Childrens Illustrated Encyclopedia

Indus Valley civilization

About 4,500 yeArs Ago, one of the greatest ancient civilizations developed

along the banks of the Indus river in the western Punjab. the Indus Valley people

occupied a huge area, bigger than Ancient egypt and sumer together. Many of them

lived in villages, farming the valley’s fertile soil. but the civilization centered on the

two large cities, Harappa and Mohenjo-daro. these cities were carefully

planned, with streets running in straight lines, similar to a modern

American town. With their courtyard houses and walled citadels,

they were the most impressive cities of their time. but floods often

damaged the walls, and the buildings needed repairing regularly.

It was probably a combination of water damage and poor harvests

that led to the decline of the civilization. After 1600 bce,

the Indus Valley civilization came to an end.

Indus VAlley

the Indus river flows

through eastern

Pakistan. the Indus

people lived in a broad

strip of land on

either side

of the river.

Indus gods

Many houses in

Mohenjo-daro and

Harappa contained small

pottery statues of a female

figure with a head-dress

and jewelry. she was

probably a mother goddess.

Indus Valley people may

have worshiped her at home,

hoping that she would bring

them good harvests and a

plentiful food supply.

WHeeled toys

the children of the Indus Valley played with pottery

toys, such as this wheeled oxcart. It is probably a

model of similar, full-size carts that were

used to take corn to the city’s great

granary. Archaeologists

have also found dice,

marbles, and small

wheeled animals.

MoHenjo-dAro

Flat-roofed, mud-brick

houses lined the straight

streets of Mohenjo-daro. each

house had several rooms, with

small windows to keep out

the hot sun. A courtyard

provided a shaded space for

working. Most houses also had

a bathroom, with a toilet that

drained out into sewers beneath

the streets. the city also

contained a great bathhouse,

which may have been used for

religious purposes. Historians

think that Mohenjo-daro and

Harappa each had about

40,000 inhabitants.

seAl

Indus merchants carried

small seals such as this,

which they probably used as

stamps to sign documents

or mark goods. each seal

has a picture of an animal,

together with a few

characters in the Indus

Valley’s unique script. no

scholar has been able to

decipher this writing.

Harappa

Mohenjo-daro

Citadel area contained large

buildings, such as the great bath and

granary, protected by a strong wall.

Straight main streets

show that city was

carefully planned.

Most houses had

two stories and a

central courtyard.

Asia, history of

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