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in the pinned comment below or in the description check out Epimetheus with
his video on Bronze Age China and check out knowledgia on his video on the
Hittites of Anatolia the Indus Valley Civilisation spanned the region around
the Indus Valley and included regions that are known today as western India
and Pakistan factors like trade farming suggested peaceful coexistence and
common practices played a vital part in its development and sustainability the
civilisations growth took place around 3000 BC and therefore constitutes some
of the earliest discovered and documented civilisations perhaps the
significant rise can be attributed to its location that being along a calm
reliable water supply rivers proved extremely useful for ancient
civilisations they provided a great source of fresh water and an area to
hunt and gather food when they flooded they left behind nutrient-rich silt and
this fertile soil was great for agriculture in the case of the Nile in
Indus River annual flooding allowed for the growing of crops in mass quantities
enough to feed a growing population rivers were also a natural fast
transport system both for the transportation of goods and migrations
of people the Indus Valley Civilisation had begun as simple farming villages and
later developed into advanced urban centres with well-developed City
structures these developments aided to the rise in population as well as the
adoption of economic activities such as trade which further aided to the growth
of these cities by 2600 BC the Indus Valley Civilisation was flourishing
everything we know about the Indus Valley Civilisation comes from
archaeology it remains the largest ancient civilisation discovered with
over 1500 sites a likely writing system has been identified though it remains an
unsolved mystery as historians and people who study linguistics have yet
to decipher how to read it through archaeological artefacts we can paint a
picture of what life might have been like the Indus Valley Civilisation
revolved around two prime cities Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro large-scale excavations
were carried out at the site Mohenjo-Daro under the direction of John
Marshall and Ernest Mackay and numerous other directors in the 1930s these
cities like most in the Indus Valley Civilisation portrayed a clear
indication of prior urban planning with straight roads elaborate drainage
systems and strong durable buildings houses in these cities were made of
brick either baked mud or wood bricks these were made by skilled craftsmen who
produced every brick the same size there was an advanced water supply and
sanitation system which provided a clean environment for the community and with
obvious hygiene benefits dwellings in these cities had private toilets that
connected to wider public drains these used gravity to transport waste and they
were covered by ornately laid bricks the sewer network emptied into the
surrounding water courses and cesspits that were regularly emptied and cleaned
both Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro were fortified by large robust walls
supposedly for the protection from either invaders or wild animals however
due to the close proximity of rivers it is more likely that these walls were
designed for flood control Mohenjo-Daro had two districts the
citadel evidently for the upper class and the lower town for the ordinary
citizens although evidence suggests there was relative equality amongst
citizens as all of the streets were well-drained
the city remained dry and clean thereby reducing the potential of disease one of
the most opulent features of the Indus Valley Civilisation can be found at
Mohenjo-Daro historians and archaeologists named it the Great Bath
there is no true consensus between historians on the purpose of this great
bath but some historians have speculated it was used for religious practices
perhaps as a spiritual cleansing effect for those that bathed in it the
spiritual beliefs of the Indus Valley Civilisation remain inconclusive however
it is believed that they honoured nature especially water which has similarities
with the present-day Hindu beliefs the population of these cities reached
around 30,000 to 60,000 individuals and during the civilisations peak the
population subcontinent grew to between four to six million people this large
population was sustained by the Indus River Basin and subsequent biannual
flooding the inhabitants of Dholavira created a minimum of 16 reservoirs and
developed a collection system based on harvesting rainwater this environment
was perfect for farming crops like wheat and barley providing a surplus of food
that was stored in granaries the rivers and watercourses would also have
provided fish in other types of crustaceans they farmed many herding
animals such as Bulls cattle short-horned buffaloes and elephants one
of the most interesting aspects of the Indus Valley Civilisation is how they
traded artefacts have been uncovered of seals that were made from clay or
ceramics although these seals contained writings
that remain undecipherable they depicted images of animals which may have been
used as an identification mark one of the most famous seals is known as the
Pashupati seal it depicts a man with a horned headdress surrounded by a buffalo
and a tiger along with elephants and deer's often
debated by archaeologists and historians it may suggest the representation of the
deity some surmise that this seal is one of the earliest depictions of the Hindu
god Shiva who was associated with yoga and regarded as a lord of animals
evidence has been found that the Indus Valley Civilisation were trading beyond
their region as numerous seals have been found in Mesopotamia as early as 3500 BC
traders carried a seal which was used as proof of their trade they utilised a
standardised measure for weights made from limestone there was no metallic
money instead a barter system was used one of the recorded trading partners of
the Sumerian States was the Indus Valley Civilisation who they called Meluḫḫa it
is not known whether this was their title or a name attributed to them by
the Sumerians cotton was one of the most important products for trade but other
items for example jewellery and animals were also exported evidence exists of
the bead and bangle factory at the site of Chanhudaro whereas the site of
Lothal is speculated to be a Dockyard providing ships to transport goods via
sea routes we know the Indus Valley Civilisation were accomplished builders
traders and farmers we can also interpret other findings discovered and
decode how they lived their daily lives just like archaeologists in the future
who will potentially uncover iPads and smartphones and surmise how we live
today findings discovered by archaeologists have unearthed many toys
and educational artefacts Terracotta toys found that most in descent spread a
glimpse of the pastimes that might have involved trained animals terracotta ox
carts with movable parts are perhaps the most common through the discovery of the
bronze statuette the poorly named dancing girl we can also see an aspect
to their culture another interesting sculpture found at Mohenjo-Daro is the
so called priest-king the sculptures made out of soapstone a type of
metamorphic rock showing a neatly bearded man with pierced ear lobes there
is a Fillet around his head possibly all that is left of a once elaborate
hairstyle or headdress his hair is combed back
he wears an arm band and a uniquely designed cloak there is no evidence that
priests or monarchs ruled Mohenjo-Daro and we still do not know who the statue
represented a priest or a king or just a prestigious person what caused the
downfall of this great civilisation is still debated clearly no defined answer
currently exist but there are many theories most research has concur that
due to the gradual decline the demise was either due to the climate of the
region changing or that the river changed course as a result of tectonic
variation this dramatic weather changed to a dry cold climate would have
decreased food production and productivity over this extended period
of decline many of the population would have migrated to find more sustainable
land for farming and survival weapons have not been found nor artwork
depicting warfare therefore this leads to the conclusion that they were a
peaceful civilisation there was no evidence that any city was ever burned
or besieged by an army or taken over by force from within what we do know is
during this period of decline many features such as writing the use of
standardised measurements and trade began to disappear many of their great
urban settlements were gradually abandoned at around 1500 BC the Indus
Valley Civilisation finally came to an end and as a result the city slowly
became ruins it was not until the 20th century when archaeological digs were
conducted that this fascinating civilization was uncovered without
written sources or documents available this civilisation will remain largely a
mystery we can speculate and create an idea of their culture and society
piecing together their way of life it is hoped that one day the mysteries and
secrets of this fascinating civilisation will reveal themselves but for now we
can only piece together parts of the puzzle and speculate how and why this
great civilisation rose and vanished thank you everyone for watching a
special thanks to our patrons Shara Ogilvie and Jimmy Alexander for
supporting the creation of this video if you haven't already remember to check
out Epimethius knowledgia and all the other creators in this collaboration
find the playlist in the description and the pinned comment below thanks again
for watching