The Indus Valley Civilization
You might live in a civilization if your group of people have following:
- Food surpluses
- Cites
- Specialization of labour
- Trade
- Social stratification
- Centralize decision making
- Common beliefs
- Writing
- Maybe you live next to a river
The Indus Valley Civilization was located on the flood plains of the Indus river around 3000 BCE. The river flooded reliability twice a year and this gave it the most fertile soil on the planet. It was the largest of the ancient civilizations. They used written language but we don’t know how to read it.
They had amazing cities with multi - storey homes. The cites were orientated to catch the wind and had a sewage system. Cites were cool and clean. They used seals to aid in trading. They were very peaceful and had few weapons.
Theories for their demise around 1750 BCE include the following:
- Conquest by the Aryans
- Environmental disaster
- Earthquake changed the course of the river dramatically
Archaeologist have not found massive monuments, and the people of the Indus Valley did not bury riches in golden tombs. They believed resources were better used by the living.
Why do historians assume that they were peaceful and not war-like?
Archaeologist have found very few weapons, and there is no evidence of an army. Human and building remains have no evidence of violence.
The cities were well organized and very sanitary. They were elevated in platforms to protect from seasonal floods and polluted waters. The streets were laid out in straight lines and right angles. The buildings were constructed of uniform bricks, showing a high level of craftsmanship. They had wells and a sewage system to take away dirty water.
Some believe the Harappan Civilization fell from Aryan invasions from the north. This theory makes sense because the Aryans rose to power in the Ganges Valley just after the Harappan Civilization fell, but there is little evidence of invasion. Some historians say that it was an environmental disaster. They believe changing river patterns disrupted farming and trading and caused flooding. I think it may have been a combination of both. Changes in the river stressed the Harappan Civilization making it easier for the Aryans to colonize the area.