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Ancient Indus Valley

The Indus Valley Civilization is one of the most ancient civilizations in the world. There are many facts about The Indus Valley Civilization that can amaze us. The civilization was established during 3300 BCE. Archaeologists named the civilization after the Indus River region as they discovered the civilization on the banks of the river. The Indus Valley Civilization is also known as the Harappan Civilization because Harappa was the first city to be discovered in that region. The archaeologists are still working to know the full extent of this civilization. So, a lot about this technologically advanced civilization is still unknown.

Here are the 15 most important facts about Indus Valley Civilization which you should know about:

1. Discovery of the Civilization

The discovery of the Indus Valley Civilization is fascinating. In 1856, the East Indian Railway Company planned to set up a rail line between Lahore and Multan. The British engineer John Brunton required some bricks to complete the rail line. The locals told him that he could collect the necessary materials from the ruins of an ancient city in Brahmanabad. The villagers themselves used the bricks from that city to build their houses. As advised, Brunton collected the required bricks from the ancient city. Then, he used them to build the rail line.

After a few months, William Brunton, John’s brother who was also an engineer, found the ruins of another ancient city. He found the city a little north from the rail line construction site. According to William’s statement, the East Indian Railway Company built 150 kilometers of Karachi to Lahore railway with the materials of the ancient cities. After learning about the ruins, archaeologist Alexander Cunningham came to Harappa. Archaeological Survey of India was established in 1861. The survey appointed Cunningham as the first Director-General. Between 1872 and 1875 Cunningham revealed a seal from Indus Valley civilization for the first time. By 1912, more seals and stamps were collected from the ruins. These discoveries hinted the existence of an ancient civilization in that area.

In 1922, R. D. Banerji, an officer of the Archaeological Survey of India, discovered the ancient city of Mohenjo-Daro in the Larkana district of Sindh. He found the remains of the city near the banks of Indus River. ASI Director John Marshall named the newly discovered civilization as Indus Valley Civilization. This discovery led to major excavations from 1922 to 1923. Since then, it has been clear that there was an ancient civilization that was about to change history. Since then, archaeologists have discovered over 1050 sites. However, only 96 sites have been excavated until now.

2. Chronology

All that we know about the Indus Valley Civilization comes from archaeological evidence. The historians may argue about the time of the rise and fall of this civilization. However, the timeline can be divided into roughly three periods. The Early Harappan Phase lasted from 3300 to 2600 BCE. The Mature Harappan Phase was from 2600 to 1900 BCE and finally, the Late Harappan Phase prevailed from 1900 to 1300 BCE.

3. Extent and Geography

The total size of the Indus Civilization is about 1,300,000 sq. km which makes it the largest ancient civilization ever discovered in history. This civilization flourished throughout North-Western India. The civilization was not limited to the Sindh province of Pakistan. It also extended to North and South Balochistan. This civilization was almost 20 times greater than the ancient Egyptian civilization and 12 times larger than the combined area of ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia. According to historians, the Indus Valley civilization spread from the Himalayas in the north to the Cambay Gulf, the Arabian Sea, and the west from the Iran-Pakistan border to the north of India. Harappa, Mohenjo-Daro, Chhangarro, Sutkajendor, Lothal, and Kalibangal were the major cities of Indus Valley Civilization. Moreover, the archaeologists measured some of the cities. Mohenjo-Daro was about 200 hector and Harappa was 150 hector.

4. Nearby Rivers

Indus Valley Civilization grew and thrived in the basins of two major rivers. One is the Indus River which is one of the longest rivers in Asia and another one is the Ghaggar-Hakra River. Many scholars believe that the Ghaggar-Hakra River is the dried up form of the Sarasvati River. The early settler of the Indus Valley started living near the rivers because the rivers kept the lands fertile for producing crops. They were the first farmers who lived together and built a village. Eventually, they established huge cities like Harappa, Mohenjo-Daro, Lothal, and so on. The people used the river water for numerous purposes like drinking, washing, and irrigating crop fields. The rivers were also a place for religious rituals like purification. 

5. The Population of Indus Valley

Based on the extent of the Indus Valley Civilization, we can easily estimate that there was a vast population. Among the cities, about 85,000 people lived in Mohenjo-Daro and 65,000 people lived in Harappa. Evidently, at least 250,000 people lived in the cities. Besides, it is only the number of people living in the cities. The archaeologists estimate that the number of people in the villages was 15 times more than the people living in the cities. So, the population was at least 4-6 million.

6. The Early Settlers of Indus Valley

A civilization does not grow over a night or two. Similarly, Indus Civilization has a beginning. The Neolithic Revolution took place in South Asia around 9000-6000 BCE. The earliest evidence of a sedentary lifestyle in that region has been at Mehrgarh, in the slopes of the Brahui Hills. The settlement established during 7000 BCE. The people were early farmers. They grew wheat and reared different kinds of cattle. The people used wheels to create pottery around 4500 BCE, and they knew how to weave clothes. According to some evidence, people of Mehrgarh used burned bricks to build houses that archaeologists discovered later in Indus Valley Civilization.

The inhabitants of Mehrgarh left Balochistan when the climate changed in their favour. Eventually, they migrated to the fertile lands of the Indus river valley. The farming communities continued to spread further east to other parts of Balochistan and Lower Sind (Pakistan). They formed small villages and had strong communication with each other. Later, the villages extended to Upper Sindh, Punjab, and the western parts of India. The people of Mehrgarh possibly started the civilization of Indus Valley. Their technique of pottery making, use of burned bricks and rituals are present in Indus Valley culture.

7. Agriculture and Animals of Indus Valley Civilization

According to scientists, monsoon rain drove the rivers flowing through this area about 4,500 years ago. This means when it rained the rivers would overflow and caused a flood. Thus, it affected agriculture. The soil was rich and fertile. So, people could grow wheat, barley, chickpea, lentils, mustard, sesame, and corn. The people cultivated cotton during the summer. Agriculture in the Indus valley flourished not only for the favourable conditions but also for the use of advanced cultivation tools. Using ploughs during the Early Indus civilization was common. The discovery of a clay model of ploughs from Banawali and Jawaiwala supports the claim. It confirms that the people used carts dragged by animals.

The excavators have found many fossils from Indus Valley cities. There is evidence that both humped and hump-less cattle, buffaloes, goats, sheep, pigs, asses, and fowls were common animals in The Indus Valley. Bones of dogs and cats were also found during the excavations. This are evidence that the Indus people domesticated many animals for their use. The seals of the Indus Valley also support the idea. Another seal shows a hunter hunting a water buffalo and some buffalo bones were also found. Elephants were likely used and hunted for ivory.  Cattle were used for cultivation and providing meat for the huge population. Horses were not depicted in any seals. But bones of wild asses were found in some places.