The Indus Valley Civilisation (IVC) is one of the world's four great civilizations. It thrived along the Indus and Ghaggar-Hakra floodplains. IVC was distributed throughout what is now India, Pakistan, and Afghanistan in western South Asia. It reached its peak circa 2500 BC. The beginning of Indian history is marked by the Indus Valley Civilisation (IVC), also known as the Harappan Civilization. This article will explain to you the Indus valley civilization facts which will be helpful in Ancient History preparation for the UPSC Civil service exam.

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Indus Valley Civilisation

• The Indus Valley Civilisation was named after the Indus river system, where the early sites of the civilisation were discovered and unearthed on alluvial plains.
• Around 3300 BC, the Indus Valley Civilization started.
• Between 2600 and 1900 BC, it flourished (Mature Indus Valley Civilization).
• Around 1900 BC, it began to dwindle and eventually perished around 1400 BC.
• The Harappan Civilization is named after Harappa, the earliest city discovered (Punjab, Pakistan).
• Cotton manufacturing dates back to the Pre-Harappan culture, according to evidence uncovered in Mehrgarh, Pakistan.
• The Indus Valley was home to the biggest ancient urban civilizations in Egypt, Mesopotamia, India, and China.
• The Harappan Civilisation's biggest distinguishing trait was its urbanisation.
• Furthermore, the Indus Valley Civilization tamed sheep and goats, dogs, humped cattle buffalo, and elephants.

Indus valley civilisation Facts

Indus Valley Civilisation - Location and Size

• The Indus Valley Civilization spanned 1,260,000 square kilometres of modern-day India, Pakistan, and Afghanistan.
• There have been 1056 towns and communities discovered in the Indus Valley Civilization, with 96 of them having been excavated.
• From the Ghaggar-Hakra Valley in the east to the Makran coast of Balochistan in the west, from Afghanistan in the northeast to Daimabad in Maharashtra in the south, the civilisation spread.
• The Indus and Ghaggar-Hakra Rivers, as well as their tributaries, are home to the majority of the villages.
• Harappa, Mohenjodaro, Dholavira, Ganweriwala, and Rakhigarhi are the prominent cities.

Indus Valley Civilisation - Geography

• The Indus Valley Civilization was the biggest of the world's four civilisations (Mesopotamia, Egypt, and China)
• Archaeologists termed the civilisation Indus Valley Civilization since the earliest village was unearthed along the banks of the Indus River.
• However, only about 100 sites have been discovered in the Indus Valley, compared to about 500 along the Ghaggar-Hakra River.
• Most archaeologists favour the term "Indus-Saraswati Civilization" because of the two river systems, but some prefer "Harappan Civilization" since the earliest colony was unearthed in this city (Harappa).
• Some archaeologists believe that the ruins near the Ghaggar-Hakra River have been preserved because they are in an empty desert.

7 Major Cities in Indus Valley Civilisation

Indus Valley Civilisation - Population

• The Indus Valley Civilization had a population of over 5 million people.
• The majority of the civilization's residents were artisans and traders.
• The majority of the inhabitants of the Indus Valley Civilization lived in settlements, which may have been made of flammable materials such as mud or wood.
• As a result, it's impossible to learn about the lifestyle and culture of these settlements that have vanished without a trace throughout time.
• The Indus Valley Civilization was a highly developed civilization with a well-organised lifestyle.
• Despite their great population, the towns were not chaotic, as they are now in Mesopotamia and Egypt.
• The largest city was Mohenjo-Daro, which covered roughly 300 hectares.
• Mohenjo-Daro may have had a population of 40000 people.
• The Indus Valley Civilization's smallest site was Allahdino.

Indus Valley Civilisation - Town Planning

• The Indus Valley Civilization produced the world's first planned towns.
• The civilisation's towns were laid out in grid layouts, with streets intersecting at right angles.
• These urban planning miracles predate Hippodamus of Miletus, known as the "Father of European Urban Planning."
• The cities and settlements of the Indus Valley were laid up in a rectangular grid design.
• The main streets ran north to south, while the lesser streets ran east to west.
• The streets came together at a straight angle.
• Religious or astrological beliefs are said to be responsible for this specific pattern.
• Harappan cities and towns were uniform in addition to being well-planned and having great drainage systems.
• Almost every excavation site appears to have a similar structure and design.
• The streets of Mohenjo-Daro and Harappa were up to 10.5 metres wide.
• The roadways were at least 1.5 metres wide.
• Archaeologists say the broad streets also allude to market operations.
• Burnt bricks were used to pave Harappan roadways to make it easier for ox carts to travel about.
• The towns of the Indus Valley Civilization featured drainage water canals running alongside the streets.
• Indus Valley Civilization towns might be separated into various neighbourhoods.
• Each neighbourhood contained residents who worked in a certain vocation.

Indus Valley Civilisation - Drainage System

• They had sophisticated sanitation systems in place.
• Before any other ancient civilisation, the people of the Indus Valley Civilization understood about and practised water channelling and waste water disposal.
• Aqueducts were built by the Romans thousands of years later.
• Their water management system was so advanced that they had separate wastewater and stormwater canals along Harappan roadways (rainwater).
• The wastewater drains were subterranean and had clay covers that opened for cleaning.

Indus Valley Civilisation - Economic Facts

• Agriculture is the foundation of the Indus Valley civilization. During this time, trade and commerce flourished.
• In the Middle Bronze Age, Mesopotamian (Sumerian) scribes regularly mention a location called Meluhha. Meluhha was a significant Sumerian commerce partner, importing large quantities of wood and ebony.
• Meluhha, which was most likely the Indus Valley Civilization, also imported sesame oil and luxury commodities like lapis lazuli.
• At Lothal, a dockyard has been discovered.
• Exports and imports were made.
• Cotton was produced, and the unit of measurement was 16.
• Harappan civilization had weights and measures, which were visible at Lothal.
• The weights were generally cubical in form and constructed of limestone, steatite, and other minerals.

Indus Valley Civilisation - Trade

• Cotton was discovered here for the first time in history. Cotton was first used in the sixth millennium B.C., according to evidence discovered at Mehrgarh.
• Cotton was initially spun and woven by farmers in the Indus Valley.
• Cotton was another material that was exported.
• Many port cities have been discovered, demonstrating the presence of extensive marine trading contacts with various civilisations.
• Lothal has the potential to be the world's first dockyard.
• Allahdino, Suktagendor, and Balakot are among the other ports.

Indus Valley Civilisation - Social Life

• There is a lot of data to understand Harappan social life. Both men and women wore two pieces of cloth, one for their upper and lower bodies.
• Beads were worn by both men and women.
• Bangles, bracelets, fillets, girdles, anklets, ear-rings, and finger rings were among the accessories used by women.
• These ornaments were made out of gold, silver, copper, bronze, and semi-precious stones.
• Cosmetics were widely used. Several household goods made of pottery, stone, shells, ivory, and metal were unearthed in Mohenjodaro.
• Spindles, needles, combs, fish hooks, and knives are all made of copper.
• Fishing, as well as bullfighting and hunting, were popular pastimes.
• Copper and bronze axes, spearheads, daggers, bows, and arrows were among the various weaponry on show.
• Only a few written artefacts have been discovered in the Indus valley, and experts have failed to interpret the Indus script.
• As a result, defining the state and institutions of the Indus Valley Civilization is difficult.
• Temples have yet to be uncovered at any Harappan site. As a result, the possibility of priests ruling Harappa has vanished.
• A merchant class most likely controlled Harappa.
• When seeking for a power centre or depictions of prominent individuals, archaeological texts may not provide easy answers.
• According to some researchers, Harappan civilization had no rulers and everyone was treated equally.

Indus Valley Civilisation - Religion and Worship

• Harappa has several female clay sculptures. In one illustration, a plant emerges from the womb of a woman.
• As a result, the Harappans venerated the soil as a fertility goddess in the same manner that the Egyptians adored the Nile goddess Isis.
• The male god is depicted as a seal with three horned heads reclining in a yogi stance.
• This god stands on a throne flanked by elephants, tigers, rhinoceros, and buffalo.
• At his feet, two deer emerge. Pushupati Mahadeva is the divine being portrayed.
• Several female sex organ symbols and stone phallus symbols have been unearthed.
• The Indus people regarded trees and animals as sacred.
• The inhabitants of the Indus Valley Civilisation worshipped animals such as unicorns and oxen.

Indus Valley Civilisation - Oldest SignBoard

• In 1999, a board with about 30 cm high stone symbols/letters in a wooden frame was unearthed in Dholavira.
• According to archaeologists, this was the world's first signboard.
• It is likely to have been set on the façade of the citadel's northern entrance.

Indus Valley Civilisation - Hygiene and Cleanliness

• The people of the Indus Valley Civilization lived in an extremely clean, healthy environment.
• The significance of cleanliness in Harappan society is evidenced by the enormous number of public baths, the superb water management system, flowing water in every dwelling, clean drainage systems, and subterranean wastewater systems.
• In terms of civic sensibility, the Indus Valley Civilization was considerably ahead of its time even back then.
• In Mohenjo-Daro, there were dustbins put along the streets!
• These were waste disposal containers made of bricks.
• At least one Great Bath existed in every city of the civilization.
• They are said to have served a religious purpose.

Indus Valley Civilisation - Burial Methods

• Cemeteries discovered at Mohenjodaro, Harappa, Kalibangan, Lothal, and Rupar revealed details on the Harappans' burial practices.
• Both full burial and post-cremation burial were common at Mohenjodaro.
• Coffins were employed since the burial pit at Lothal was lined with burnt bricks. Wooden coffins were also unearthed at Harappa.
• In Lothal, pot burials have been unearthed, sometimes with pairs of bones. There is, however, no substantial evidence that Sati is practised.

Indus Valley Civilisation - Art

• A great variety of toys, including dice, whistles, and marbles, were uncovered when the towns of Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro were originally discovered.
• As a result, archaeologists believe that the bulk of the people who lived in those towns were children.
• Toys and games have been discovered on archaeological sites such as Mohenjo-Daro.
• They've discovered cubical dice with one to six holes (quite like the ones we have today)
• Other toys include bullock cart clay figurines, spinning tops, marbles, tiny pots and utensils, and so forth.
• During the Indus Valley era, art and craft were extremely advanced.
• Their items show a high level of accomplishment in terms of aesthetic value and skill.
• Terracotta, bronze, copper, and other metals are among their offerings.
• They were also bead-making specialists.
• This is a significant find because it demonstrates the Indus Valley civilisation's proficiency in metal bending and casting. It also represents the value of dancing as a source of entertainment during the period.
• These magnificent works of art, created using the lost-wax casting method, predate the Greeks by thousands of years.

Indus Valley Civilisation - Architecture

• Harappa's granaries featured high technology that was witnessed 2800 years later in Rome.
• Harappa has six granaries in two rows.
• It was constructed on a high platform to avoid flooding.
• The Granary was roughly 45 metres in length and 15 metres in width.
• There were additional citadels, bathing platforms, and burial areas on the locations.
• 16 water reservoirs have been discovered in the Harappan city of Dholavira.
• These reservoirs safeguard the city from flooding while also ensuring water supply throughout the year, including during the dry season.
• They constructed dams to regulate water flow and store it in massive reservoirs.
• Public structures were built with the larger bricks.
• Houses were constructed using the smaller bricks.
• Harappa had two and three-story dwellings because of its excellent design and brickwork.
• These large homes included centre courtyards as well as flat terraces that were easily accessible.
• There were no windows facing the major streets of the Indus Valley.
• There was just one door in each dwelling.
• The residences' windows and doors would all open onto the centre courtyard.
• As a result, they were carefully constructed to minimise noise and dust.
• Houses with adjoining restrooms were maybe the first in the world in the Indus Valley culture.
• They had access to running water as well.
• There were also restrooms with modern drainage systems.
• The Harappan civilisation featured rainwater storage devices.
• They have sophisticated and effective water management systems in place.
• The Great Bath, the world's largest public water tank, was discovered here.
• Mohenjo-Daro also had a significant water management system, with over 700 wells and 80 public toilets.
• The wells were deliberately situated to provide water to all of the communities.

Indus Valley Civilisation - Seals

• Steatite was used to make the majority of the seals.
• Gold, ivory, agate, terracotta, chert, and faience were also used to make some of the seals.
• The Harappan seals were square in design, measuring 2X2.
• The majority of seals were utilised for business purposes. A few seals were also worn as amulets, maybe as identification cards.
• All of the seals have animal illustrations with something written in pictographic script on them (which is yet to be deciphered).
• Tigers, elephants, bulls, bison, goats, and other animals are prominently featured.
• Some seals contain mathematical images on them, indicating that they were probably utilised for educational reasons.
• Both sides of the seals have writing on them. The manuscripts are written in the Kharosthi style (right to left).
• The Pashupati Seal of the Harappan Civilisation from Mohenjo Daro is the most renowned.
• It depicts a seal with a human reclining cross-legged in the centre surrounded by animals: an elephant and a tiger to the figure's right, and a rhino and a buffalo to the figure's left.

Indus Valley Civilisation - Measurements

• The ruins of this civilization have been discovered with stone cubes. Archaeologists think they were weighed in order to be measured.
• These weights rise in a 5:2:1 ratio. They were 0.05, 0.1, 0.2, 0.5, 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, 50, 100, 200, and 500 units in weight.
• They differ from the Egyptian and Mesopotamian measurement systems of the period, implying that this system was devised independently.
• The smallest division on an ivory scale found in Lothal, Gujarat was roughly 1.704 mm. This is the smallest Bronze Age division yet discovered.

Indus Valley Civilisation - Metallurgy

• They made lead, copper, bronze, and tin items, among other metals.
• These items were exported.
• They understood how to smelt copper with other metals.
• At Lothal, gold necklaces with a diameter of less than 0.25 mm have been discovered. Mohenjo-Daro, Harappa, and Rangpur have all discovered metal objects.
• Casting was used to create Harappan copper objects.
• Bronze vessels were hammered from a single sheet of metal.
• The Indus Valley Civilization has advanced metal alloying technologies.
• In Banawali, Haryana, a touchstone was discovered.
• This touchstone has gold streaks in it, indicating that it was most likely used to test gold purity.
• This method is still employed in various regions of the country.

Other Important Facts

• Around 7000 B.C., the earliest Indus Valley settlement was created.
• The earliest known village is Mehrgarh, which dates back to roughly 7000 B.C.
• More than 4000 seals have been discovered at the locations. Small rectangular stone slabs with inscriptions serve as seals.
• On them are also representations of animals and other figures.
• Mohenjo-Daro has been rebuilt at least nine times. Many of this civilization's towns were repeatedly devastated by floods, silt deposition, and other natural disasters.
• They were reconstructed each time.
• Dentists were even present in the Indus Valley Civilization. The first evidence of drilling human teeth in a living individual was discovered in Mehrgarh, Pakistan, in 2006.
• The Indus Valley Script is yet to be deciphered. The fact that their script has yet to be decoded is one of the reasons we know so little about them.
• Objects with almost 400 distinct symbols have been identified.
• There is no representation of any king or ruler. Despite having an organised way of life, the Harappan civilization had no picture or indication of a monarch or governmental structure.
• There is no evidence of warfare. There is little trace of fighting from the Indus Valley Civilization, despite the discovery of weaponry such as spears, knives, and arrowheads.
• It was found that they were peaceful people in general.

Indus Valley Civilisation - Decline

• Historians are unsure what caused the Indus Valley Civilization to fall apart.
• Experts are now certain that their collapse was not caused by invasion, sickness, or any other disaster.
• The cities and communities began to deteriorate gradually, and the population appeared to have abandoned them in search of greener pastures.
• The progressive drying up of the Saraswati River is said to have caused this.
• The civilization did not disappear abruptly, but gradually fell and was integrated into different cultures.

Conclusion

The Indus civilization, also known as the Harappan civilization or the Indus valley civilization, was the first known urban society on the Indian subcontinent. Although the civilisation appears to have thrived between 2500 and 1700 BCE, southern sites may have lasted into the second millennium BCE. The Indus Valley Civilisation (IVC), also known as the Harappan Civilisation, marks the beginning of Indian history.