The cities of the ancient Indus were noted for their urban planning, baked brick houses, elaborate drainage systems, water supply systems, clusters of large non-residential buildings, and techniques of handicraft and metallurgy.
What are the main features of the Indus Valley Civilization?
Key Points The Indus Valley Civilization contained more than 1,000 cities and settlements. These cities contained well-organized wastewater drainage systems, trash collection systems, and possibly even public granaries and baths. Although there were large walls and citadels, there is no evidence of monuments, palaces, or temples.
What was the capital city of Indus Valley Civilization?
The capital cities are Mohenjodaro and Harappa. The port cities are Sutkagendor, Balakot, Lothal, Allahdino, and Kuntasi. The Indus valley people were well-acquainted with the use of both cotton and wool. Many cities belonging to Indus Valley Civilization have been found and excavated.
How were the cities of the Indus Valley Civilization divided?
The cities of the Indus Valley Civilization had channels running along the streets for the disposal of drainage water. The cities of the Indus Valley Civilization could be divided into distinct neighbourhoods. Each neighbourhood had inhabitants who were engaged in a particular profession.
What was not a recreational activity in Indus Valley Civilization?
1 Hunting, fishing & bullfighting was not a recreational activity in Indus Valley Civilization 2 There was no family bonding among inhabitants of Indus Valley Civilization 3 Cotton clothes were not used in Indus Valley Civilization 4 They did not have any fruits.
What is interesting about Indus Valley?
The Indus Valley Civilization was a highly sophisticated civilisation with a much-organised way of living. Despite being densely populated, the cities were not chaotic, unlike contemporary cities of Mesopotamia or Egypt. Mohenjo-Daro measuring an area of about 300 hectares was the largest city.
What were the two most important cities in the Indus Valley?
Its two large cities, Harappa and Mohenjo-daro, were located in present-day Pakistan's Punjab and Sindh provinces, respectively.
What was one of the most unique features of Harappan cities?
Ans: The most unique feature of the Harappan Civilization was the development of urban centres. Mohenjodaro is the most well-known site of Harappan Civilization. The settlement was divided into following sections: Citadel It was smaller but higher.
Why are Harappa and Mohenjo-daro famous?
The cities' urban plan included the world's first-ever urban sanitation systems. The towns had a proper wastewater management system that was much better than those in many places in India and Pakistan today. The people of the towns had trade networks and had domesticated animals.
Which are the 3 famous cities associated with Indus Valley Civilization?
These cities include Harappa, Ganeriwala, and Mohenjo-daro in modern-day Pakistan and Dholavira, Kalibangan, Rakhigarhi, Rupar, and Lothal in modern-day India.
What were the three major cities within the Indus River Valley?
INDUS VALLEY SITES At least three major urban areas were located in the Indus River Valley:Mohenjo-Daro (also spelled Mohenjodaro), Harappa and Dholovira.
What were the two main parts of Harappa and Mohenjo-daro cities?
Most of the cities like Harappa and Mohenjodaro were divided into two parts. The part that was built on a raised height is called the citadel or 'acropolis'. The part with a low height but a larger area is called the lower town. The citadel was built on a raised ground and had high walls made of bricks.
What was the most important Centre of Indus Valley Civilization?
One of the most important centres of the Indus Civilization was Mohenjodaro, situated along the west bank of the Indus River, approximately 320 km (200 miles) north of Karachi, in Pakistan. Mohenjodaro is probably the best known Indus Valley site.
What is the Indus Valley Civilization?
Indus Valley Civilization (2500 BC) - 100 Must-Know Facts about IVC [UPSC Ancient History] Indus Valley Civilization (IVC) is one of the four great civilisations of the world. It flourished along the flood plains of Indus and Ghaggar-Hakra. IVC was spread across the western part of South Asia that now lies in India, Pakistan and Afghanistan.
What are the capital cities of the Indus Valley?
The capital cities are Mohenjodaro and Harappa. The port cities are Sutkagendor, Balakot, Lothal, Allahdino, and Kuntasi. The Indus valley people were well-acquainted with the use of both cotton and wool.
How many Indus Valley civilizations have been excavated?
Over 1000 Indus Valley Civilisation sites have been excavated. Indus Valley Civilisation sites have been extended from Balochistan in the East to Ghaggar Hakra Valley in the West. Among the 4 major civilisations, Chinese, Egypt, Mesopotamia and Indus Valley Civilization, Indus was the smallest of all of them.
What are some interesting facts about the drainage system of the Indus Valley?
5 Facts on Drainage System of Indus Valley Civilization. They had advanced sanitation systems. People of the Indus Valley Civilization knew about and implemented channelling of water and the disposal of waste waterway before any other ancient civilisation did. Even the Romans built aqueducts thousands of years later.
How many sites are there in the Indus Valley?
But on the contrary only around 100 sites have been found in the Indus Valley, while over 500 sites are found along the Ghaggar-Hakra River.
How big was the Indus Valley?
The Indus Valley Civilization was spread over an area of 1,260,000 sq. km over modern-India, Pakistan, and Afghanistan
Which civilizations were the first to be discovered?
The Mesopotamia, Egypt, China and the Indus Valley Civilization, are considered to be the four great civilisations of the ancient world, the first three (Mesopotamia, Egypt, and China) have been broadly studied and well-known to everyone. But the fourth and of equal importance, the much more sophisticated Indus Valley Civilisation that flourished along the flood plains of Indus and Ghaggar-Hakra is lost to human memory and till date remains puzzling.
What is the most famous thing about the Indus Valley civilization?
9. The Great Bath of Indus Valley Civilization. One of the most captivating things about the Indus valley civilization is that the largest built structure by them wasn’t any temple or monumental building, which is commonly seen in contemporary civilizations like Ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia, instead it was a public bath in Mohanjo-Daro named The ...
Why was the Indus Valley built?
But most scholars believe that it was built for religious purposes, a kind of ritual which is still practiced today in India, but mostly among Hindus, Jains and Buddhists. Indus valley people may have believed that the water purify and renew the soul of bather. 8. They Had Highly Skilled Craftsmen.
How long did the Indus Valley civilization last?
Although the Indus valley civilization existed for thousands of years but historians divide its age into three different time periods. Mature Harappan period dated from 2600-1900 BCE, while early Harappan and late Harappan periods lasted from 3300-2600 and 1900-1300 BCE respectively. Harappa was the most prominent city and it was also ...
What is the name of the city in the Indus Valley?
An artist’s reconstruction of the gateway and drain at the city of Harappa (image via; sci-news.com) An extremely sophisticated and technically advanced culture of its time is evident throughout the Indus valley civilization. The cities that were built by them were absolutely amazing, particularly “Harappa” and “Mohenjo-Daro”.
What was the drainage system used in the Indus region?
The ancient Indus sewage and drainage system that were used throughout the Indus region, were leagues ahead of any contemporary urban city of middle east. It is also believed that their drainage system was more efficient than those in many areas of today’s India and Pakistan.
Which civilization developed the most precise measurement techniques?
They Developed Most Precise Measurement Techniques of Its Time. The people of Indus valley civilization developed techniques and tools to measure the length, weight and time with impressively high accuracy. They were even among the first homo-sapiens to use uniform measures such as length, time and weight.
Which civilization had the first sanitation system?
The people of Indus valley civilization placed high priority on hygiene too. Harappa and mohenjo-daro had the world’s first sanitation system. Most homes were connected with the centralized drainage system to carry waste and water with the help of gravity, this kind of system was pinnacle for 18th century Europe.
What is the Indus civilization?
Indus civilization, also called Indus valley civilization or Harappan civilization, the earliest known urban culture of the Indian subcontinent. The nuclear dates of the civilization appear to be about 2500–1700 bce, though the southern sites may have lasted later into the 2nd millennium bce. Among the world’s three earliest civilizations—the other two are those of Mesopotamia and Egypt —the Indus civilization was the most extensive.
How many cities were there in the Indus civilization?
The Indus civilization is known to have consisted of two large cities, Harappa and Mohenjo-daro, and more than 100 towns and villages, often of relatively small size. The two cities were each perhaps originally about 1 mile (1.6 km) square in overall dimensions, and their outstanding magnitude suggests political centralization, either in two large states or in a single great empire with alternative capitals, a practice having analogies in Indian history. It is also possible that Harappa succeeded Mohenjo-daro, which is known to have been devastated more than once by exceptional floods. The population was estimated to be 23,500–35,000 in Harappa and 35,000–41,250 in Mohenjo-daro. The southern region of the civilization, on the Kathiawar Peninsula and beyond, appears to be of later origin than the major Indus sites.
What are the social structures of the Indus?
Despite a growing body of archaeological evidence, the social and political structures of the Indus “state” remain objects of conjecture. The apparent craft specialization and localized craft groupings at Mohenjo-daro, along with the great divergence in house types and size, point toward some degree of social stratification. Trade was extensive and apparently well-regulated, providing imported raw materials for use at internal production centres, distributing finished goods throughout the region, and arguably culminating in the establishment of Harappan “colonies” in both Mesopotamia and Badakhshan. The remarkable uniformity of weights and measures throughout the Indus lands, as well as the development of such presumably civic works as the great granaries, implies a strong degree of political and administrative control over a wide area. Further, the widespread occurrence of inscriptions in the Harappan script almost certainly indicates the use of a single lingua franca. Nevertheless, in the absence of inscriptions that can be read and interpreted, it is inevitable that far less is known of these aspects of the Indus civilization than those of contemporaneous Mesopotamia.
What are the most famous artifacts of the Indus civilization?
Perhaps the best-known artifacts of the Indus civilization are a number of small seals, generally made of steatite (a form of talc), which are distinctive in kind and unique in quality, depicting a wide variety of animals, both real—such as elephants, tigers, rhinoceros, and antelopes—and fantastic, often composite creatures.
Where was the Indus civilization located?
Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. See all videos for this article. The civilization was first identified in 1921 at Harappa in the Punjab region and then in 1922 at Mohenjo-daro (Mohenjodaro), near the Indus River in the Sindh (S ind) region. Both sites are in present-day Pakistan, in Punjab and Sindh provinces, ...
Which civilization was the earliest known urban culture?
The Indus civilization was the earliest known urban culture of the Indian subcontinent—one of the world’s three earliest civilizations, along with Mesopotamia and ancient Egypt.
What was the main source of agriculture in the ancient civilization?
The civilization subsisted primarily by farming, supplemented by an appreciable but often elusive commerce. Wheat and six-row barley were grown; field peas, mustard, sesame, and a few date stones have also been found, as well as some of the earliest known traces of cotton.
Indus Valley Civilization Map and Rivers
Discovery of The Indus Valley Civilization
The Indus Valley Civilization's Society and Culture
The Enigmatic Indus Valley Writing System and Seals
Ancient DNA
The Demise of The Indus Valley Civilization
- According to World History Encyclopedia, between 1900 B.C. and 1500 B.C., the Indus Valley cities were steadily abandoned, and the people relocated south. Belcher characterized this as a process of "deurbanization," in which the inhabitants of the Indus Valley cities returned to a village-based lifestyle. This development has given rise to much dis...
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