Domesticated animals

The Indus Valley Civilization (IVC) operated on a highly organized agro-pastoral economy. Animal domestication was not merely a subsistence activity but was fully integrated into urban transport, intensive agriculture, international trade, and religious systems.

Methodologies of Identification

Archaeologists reconstruct the Harappan faunal economy through zooarchaeological analysis. This involves studying animal bones, teeth, and horn cores recovered from domestic trash heaps, combined with examining terracotta figurines, seal engravings, and copper amulets.

Primary Domesticated Draft and Milch Animals

The Humped Cattle (Zebu)

The humped cattle (Bos indicus), or Zebu, was the most important domesticated animal in the Harappan world.

• Economic Utility: It provided heavy muscle power for plowing dense alluvial soils and pulling heavy, solid-wheeled wooden carts across regional trade routes. It was also a primary source of milk and leather.
• Cultural Status: The Zebu held a high position in Harappan iconography. It is depicted on premium steatite seals with realistic muscular detail, a pronounced dewlap, and sweeping horns, indicating it may have carried sacred or totemic value.

The Water Buffalo (Bubalus bubalis)

Water buffaloes were widely domesticated, particularly in marshy, riverine regions such as Sindh and Gujarat. They were used as heavy draft animals in wet agricultural fields and provided a major source of milk and meat for the urban population.

Small Livestock: Sheep and Goats

• Sheep (Ovis aries): Raised in large flocks across semi-arid pasturages for meat, milk, and coarse wool used in textile production.
• Goats (Capra hircus): Valued as hardy, adaptable animals that could survive on desert scrub, providing a steady supply of protein and milk.

Domesticated Animals for Transport, Security, and Utility

Pigs (Sus scrofa domesticus)

Faunal remains indicate that pigs were kept near residential areas. They were semi-domesticated or scavenged in urban perimeters, serving primarily as a source of meat for the lower town population.

Canines and Felines

• Dogs (Canis lupus familiaris): Used for hunting, herding livestock, and guarding property. Terracotta models show dogs wearing collars, and a famous brick from Chanhu-daro preserves the footprint of a dog chasing a cat, confirming their presence in urban spaces.
• Cats (Felis catus): Kept primarily to control rodent populations around grain stores and domestic kitchens.

Camels and Donkeys

• The One-Humped Camel (Camelus dromedarius): Bone remains found at sites like Kalibangan (Rajasthan) and Surkotada (Gujarat) suggest camels were used as pack animals for desert transit across Rajasthan and Cholistan.
• Donkeys and Asses: Used to carry overland cargo bundles between mining frontiers and manufacturing townships.

The Horse Controversy in Harappan Archaeology

The question of whether the true domesticated horse (Equus caballus) existed during the Mature Harappan phase is a major point of debate in South Asian proto-history.

The Surkotada Findings

Archaeologist A.K. Sharma reported discovering horse teeth, phalanges, and equine bone fragments in the upper strata of Surkotada (Gujarat), dating to the late Mature Harappan phase.

The Mainstream Scientific Consensus

International zooarchaeologists, including Richard Meadow, challenge this identification. They argue that these bones belong to the Asiatic Wild Ass (Equus hemionus), also known as the khur or onager, which remains native to the Rann of Kutch. The true domesticated horse is closely linked to the introduction of lightweight, spoked-wheel chariots. Since Harappan transport relied exclusively on heavy, solid-wheeled wooden carts, the horse did not play a role in the logistics, military, or economy of the Mature Harappan culture.

Exploitation of Wild and Marine Faunal Resources

While the economy relied heavily on domesticated animals, hunting and fishing provided important dietary supplements:

• Wild Game: Harappans hunted blackbucks, gazelles, wild boars, and deer (sambar and chital) using copper arrowheads and stone missiles, as shown by bone splits found in kitchen dumps.
• The Elephant (Elephas maximus): Elephants were not fully domesticated for labor like cattle, but they were captured from wild herds. Their bones have been found at Mohenjo-daro, and ivory was widely used to manufacture luxury goods like combs, dice, hairpins, and linear measuring scales.
• Marine and Riverine Resources: Coastal sites like Balakot (Pakistan) and Shikarpur (Gujarat) specialized in marine fishing, mollusk gathering, and shell-working. Dried marine fish and turtles were transported from coastal ports to inland cities via trade networks.

Categorized Summary of Harappan Faunal Association