But decades of digging have revealed nothing like the elaborate temples of ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia. Still, the cities do hold clues, says archaeologist Gregory Possehl of the University of Pennsylvania. When it came to sanitation, the Indus people seem to have been as obsessive as modern Americans. Water wasn't the only force in Indus spiritual life. Seals and tablets found in the ruins depict unicorns, three-headed buffaloes, and encounters between humans, gods, and beasts.
Archaeologists think that some of the writing identifies the seal's owner.
Would-be decipherers have published more than 50 claims of success, but most scholars think the Indus code is yet to be cracked. But where there are ruins, there is hope. Archaeologists are digging deeper at Harappa and other sites. What they find may, finally, give a voice to the Indus people. World Report Inc. All rights reserved.