By Shabnam batool
Introduction.
Mohenjo-Daro was discovered in 1922. In the native language, Mohenjo-Daro means “Mound of the dead”. Around five thousand years ago Mohenjo-Daro was full of life with population above 50,000. The city structure was exhibited superior urban planning, with well-organized streets, a central marketplace, and a complex drainage system.
The ruins of Mohenjo-Daro reveal that this valley was built along the Indus River so that people could trade with other civilizations across the river. Historians say that Indus Valley had some trade understanding with Mesopotamia. They adopted a barter trade system for trade against their local crops.
Indus Valley used to be considered as advanced civilization with rich culture in ancient times. They had a great town planning system that still competes with today’s. In this article, I attempted to emphasize the Indus Valley’s golden era as well as its decline.
Below some points will help you understand more about this tremendous civilization.
Language, Culture & Religion
Due to the difficulty of deciphering ancient Indus valley, the evidence of the origin of these people is still a myth. However, the antiques found in this valley indicate that these people had their symbolic language and were familiar with administrative systems too. As a piece of evidence, archeologists have found engraved mud tablets and stamps used for official matters. They also had class discrimination same as Hindus
They were well aware of the use of coper, bronze, gold terracotta in jewelry making. Moreover, well-planned infrastructure of town and houses is the evidence of this civilized community. Archeologists have also found some clay sculptures of human figure from which we can get the idea about their costumes and tradition.
The religion practiced by the ancient Indus Valley civilization is not fully understood due to the lack of deciphered texts or inscriptions from that time. One prominent symbol found in Indus Valley artifacts is the “Pashupati seal. One sculpture of woman “the mother goddess” and small statue of different animals shows that they were influenced by different believes and religions. There is also evidence of animal worship in the Indus Valley civilization. However, exact religion of Indus valley is still a myth.
Currency & Arm forces
The absence of coins or other specific objects that can be identified as currency from the archaeological record of the Indus Valley Civilization has led scholars to believe that the civilization may have functioned through a barter system or relied on some form of non-standardized commodity exchange.
Surprisingly Indus Valley civilizations seems to have been peaceful. Archeologist did not find any sort of weapons used for defense. Only daggers, axes, short sword of spears with thin leaf-shaped spearheads made of copper found in this valley, the remains of human skeletons show no evidence of violence. On the contrary, some historians argue that these people were not fully prepared to fight against invaders because archaeologists unearthed no professional war instruments or weaponry during their excavation of this abandoned city. As a result, frequent attacks of outsiders destroyed this civilization.
Causes of disappearing Indus Valley
The disappearance of the Indus Valley civilization remains a subject of debate among historians and archaeologists.
Here are some of the possible factors that caused to the valley’s extinction:
Environmental Changes:
Shifts in the course of rivers, changes in rainfall patterns, or natural disasters like floods or droughts could have adversely affected the agricultural practices and water management systems of the Indus Valley civilization.
Decline in Trade:
A decline in long-distance trade networks could have impacted the economic stability of the civilization. Interruptions in trade routes or a collapse in trade partnerships may have led to economic stress and societal instability
Social and Political Instability:
Internal conflicts, power struggles, or the breakdown of central authority may have weakened the social and political fabric of the Indus Valley civilization, leading to its eventual collapse.
Natural Disasters:
Catastrophic events such as earthquakes or floods might have caused widespread destruction and forced the population to abandon their settlements. The occurrence of multiple natural disasters within a short period could have overwhelmed the civilization’s ability to recover and rebuild.
It’s important to note that the disappearance of the Indus Valley civilization likely resulted from a combination of factors, and the exact cause(s) remain uncertain due to limited available evidence.
Conclusion
The causes of the decline of the Indus Valley appear to be unidentified. But if we think little about factors of the destruction of civilization, history reveals that political instability, poor strategy against invaders, and ignorance about climate change were dangerous in ancient times and still alarming for the resilience of the State.
FAQs
Why it is called Indus Valley?
Archaeologists termed this civilization the Indus Valley Civilization because it is located near the bank of the Indus River and encompasses several of its tributaries.
Who started Indus Valley Civilization?
For supporters of the Vedic Aryans-as-Harappans idea, the discovery would be long-awaited confirmation of what they have always claimed without evidence: The Indus Valley civilization was Vedic, and the Aryans built it.
