9 Must-Know Facts About Indus Valley Civilization

The world observed its first three human civilizations simultaneously. One was Mesopotamia in the middle-east, one more in China, and the Indus Valley Civilization of India. The towns of Indus Valley Civilization were divided into two parts – Upper part (or Citadel) and Lower Part. The Upper part was an artificial platform about 50 Ft high.

A Great bath had been found in Mohenjodaro. It is one of the earliest public water tanks. The size of the bath is very large – 12 meter by 7 meters and 2.4 meters deep.

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It is believed that the great bath was used for the ritual bathing. Wikimedia Commons

Here are 9 must-know facts about Indus Valley Civilization:

1. Also known as the Harappan Civilization, it once had a population of over five million. They used to conduct trade far west in southern Mesopotamia.

2. The Harappan script has yet not been deciphered. A relationship with the Dravidian or Elamo-Dravidian language family is favored by a section of scholars.

3. Bangle making, Pottery, Flint tool work were also practiced. They had trade relations with many countries. A dockyard is found in Lothal.

4. The cities were the main places for trading. About 1000 cities were found. The popular cities of that time were Mohenjo Daro, Harappa, Lothal, Banwali.

From a discovered seal of that era, it is revealed that they used to worship Pashupati (lord of cattle). Wikimedia Commons

5. It is found that people of that era worshiped animals and birds. They also worshiped Mother goddess, Lingam, and Yoni.

6. There are numerous theories that explain the reason behind the destruction of this great civilization. Many people believe, blood, drying up of the river, deforestation were the main reasons behind the destruction of this civilization. Some people believe the invasion of Aryans was the cause of destruction.

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7. The Indus Valley Civilization existed in the bronze age, for nearly about 1000 years from 2500 BC to 1500 BC.

8. Indus Valley Civilization used to cover an area of about 1,260,000 km².

9. People of Indus Valley Civilization had exceptional engineering skills. These people used to build their buildings with bricks, having a very different town planning, their drainage system too, was really efficient. They followed grid system for the planning of towns.

harappa city