Indus Valley

Indus Valley

6000 BCE

The Indus Valley was a fertile floodplain of the Indus and Sarasvati Rivers. In anchient Indus Valley there were hundreds of well organized cities, with the two largest being the Harappan and Mohenjo-Daro city civilizations. The Indus Valley Rivers were very reliable and flooded twice a year leaving nutrient rich silt.

Evidence of Religious Practice

5000 BCE

Evidence from seals suggested that the Indus people believed in a father and mother god, a tree of living, animals gods, and an evil force depicted as a tiger. The Indus people were peaceful and believed in equal rights.

Evidence of Agriculture

4000 BCE

The Indus people had very advanced irrigation systems and wells which were accessible by everyone. The Indus people raised livestock such as pigs, sheep, cattle, and goats for consumption. The Indus people also grew dates, melons, grapes, wheat, and peas. The Indus people as well domesticated elephants, dogs, and cats to assist in farming.

Urbanization in the Indus Valley

3000 BCE

Urbanization was possible due to an agricultural surplus, bronze tool production, and widespread trade and commerce. Some of the crafts included boat making, seal making, terracotta manufacturing, and jewelry making.

Rise of Mohenjo-Daro and Harappa

2999 BCE

Mohenjo-Daro and Harappa were thought to have been built somewhere around twenty-sixth century BCE and were known as the largest cities of the Indus valley. Both cites of the Indus Valley were praised for their sophistication, advanced engineering, sanitation, and great urban planning. Mohenjo-Daro was located in the Lower Indus while Harappa was located further upstream.

Several Towns and Cities Established

2600 BCE

Dozens of towns and cities were established including the cities of Lothal, Surkotada, Amri, Kot-Diji, and Novsharo.

First Use of The Indus Script

2500 BCE

The Indus Script is the earliest known form of writing in the Indian subcontinent. Nobody has any clue as to what language it represents and to this day has still not been deciphered. Due to the fact that no one knows what the Indus Script is, the Indus Valley civilization is one of the least known civilizations from its time.

The Peak of Indus Valley Civilization

2500 BCE

When the Indus Valley Civilizations hit their peaks Mohenjo-Daro covered almost all of modern Pakistan along with parts of northern India and eastern Afghanistan. When Harappa hit its peak it spanned a total of thirty percent of the current Indian subcontinent. It is thought that while at its peak Mohenjo-Daro had a population of about forty thousand while Harappa had a population of about sixty thousand.

Decline of Indus Valley Civilizations

1800 BCE

The reason for the decline of Indus Valley Civilizations was due to record keeping disappearing, taxation stopping, standardized weights and measures for trading falling out of use, the Saraswati River drying and catastrophic events affecting the economy. The biggest factor that destroyed the civilizations was climate change and the monsoon winds stopping.

Migration of Aryans Into Indus Valley

1500 BCE

A large group of nomadic-settlers from central asia migrated into the Indus Valley crossing the Hindu Kush Region. This large migration was seen as an invasion which may have been a factor in the decline of the Indus Valley civlizations.

Persia Invades Indus Valley

500 BCE

The Persians invaded the Indus Valley bringing their culture and changing civilization styles to this region. Many Persians also migrated to the Indus Valley. This marked the end of the Indus Valley Civilizations.

Identification of Indus Valley Civilizations

1921

The Indus Valley Civilization of Mohenjo-Daro and Harappa were discovered in the Punjab and Sindh regions of Pakistan by Sir John Hubert Mashall.

Indus Valley Today

2020

The Indus Valley today is located in modern day Pakistan and Northwestern India. The only remebrance of the anchient civilizations are the ruins of buildings and sewage systems.