1. The Hidden Secrets of Indus Valley

2. The Indus Valley Civilization (IVC) was aBronze Age civilization (33001300 BCE matureperiod 26001900 BCE) located in the westernregion of South Asia, and spread over what arenow Pakistan, northwest India, and easternAfghanistan. 3. What should people know about Indus Valley Civilization? The Indus is the longest river in Pakistan. The IndusRiver begins in the Himalaya Mountains, and flowsnearly 3,000 kilometres to the Arabian Sea. In the Sanskrit language of Ancient India, the Induswas called the Sindhu. A valley is a physical feature.Its the land shaped by a river. The Indus Valley wasshaped by the Indus River. 4. Way of life What were Indus cities like? An Indus city was made of mud-brick buildings. It had walls and roads. Water was very important to Indus people, so the builders started by digging wells, and laying drains. Some cities had a citadel high on a mound. In the citadel were bigger buildings. Most Indus people did not live in cities at all. Perhaps 9 out of 10 people were farmers and traders who lived in small villages 5. Trade and Travel Indus Valley cities lived by trade. Farmersbrought food into the cities. Tradersbrought the materials workers needed.Trade goods included terracotta pots,beads, gold and silver, coloured gemstones such as turquoise and lapis lazuli,metals, flints (for making stone tools),seashells and pearls. 6. Home life An Indus Valley house was cool inside. Thickwalls kept people cool in the heat of summer. All that are left today are the ground floors ofhouses that once had two or three floors. Stairs ledto the upper floors and roof. Walls were coveredwith mud plaster. It is not clear if people paintedthe walls. 7. Why do historians call it the most advanced civilization of that era? The earliest traces of civilization in the Indiansubcontinent are to be found in places along, or close, to the Indus River. Excavations first conducted in 1921-22, in the ancient cities of Harappa and Mohenjodaro, both now in Pakistan, pointed to a highly complex civilization thatfirst developed some 4,500-5,000 years ago, and subsequent archaeological and historical research has now furnished us with a more detailed picture of the Indus Valley Civilization and its inhabitants. 8. Why should we preserve remains of Indus Valley Civilization? MOUND OF THE DEAD Imagine a city built 4000 years ago, with three storied housesand bathrooms attached. Having an elaborate drainage systemand magnificent public baths. Then suddenly around 1700 BCthis city is abandoned, leaving ample traces of it existence butno hints for its disappearance that is the mystery of Mohenjo-Daro which literally means Mound of the dead. We should preserve remains of Indus valley civilation becausethis is the only way we can study more about this civilizationand researches can be done in future to find its mysteriousdisappearance. It would history students to study more and more about suchan advanced yet old civilization.