1.

The Hidden Secrets of Indus Valley

2. The Indus Valley Civilization (IVC) was a Bronze Age civilization (33001300 BCE mature
period 26001900 BCE) located in the western region of South Asia, and spread over what are
now Pakistan, northwest India, and eastern Afghanistan.
3. What should people know about Indus Valley Civilization? The Indus is the longest river in
Pakistan. The Indus River begins in the Himalaya Mountains, and flows nearly 3,000 kilometres
to the Arabian Sea. In the Sanskrit language of Ancient India, the Indus was called the Sindhu.
A valley is a physical feature. Its the land shaped by a river. The Indus Valley was shaped by the
Indus River.
4. Way of life What were Indus cities like? An Indus city was made of mud-brick buildings. It
had walls and roads. Water was very important to Indus people, so the builders started by
digging wells, and laying drains. Some cities had a citadel high on a mound. In the citadel were
bigger buildings. Most Indus people did not live in cities at all. Perhaps 9 out of 10 people were
farmers and traders who lived in small villages
5. Trade and Travel Indus Valley cities lived by trade. Farmers brought food into the cities.
Traders brought the materials workers needed. Trade goods included terracotta pots, beads,
gold and silver, coloured gem stones such as turquoise and lapis lazuli, metals, flints (for making
stone tools), seashells and pearls.
6. Home life An Indus Valley house was cool inside. Thick walls kept people cool in the heat of
summer. All that are left today are the ground floors of houses that once had two or three
floors. Stairs led to the upper floors and roof. Walls were covered with mud plaster. It is not
clear if people painted the walls.
7. Why do historians call it the most advanced civilization of that era? The earliest traces of
civilization in the Indian subcontinent are to be found in places along, or close, to the Indus
River. Excavations first conducted in 1921-22, in the ancient cities of Harappa and Mohenjodaro,
both now in Pakistan, pointed to a highly complex civilization that first developed some 4,500-
5,000 years ago, and subsequent archaeological and historical research has now furnished us
with a more detailed picture of the Indus Valley Civilization and its inhabitants.
8. Why should we preserve remains of Indus Valley Civilization? MOUND OF THE DEAD
Imagine a city built 4000 years ago, with three storied houses and bathrooms attached. Having
an elaborate drainage system and magnificent public baths. Then suddenly around 1700 BC this
city is abandoned, leaving ample traces of it existence but no hints for its disappearance that is
the mystery of Mohenjo- Daro which literally means Mound of the dead. We should preserve
remains of Indus valley civilation because this is the only way we can study more about this
civilization and researches can be done in future to find its mysterious disappearance. It would
history students to study more and more about such an advanced yet old civilization.