Top 10 Facts about Indus Valley Civilization

The Indus River Valley Civilization, also recognized as the Harappan Civilization, lasted from 3300 to 1300 BCE and spanned contemporary northeast Afghanistan to Pakistan and northwest India. Normalized weights and scales, seal carving, and metallurgy with copper, bronze, lead, and tin were all essential inventions of this civilization. Nothing is certain about the Indus language, and as a consequence, little is learned about the structures and governmental structures of the Indus River Valley Civilization. This work led to the the first excavations in the early 20th century at Harappa by Rai Bahadur Daya Ram Sahni, and by R.D. Banerji at another Indus Civilization city, Mohenjo Daro. Weather change and displacement are most likely to blame for the civilization’s demise. Let us decode this ancient civilization to learn about India’s history.

Town planning

Town Planning

Both Indus Valley towns were categorized into Upper Town and Lower Town, just as the French split Pondicherry (India) in two in the 18th century: White Town and Black Town. The upper town was for traders and nobles, while the lower town was for commoners. All of the roads and routes in IVC were straight and intersected at a 90-degree angle. Houses were built in a variety of, types and sizes possibly to reflect social structure. Many of the IVC sites had buildings with single, double, and multiple spaces.

Citadel

Citadel

It was a fortification, but not quite a fortification. Since only six citadels have been discovered, it appears that some governing or priesthood class existed there. One curious fact is that every sixth of them was discovered on the city’s upper floor. A citadel, on the other hand, does not imply the presence of a king.

Great bath

Great Bath

The Great Bath at Mohenjodaro resembled a contemporary swimming pool. It was a rectangular building with stairwells leading within. Surprisingly, there were three showers by the Great Bath. It demonstrates that they were possibly worried about sanitation.

Great granary

Granary

Mohenjodaro has one of the largest granaries among IVC locations. Granaries could be found at almost any IVC location. Rice, wheat, and barley were the most commonly stored foods. It was most likely a public distribution system designed to disperse food grains during disasters, as the Indus River was prone to flooding.

Religion

Harappan religion

The Indus people were more interested in nature devotion They hated all that scared them and therefore worshipped. Some of the sites had drawings of the sun and moon, implying that they were Sabians. They also prayed to snakes, pigeons, and other creatures. It seems that they had high respect for humped bulls, as both houses had a seal of it.

Harappan script

Harappan script

The Indus or Harappan script has 400 pictograph signs in total. No one else has been able to decode the book, and from the way it is published, it appears they were familiar with geometry. It is a brief overview of the great Indus Valley Civilization. They have established a tradition that can still be replicated.

Transport technology

Transportation

Evidence suggests that Harappans were involved in a large maritime—sea—trade system that stretched from Central Asia to the Middle East. The civil economy appears to have relied heavily on trade, which was encouraged by substantial developments in transportation technology. The Harappan Civilization may have been the first to use wheeled movement in the form of oxcarts, which are still used in South Asia today.

Largest civilization

Largest civilization

Extraction of the Indus Valley Civilization sites is continuing, and by 1999, 1,056 cities and villages had been discovered. IVC thrived in the basins of two large rivers: the Indus and the Ghaggar-Hakra. It is the oldest of the four ancient civilizations of Egypt, Mesopotamia, India, and China, covering a region about the size of Western Europe.

Sanitation system

Sanitation

Indus valley civilization cities had the earth’s first municipal sewage schemes. Both houses had bathing facilities and drainage systems that discharged into larger public drains and accumulated fertile sludge on farm areas. Some homes also had the world’s earliest recorded flush toilets. The majority of the buildings had personal wells, and there was a comprehensive water management system with several reservoirs.

Decline

Decline

Many scholars believe that the collapse of the Indus Valley Civilization was caused by climate change. Some experts believe the drying of the Saraswati River, which began around 1900 BCE, was the main cause for climate change, while others conclude that a great flood struck the area.