Indus valley Civilisation is the oldest of the four ancient civilisations. Harappan Civilization is another name for it. Indus was named after the Indus River because of the many sites in that area. It includes the modern-day nations of northwest India, Pakistan, as well as northeast Afghanistan. Indus Valley civilization was discovered by British workers in the late 1800s while they were building railways around Indus. Cunningham was a British General who discovered seals, scripts, and other artifacts at the site. He became convinced that these were remnants of an ancient civilisation.
Indus Valley civilisation history is popular because it’s the oldest eastern culture after Egyptians and Mesopotamians, who occupied the biggest area. Mohenjo-Daro was the capital of Indus Civilization, followed by Harappa. Mohenjo-Daro was not only the largest city of the Indus valley Civilization, but also one of the most ancient urban centers in the world. According to legend, it was constructed in the 26th Century BCE. The city was one of the most advanced urban areas in the time, featuring cutting-edge urban planning and design. The bricks were baked in the sun to make the houses. Some of the smaller houses only had a few small rooms, while others were larger structures. Harappa on the other had a population of 23500 living in red brick and sand roofed houses. Harappa is a town that was first settled four thousand year ago. It had a lot of creative ideas and was essential. The city was a continuation of the same religious and administrative centers that were utilized in Mohenjo-Daro. Archaeologists thought that bricks would protect them from floods or drowning. Indus Valley had many towns that featured urban layouts such as drainage systems and well-assembled homes. Indus valley had an impressive drainage system and sanitation.
There are no longer inscriptions. This makes it difficult to decipher the writing. Harappan written works are still difficult to examine, despite their great desire to do so. The sheer number of signs shows that it was probably a logosyllabic writing. As a result, the complexities and difficulties of deciphering the language and communicating with the people are far greater than in a syllabic/alphabetic script.
Indus Valley civilisation was advanced, and this included in trading. Indus valley individuals were highly dependent upon exchange. The Indus Valley people traded with many civilizations including China and Mesopotamia. Also, they exchanged with Afghanistan and parts of Asia. The exchanged goods included earthenware, gold, silver and metals. Transporting goods overseas was mainly done by rivers. Bull carts were also used for trading goods over short distances. The Indus Civilization was able to extend its lifestyle by exchanging goods with other cultures. The exchange routes were used by merchants and professionals to transport crude materials from the countryside into towns and cities, where they were then transformed into ceramics, metal products, and adornments. Archaeologists uncovered weights, gauges and other evidence that trade centers were situated in the urban settlements. Cotton was an essential item of trade in the Indus River Valley. Their wealth depended upon a subsistence-based economy of grain and wheat. Indus people were primarily engaged in agriculture. Urban areas benefited from agriculture. City craftsmen made things like pots and cotton fabrics. Brokers exchanged goods between cities by bringing the necessary materials to workers and removing finished items.
Archaeologists claim that the Indus Valley civilisation declined in the second millennium. Indus Valley’s human progress started to decline in the early 1900 BC. Researchers once believed that the Aryans, warlike individuals of Euro-Asia’s steppes, had wiped them out. Aryans were present in the Indus valley, but they are no longer considered to be responsible for the human decline. Harappa or Mohenjo-Daro are two examples of urban areas that were not crushed all at once. The cities were taken over gradually, and this took a considerable amount of time. No one knows what caused this. There are many possibilities. Perhaps the river changed course. Or perhaps the temperature in the world has risen, causing the urban communities to be devoured. In other cases, flooding or diseases could have ravaged the cities.
During the study, it was very difficult to get any information about the scripts. The Indus valley Civilization scripts have not been deciphered by researchers until today. This is because the scripts lack letters and numbers, making it difficult to decipher. Also, both the writing and the language have disappeared with people. A dominant language may be a result of a group speaking it. This can wipe out less-spoken languages. Many theories have been proposed about the ending of Indus valley Civilization. Since none of these theories is proven, this topic is controversial. So, it became difficult to locate accurate information.
