Indus River Valley
Around five thousand years ago, an important civilization developed on the Indus River floodplain. From about 2600 B.C. to 1700 B.C. a vast number of settlements were built on the banks of the Indus River and surrounding areas. These settlements cover a remarkable region, almost 1.25 million kilometers of land which is today part of Afghanistan, Pakistan and north-western India.
The cities of the Indus Valley Civilization were well-organized and solidly built out of brick and stone. Their drainage systems, wells and water storage systems were amongst the most sophisticated in the ancient world. They also developed systems of weights and a complex trade network.
The people of the Indus Valley Civilization also developed a writing system which was used for several hundred years. However, unlike some other ancient civilizations, we are still unable to read the words that they wrote.
The cities of the Indus Valley Civilization were well-organized and solidly built out of brick and stone. Their drainage systems, wells and water storage systems were amongst the most sophisticated in the ancient world. They also developed systems of weights and a complex trade network.
The people of the Indus Valley Civilization also developed a writing system which was used for several hundred years. However, unlike some other ancient civilizations, we are still unable to read the words that they wrote.
The Ancient City of Mohenjo-daro
The Indus Valley Civilization is well-known for having the earliest known planned cities. Mohenjo-daro was one of the largest of these cities over four thousand years ago. It was a centre of trade and industry, as well as a bustling home to thousands of people. Mohenjo-daro is a typical Indus Valley city as it has carefully laid out streets and clearly defined quarters. Although much of the archaeological evidence from Mohenjo-daro is still not completely understood, it is possible to begin to learn a little bit about the way that people lived in the city and what was important to them by looking at the layout of the city and what was found there. Bead MakingThe Indus Valley Civilization is known for its many achievements as one of the first major civilizations in the ancient world. Among these early achievements was the ability to work stone precisely and finely enough to make small beads of different shapes and sizes.
The long conical shaped beads and the round beads made of carnelian are two of the most common and unique types of beads made in the Indus Valley cities over four thousand years ago. These beads were sometimes decorated with designs in white and were traded all over the ancient world. Modern scientists have only learned about the methods used by these ancient people by experimenting with different production techniques themselves. Although we have no actual accounts of what the lives of the people who made these beads was like, however, using archaeological evidence it is possible to begn to imagine some of the things they may have done as part of their daily lives. |
The Rules of Writing
The Indus script is one of the most fascinating and mysterious aspects of this ancient civilization as it has not yet been deciphered. Although we have many examples of the Indus script, without a true understanding of how the script works and what the inscriptions say, it is impossible to understand the importance of writing in ancient India.
All writing systems have rules governing their use. By learning these rules, it is possible to understand more about how a system developed and how it was used. When a script has not yet been deciphered, scholars try to work out what the rules of the script might have been. If they are able to find patterns in the signs or the way they are used, it is sometimes possible to relate the script to one that is already known. Although the Indus script has not yet been deciphered, it is possible to learn about the signs themselves which may be the first step to understanding the Indus script. |