Who were the Indus people?

The Indus Valley was home to one of the world's first large civilizations. It began nearly 5,000 years ago in an area of modern-day Pakistan and Northern India. There were more than 1,400 towns and cities in the Indus Valley. The biggest were Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro. Around 80,000 people lived in these cities.

The names Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro were given to the cities in later times. We do not know what the Indus people called their cities, because nobody has been able to translate their ancient language.

Where was the Indus Valley?

The Indus people lived on the banks of the Indus river, the longest river in Pakistan. The Indus river begins high up in the Himalayan mountains (the tallest mountain range in the world) and flows nearly 3,000 kilometers to the Arabian Sea. As the river moves downstream it carves out a valley. This is where the Indus people settled.

The first farmers liked living near the river because it kept the land green and fertile for growing crops. These farmers lived together in villages which grew over time into large ancient cities, like Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro.

The Indus people needed river water to drink, wash and to irrigate their fields. They may also have used water in religious ceremonies. To the Indus people, their river was ‘The King River’.

Was the Indus Valley a peaceful place?

The Indus civilization seems to have been a peaceful one. The cities were built with strong walls and gateways, which usually means they needed protection. However, few weapons have been found and there is no evidence of an army.

Often ancient writings can tell us about civilizations, but no one has been able to translate the Indus writings. We have to look for other clues.

Sometimes you are able to see changes in ruins that indicate wars or battles, but the Indus Valley seems to have stayed the same for hundreds of years.

However, archaeologists have recently found some skeletons that suggest that the Indus valley might not have been such a peaceful place after all. When they looked closely at the skeletons, they saw that they might have died in a pretty nasty way - being beaten with a heavy club.

The Indus is the longest river in Pakistan, it's over 3,000

kilometers long.

This is an artist's impression of what life may have been like in the Indus valley.

Town planning

The Indus cities were neatly planned. They had straight roads which criss-crossed in a grid pattern to form city blocks.

The main streets were almost 10 meters wide - wide enough for two bullock carts or elephants to pass each other. Drains ran along the edge of the streets to carry rubbish away and wells were dug for clean water.

Some cities, like Mohenjo-Daro, had high walls. These walls had gateways so people could come and go. Some city districts inside were raised on mounds. The highest mound was known as the citadel, which might have been where the priests or rulers lived.

Most Indus buildings were made from mud bricks. Over time, people built new houses on top of old ones. So, over hundreds of years, the cities grew higher and higher. Some houses were seven meters above the old houses at the bottom!

What was everyday life like in the Indus Valley?

It was very hot in the Indus Valley, so people spent a lot of time outside. Most people had small homes which were also used as workshops. There was not much space to relax.

Richer families had courtyards. These were nice open spaces. Children could play there with toys or with pets, such as monkeys and birds.

People who did not have a courtyard would still have a flat roof. These roofs were strong enough to walk on. Families used them as an extra room. It was a cool place to sleep on a hot night and somewhere you could sit with friends.

This photo of a street at Mohenjo-Daro shows how high the walls were either side of the street.

Keeping clean

Most Indus cities

had a central well

where people could

get clean water.

In their bathrooms people stood on a brick 'shower tray'

and tipped the clean water over themselves from a jar.

Dirty water flowed out of the house through pipes into a

drain in the street.

Eating and drinking

Archaeologists know

what Indus Valley

people ate by

examining the teeth

and bones of

skeletons. They have

found animal bones, seafood shells and seeds from fruit.

So, we know they liked to eat these. The Indus Valley

people ate a healthy diet and from the evidence of teeth in

skeletons, it seems men were better-fed than women.

Farmers used wooden ploughs pulled by oxen to grow food

like wheat, barley and lentils for the city to eat.

Pets

Some animals' paw prints have

been preserved in the ruins of

Indus cities. Children may have

had pet monkeys, birds in

cages, or even lizards and

snakes!

Hunters might have brought

home young deer or wild pigs.

Children would also look after farm animals such as lambs

or kids (young goats).

We know that dogs lived in Indus Valley cities because dog

bones have been found. They might have been guard

dogs, hunting dogs or family pets.

Toys and games

Children in the Indus Valley seem to have loved toys.

Archaeologists have found lots of clay toys, such as model

carts and animals. They have also found model cows that

waggle their heads, and toy monkeys that could slide down

ropes.

Indus children may

have played with pull-

along animals on

wheels like the one in

this photo.

Growing up in the Indus Valley

We only know a little about what it was like to be a child growing up in the Indus Valley cities. We don't know how many children went to school. A scribe would teach some children how to read and write and a priest would teach religious lessons. Even if they didn't go to school, most children worked hard. Even small children helped their families with daily tasks. Children were taught how to make things, how to farm and how to hunt.

It wasn't all work though. Children could play in the courtyards of houses, and probably on the flat roofs too. The roof could be a fun place to play. You could wave to your friends across the street! Children might have played board games with counters and dice. Archaeologists have found cube dice with six sides and spots, just like the ones we use today. Historians think the Indus people invented dice. Children in the Indus Valley

helped out with daily tasks, including farming and hunting.

Farmer

Farmers had to grow lots of food to

feed the people in the cities. They

prepared big fields using their

wooden ploughs pulled by oxen. We

know this because model ploughs

have been found by archaeologists.

Indus farmers understood how to use

the rivers. They planted seeds after

the rivers had flooded the fields because flood water made

the soil rich. They planted different crops for winter (which

was mild and wet) and summer (which was hot and dry).

Craft worker

People who lived in the city usually made things to earn a

living. Some workers made stone querns (for grinding grain

to make flour). Others spun and wove cotton into clothes

and cotton bags.

Others made beads, fishing

nets, pots, baskets -

everything people needed.

Often people did the same

job that their parents did,

and children were taught

the skill from a young age.

Trader

Trade was very important in Indus

Valley cities. Farmers brought food

into the cities. City workers made

things like pots, beads and cotton

cloth.

Traders brought the materials workers

needed and took away finished goods

to trade in other cities. Some traders

carried goods on their backs or drove

wooden carts pulled by oxen. Others loaded their goods on

ships and sailed to trade with other lands.

Builder

Most Indus Valley cities were made from mud bricks. First

the brick-makers mixed soil, clay and water to make

squishy mud. Next they squashed the mud into a wooden

mold which was the shape of a brick. And then they turned

out the mud brick, like you

would turn out a sandcastle.

Mud bricks could dry in the hot

sun or inside a kiln (a very hot

oven). The fire in the kiln heated

the bricks at a high temperature

to make them very hard.

Did the Indus people use money?

Indus Valley traders did not use money, so they probably exchanged goods. They might swap two sacks of wheat for one basket of minerals. Archaeologists discovered flat pieces of stone with writing carved into them. At first, they were confused, but then they realized these stones were seals. Over 3,500 have now been found!

If you pressed the seal into soft clay, it left a copy of itself on the clay. When the clay dried hard, it could be used as a tag, which could then be tied to a pot or basket. Archaeologists think that the Indus traders might have used seals like labels, to show who owned a sack of grain, or that the correct city tax had been paid. Lots of seals have pictures of animals on them, including elephants, rhinoceros, tigers and fish-eating crocodiles.

What did the Indus seals look like?

What can we learn from Indus Valley artifacts?

The Indus Valley civilization left no temples or tombs, like the Pyramids of Egypt. There are also no remains of great statues of kings or gods. Instead the Indus Valley’s cultural legacy is of small and well-crafted art.

While many ancient civilizations focused on worship, it seems that play was very important to the Indus Valley people. They made toys and small figures of people and animals, using metal and clay. Small clay figures were thrown into rubbish pits. Perhaps they were good luck charms, or used once and then thrown away?

What can we learn from Indus Valley writing?

The Indus people wrote on soft clay using pointed sticks or by scratching marks onto stone and metal. People wrote the first line from right to left, the second line from left to right, and so on.

This seal shows a tiger with many stripes. Tigers were common in the time of the Indus civilization.

A square seal with a figure, probably an Indus god. He has three faces, a horned headdress, and lots of arm-bangles.

This strange animal with one horn is called a unicorn. Above it is some Indus writing.

The rhino pictured on this Indus seal is an Indian rhinoceros, a different species from the rhinos that live in Africa.

This Indus seal shows an animal with three heads: bull, unicorn and antelope.

What can we learn about the writing that was left behind? Well, not very much. Indus Valley writing used at least 400 picture-signs - they were not letters like in our alphabet. But the longest bit of writing found has only 26 characters.

No one knows what language the Indus people spoke, and no one has yet been able to read their writing.

Some experts think the Indus language may have been similar to Tamil, which is spoken today by people in southern India and Sri Lanka.

Indus artefact gallery

What do artefacts tell us about religion?

Pictures on seals and other artefacts show what look like figures of gods. But we don't know what the Indus people called them. One looks like a mother goddess. People might have believed this goddess gave health and fertility to people, animals and plants.

Plants, trees and animals were probably important to Indus people. The pipal or fig tree is shown on many seals and is still a sacred tree for many Buddhists and Hindus.

These seals with writing on were found in the city of Mohenjo-Daro. What do you think they say.?

Indus potters made plain everyday pots, and fine decorated pots like this one. The top half of the pot is decorated with painted birds.

Indus traders carried bangles and ear studs, like these, in their trading packs.

The Indus people made intricate jewelry. These pieces are made from gold and agate (a colored mineral stone).

Hinduism also places importance on ritual bathing. Many people believe the 'great bath' found in Mohenjo-Daro suggests the Indus people held similar beliefs about purity. Some people think that the Indus religion shaped early Hindu beliefs.

What can we learn from burial sites?

Graves can tell archaeologists a lot. Indus Valley people were buried with clay pots and clay figures, as well as beads. Putting these items in graves may mean that they had a religious belief in an afterlife, in which they could use these belongings again.

In the 1920s, 39 skeletons were found in the city of Mohenjo-Daro. Some archaeologists thought these men, woman and children might have been killed by invaders. However, only two skeletons had marks similar to those made by sword or spear. One was an old wound, another was healing - perhaps after an accident. There is no evidence of a battle. Perhaps these people were left together because they died from disease. What do you think happened to these mystery skeletons?

What happened to the Indus civilization? By 1900 BC many Indus cities had been abandoned. Historians believe things started to fall apart around 1700 BC. But how did this apparently peaceful, well-organized civilization collapse in just 200 years?

Looking at the ruins we can see many changes. The cities became overcrowded, with houses built on top of houses. Important buildings like the Great Bath at Mohenjo-Daro were built over.

People stopped maintaining the drains and they became blocked. Some traders even hid their valuables under the floors of their homes. What were they scared of? Why did this happen?

The figure on this seal is probably an Indus god. He has three faces, a horned headdress, and lots of arm-bangles. The Hindu god Shiva also has three faces.

People in the Indus Valley buried their dead with everyday objects such as pots.

Did trade stop?

Trade was very important for the Indus civilization. Their main trade partner was Mesopotamia, which was an advanced civilization in the Middle East.

Around the time the Indus cities started to fail, Mesopotamia was going through huge political problems. Their trade networks collapsed, and this would have had a big impact on the Indus cities. There would have been less work for traders and for manufacturers, who made the things which the traders sold abroad. Some historians think this is why the cities collapsed.

We know that only the cities fell into ruins. Farmers in the Indus Valley went on living in their villages and working on their farms, but the civilization would never return to greatness again.

Was there a war?

Some historians believed the Indus civilization was destroyed in a large war. Hindu poems called the Rig Veda (from around 1500 BC) describe northern invaders conquering the Indus Valley cities.

In the 1940s, archaeologist Mortimer Wheeler discovered 39 human skeletons at Mohenjo-Daro. He believed that they were people killed by invaders. Archaeologists now think this is not true.

There is no evidence of war or mass killings. Indus Valley people seem to have been peaceful. If they had an army, they have left few signs of weapons or battles. It's more likely that the cities collapsed after natural disasters. Enemies might have moved in afterwards.

Did the river move?

Many historians believe the Indus civilization collapsed because of changes to the geography and climate of the area.

Movements in the Earth’s crust (the outside layer) might have caused the Indus river to flood and change its direction. The main cities were closely linked to the river, so changes in the river flow would have had a terrible effect on them. Repeated flooding may have led to a build-up of salt in the soil, making it hard to grow crops.

Traders in the Indus Valley would travel long distances in boats to exchange their goods.

There were 14 mystery skeletons found in the room in the center of this photo. Were they killed by invaders?

It is believed that at the same time, the Ghagger Hakra River (another river in the area) dried up. People were forced to abandon many of the cities located along its banks, such as Kalibangan and Banawali.

People would have starved, and diseases would have spread. Perhaps because of this chaos, the rulers lost control of their cities. Lots of historians think it was a mixture of different reasons. Why do you think the Indus cities collapsed?

How did we discover the Indus Valley?

The Indus Valley lay forgotten and undiscovered for thousands of years. In 1826, a British traveler in India called Charles Masson came across some mysterious brick mounds. He thought they looked like old castles but didn't know who built them. Thirty years later, in 1856, engineers building a railway found more bricks. They carted them off and continued to build the railway. These bricks were the first evidence of the lost Indus city of Harappa.

In the 1920s, archaeologists began to excavate the sites of Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro. They had uncovered the remains of two long-forgotten cities and found the Indus Valley civilization. Archaeologists are still discovering more about the Indus civilization. They take photos of the sites from the air, carry out field surveys and use radiocarbon tests to see how old artefacts are.

Religion

Hinduism probably has its roots in the

Indus Valley civilization. There are lots

of similarities between the Indus

religion and modern Hinduism.

For example, Hindus worship a

'mother goddess' (sometimes called

Parvati or Sakti), and the Indus

religion had its own 'mother goddess'.

The Indus people thought the cow a

special animal, the

giver of life. Today,

Hindus regard the

cow as sacred.

Peaceful cities

Historians believe the Indus people lived together in peace in cities. Their cities were generally well-built and safe, with access to clean water.

Very few weapons have been found.

Unlike ancient Rome and Greece, no

evidence of an army has been

discovered. The Indus people had

few, if any, enemies and it seems that

they preferred to live in peace.

Their way of life was based on trade,

without money. Not

everyone was rich,

but even the poor

probably got

enough to eat.

Games

The Indus people loved games and

may have invented dice. Cube dice

with six sides and spots have been

found by archaeologists. They are

very similar to the ones we use today.

Dice from the same period have also

been found in south-east Iran.

Indus people may have also played an

early form of chess. Archaeologists

have found flat stones with grids on

them and playing pieces. They think

this is where the

modern game of

chess began.

Farmers still grow crops in fields beside the Indus River. Notice how the water from the river keeps the crops green.