted to other settlements. There is no single proven explanation. Researchers consider changing river systems, climate and rainfall patterns, trade changes, environmental pressures and broader shifts in settlement and economy. It is more accurate to speak of a gradual urban transformation and decline than one sudden event that destroyed the civilisation.

Key Terms

• Bronze: an alloy mainly made from copper and tin.
• Archaeologist: a person who studies the human past using material remains such as buildings, tools, pottery, bones and seals.
• Raw material: a natural or minimally processed material used to make other products.
• Craftsperson: a skilled person who makes objects such as pottery, jewellery, tools or textiles.
• Urbanisation: the growth and organisation of towns and cities.
• Harappan script: the short symbol system found on seals and other objects; it remains undeciphered.

5-Minute Harappan Evidence Activity

• Choose one Harappan object or feature: a seal, bead, drain, well, weight or pottery vessel.
• Write what material it was made from and what skill was needed to make it.
• Explain what it can tell us about city life, craft, trade or technology.
• Write one question the object cannot answer by itself.
• Identify one extra source of evidence an archaeologist would need to answer that question.

Quick Self-Test

1. Why is the Great Bath important for studying Mohenjo-daro?
2. Name two features that show advanced Harappan water management.
3. Why are seals and standardised weights important evidence?
4. Can historians read the Harappan script today?
5. Why is it inaccurate to give one single proven cause for the decline of Harappan cities?

Answers: (1) It shows sophisticated construction and water-management skills, although its exact use remains debated. (2) Examples include wells, covered drains and reservoirs. (3) They provide evidence of administration, exchange, measurement and trade. (4) No, the script remains undeciphered. (5) Archaeological evidence points to several interacting environmental, river, economic and settlement changes rather than one confirmed cause.

5-Minute Revision Checklist

• Name three major Harappan sites and one feature of each.
• Explain why drainage and water management show advanced city planning.
• List three Harappan crafts or traded materials.
• Remember that the Harappan script is still undeciphered.
• Explain why historians avoid giving one single cause for the decline of Harappan cities.

In the Earliest Cities Class 6 FAQs

What is the current NCERT topic related to “In the Earliest Cities”?

In the current Class 6 Social Science book Exploring Society: India and Beyond, Harappan civilisation is studied in the chapter The Beginnings of Indian Civilisation. The older “In the Earliest Cities” title remains useful for students using earlier editions and for revision.

What made Harappan cities advanced?

Major Harappan settlements show planned construction, standardised bricks, streets, wells, reservoirs, bathing areas and drainage systems. Their crafts, weights and long-distance trade also point to highly organised urban communities.

Can historians read the Harappan script?

No. Many short inscriptions survive on seals and other objects, but the Harappan script has not been conclusively deciphered.

Why did the Harappan civilisation decline?

There is no single proven cause. Scholars study changes in rivers, climate, rainfall, trade, settlement patterns and local environments. The large urban centres gradually declined and populations shifted rather than the civilisation disappearing in one sudden event.

Related Class 6 History & Social Science Resources

• NCERT Solutions – In the Earliest Cities
• From Hunting-Gathering to Growing Food – Class 6 Notes
• What Books and Burials Tell Us – Class 6 Notes
• Urban Administration – Class 6 Notes