Indus Valley civilization

The Indus Valley civilization or the Harrapan civilization (3300–1300 BC; mature period 2700–1700 BC), was a Bronze Age civilization that is among the four oldest civilizations in the world and also the earliest known urban culture of the Indian subcontinent. Discovered by archaeologists in the 1880s, it developed along the Indus and the Ghaggar-Hakra Rivers. It is one of the world’s three earliest civilizations, along with Mesopotamia and Ancient Egypt.

The Indus Valley civilization covered a large area from most of modern Pakistan to small parts of western India. The first city to be discovered by excavation (digging up) was Harappa in Punjab, Pakistan, and so the civilization is also called the 'Harappan Civilization'.

The civilization started during the Bronze Age and the height of its development was between 2500 BC and 1500 BC. Including the civilizations directly before and after it, the civilization may have lasted from the 14th to the 3rd centuries BC.Allchin, Bridget 1997. Origins of a Civilization: the prehistory and early archaeology of South Asia. New York: Viking.Kenoyer, Jonathan Mark 1998. Ancient cities of the Indus Valley civilisation. Oxford University Press.  Its two large cities are Harappa and Mohenjo-daro, in Pakistan’s Punjab and Sindh Provinces. The ruins of Mohenjo-daro were designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1980. It had good builders. The ruins of the site shows skillful design. Buildings had two or sometimes more stories. Bathrooms were attached to the rooms. One of the unique features of the city was its elaborate drainage system. A brick-lined drainage channel flowed alongside every street. Removable bricks were placed at regular intervals for easy cleaning and inspection.

Harappan traders used seals on the knots of the sacks to be transported to make sure that they were not opened during the journey. Nobody knows how to read their writing system. In 1842, Charles Masson (real name: James Lewis) wrote a book that mentioned the sites of the Indus Valley civilisation.Masson, Charles 1842. Chapter 2: Haripah, in Narrative of various journeys in Balochistan, Afghanistan and the Panjab; including a residence in those countries from 1826 to 1838. London: Richard Bentley, p. 472. Few people paid attention. Later, in 1921 and 1922, John Marshall organised the first archaeological dig at Harappa.Marshall, John (ed) 1931. Mohenjo-Daro and the Indus Civilization. Asian Educational Services. 

 References 

Category:4th millennium BC establishments
Category:History of Pakistan
Category:History of Sindh
Category:History of Punjab
Category:History of India
Category:History of Afghanistan
Category:3rd millennium BC
Category:2nd millennium BC