The Indus Valley Civilization, flourishing from 3300 to 1300 BCE, is recognized as the first urban civilization on the Indian subcontinent. Major cities like Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro were noted for advanced urban planning and significant archaeological contributions, while the civilization was characterized by a lack of grand monuments and a focus on communal living. The civilization's archaeological discovery, mainly during British colonial times, revealed a vast network with around five million inhabitants and extensive craftsmanship in metallurgy and seal carving.

1. INDUS VALLEY CIVILIZATION
(3300-1300 BCE)
➢Introduction
➢Historical Importance
➢Harappa
➢Mohenjo-Daro
➢Excavations and Discovery
➢Conclusion
Introduction

2. The first recognised urban civilisation on the Indian subcontinent is the Indus
valley civilization, commonly referred to as the Indus civilization or Harappan
civilization. Although the southern sites may have persisted later into the second
millennium BCE, the civilization's nuclear dates appear to be between 250 to
1700 BCE. Three distinct periods—the Early Harappan Phase (3300-2600 BCE),
Mature Harappan Phase (2600-1900 BCE), and Late Harappan Phase—are
frequently used to describe the Indus Valley Civilization's existence (1900-1300
BCE).
Historical Importance
The Indus Valley Civilization is also among the most well-known of the three
"Ancient East" societies—Mesopotamia and Pharaonic Egypt are the other
two—that are thought to represent the origins of civilization in the old world of
man. The Indus Valley Civilization thrived from 3300 to 1300 BCE in its early
years and from 2600 to 1900 BCE in its prime years. This civilization's domain
stretched from what is now northeast Afghanistan through Pakistan and
northwest India along the Indus River. Of the three early civilizations of the
ancient world—Ancient Egypt, Mesopotamia, and the Indus—the Indus
Civilization was the most extensive. When the Indus Valley Civilization first
appeared approximately 2600 BCE along the Indus River Valley in the Sindh
and Punjab provinces of Pakistan, Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro were considered
to be its two greatest towns. Important archaeological information on ancient
societies was obtained through their discovery and excavation in the 19th and
20th centuries. The Indus Valley Civilization may have had over five million

3. people living in it at its height. It is regarded as a Bronze Age civilization, and
people who lived in the historic Indus River Valley created new methods for
working with metals like copper, bronze, lead, and tin. They also engaged in
elaborate craftsmanship, particularly with items made of the semi-precious
stone carnelian, and seal carving, which involves engraving designs onto a seal's
bottom face for use in stamping. The Indus cities are renowned for their
masterful urban planning, baked brick homes, intricate water supply and
drainage systems, and groups of substantial non-residential structures.
Harappa
In addition, Harappa, a walled city in present-day Pakistan, is said to have
been home to up to 23,500 people who lived in sculpted buildings with flat
roofs constructed of red sand and clay. The city contained fortified
administrative and religious centres similar to those found in Mohenjo-
Daro, and it covered an area of 150 hectares (370 acres). The ancient city
site, which sustained significant damage during the British era of control,
lies six kilometres (3.7 miles) from the contemporary settlement of
Harappa, which served as a railway station during the Raj. Charles Masson
published the earliest account of the remains of Harappa in his book
Narrative of Various Journeys in Balochistan, Afghanistan, the Panjab, &
Kalât in 1842. British engineers John and William Brunton were building
the East Indian Railway Company line between Karachi and Lahore in 1856
when their workers unknowingly destroyed the ruins of the ancient city of
Brahminabad by using nearby hard, well-burned bricks as ballast for the
railroad track.

4. Mohenjo-Daro
In addition, Mohenjo-Daro, which is believed to have been founded in the
26th century BCE, was not only the largest metropolis of the Indus Valley
Civilization but also one of the first significant urban centres in the entire
world. Mohenjo-Daro, which was one of the most advanced cities of its time
with complex engineering and urban planning, was situated west of the
Indus River in the Larkana District. Domesticated chickens were bred for
religion rather than sustenance, and cockfighting was believed to have
religious and ritual significance (although the city may have been a point of
origin for the worldwide domestication of chickens). Around 1900 BCE,
when the Indus Civilization abruptly collapsed, Mohenjo-Daro was
abandoned.
Excavations and Discovery

5. Several Harappan seals were also found in 1912 by English government
worker John Faithfull Fleet, who was employed by the Indian Civil Services.
As a result, Sir John Hubert Marshall, Director-General of the
Archaeological Survey of India, launched an excavation expedition in 1921–
1922, which led to the discovery of Harappa. Mohenjo-Daro had been
extensively excavated by 1931, and Sir Mortimer Wheeler, the second
director of the Archaeological Survey of India, oversaw additional work.
Conclusion
As a result, unlike their contemporaries, the inhabitants of this Indus Valley
civilization did not erect large monuments or bury valuables among the dead in
golden graves. In their region, there were no emperors, tombs, gory conflicts, or
deadly wars. The people of the Indus Valley were supporting the ordinary,
secular, living people pragmatically. Yes, they practised social stratification and
believed in the afterlife. However, they also thought that resources had more
value when they were shared among the living rather than being on display or
buried deep down. Ultimately, the partition of India in 1947 resulted in the
creation of the new country of Pakistan. Pakistan inherited the majority of the
ensuing archaeological discoveries. Over 1,056 cities and communities had been
discovered by 1999, 96 of which had been excavated.
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