The Indus Valley Civilization has been identified as the world's oldest significant civilization. It was established more than 5,000 years ago, and it thrived for nearly 1,500 years. A complex drainage and sanitation system, as well as some of the first examples of writing and building in human history, are just a few of the astounding accomplishments that this ancient civilization left behind.
From roughly 2600 BCE to 1900 BCE, the Indus River basin was the centre of the Bronze Age civilization known as the Indus Valley civilization. Although it also spanned modern-day India, Afghanistan, and Iran, the civilization was based predominantly in what is now Pakistan. Of the four prehistoric civilizations that once existed—Egypt, Mesopotamia, South Asia, and China—the Indus Valley Civilization was the biggest.
The civilization was the largest of the early civilizations, covering an area of around 400,000 square miles (1 million square kilometres). At its height, the Indus Valley Civilization may have had over 5 million inhabitants. The cities of the civilization were renowned for being well organised and structured, with streets that were arranged in a grid layout.
In addition, the civilization invented new methods for making pottery, metallurgy, and textiles.
The Indus script, the world's first known writing system, was created by the Indus Valley Civilization, which is also renowned for its remarkable art and architecture.
The wheel was another important invention of civilization, along with the building of canals and dams.
The Vedic civilization finally replaced the Indus Valley civilization once it began to disintegrate in the late third millennium BCE.
Seals of the Indus Valley Civilization
The Indus Valley Civilization was notable for using seals to identify items like clay tablets and metal vessels. Steatite, a pliable stone that could be engraved with designs and text, was typically used for the seals.
Typical animal representations on the seals include bulls, elephants, and tigers. The largest seal, measuring about nine centimetres (three inches) long, shows what appears to be a bull or other horned animal.
The earliest civilization to use seals was the Indus Valley civilization, and it is believed that they were used for a variety of activities, including trade, administration, and religious rites.
The Persian Gulf and Mesopotamia are only two of the areas where the seals have been discovered.
The earliest culture to use a wheel was the Indus Valley Civilization. The wheel was most likely first utilised for pottery before playing a significant role in transportation.
Town Planning of the Indus Valley Civilization
The Harappans were experts in urban planning. The streets and lanes in all of the Indus Valley Civilization's principal cities were carefully laid out. The homes had tiled roofs and were made of brick. They had wells and restrooms. Every city has a drainage system in place. A grid system was used to create the buildings. One of the world's first examples of town planning can be seen here.
The greatest and most significant city of the Indus Valley Civilization was Mohenjo-Daro. It took up more than 200 hectares of space. The Citadel and the Lower City made up each half of the city. The rich residents of the city lived in the fortified upper part of the city, known as the Citadel. The Lower City, where the majority of the population resided, was unfortified.
Urbanism was a feature of the Harappan culture. The urban population was greater than 80%. Any society at the time would have found this to be an extremely high percentage. The first civilization to use burned bricks for construction was the Harappan people. Additionally, they were the first to employ a grid system in town planning.
Conclusion
One of the most developed societies at the time was the Indus Valley Civilization. Because of the discoveries and improvements it brought about in fields like agriculture, construction, and trade, it is being studied today. There are many resources accessible to you if you want to learn more about this interesting civilization. We hope that this book has given you a solid foundation from which to explore the Indus Valley Civilization.
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