A network-related or instance-specific error occurred while establishing a connection to SQL Server. The server was not found or was not accessible. Verify that the instance name is correct and that SQL Server is configured to allow remote connections. (provider: Named Pipes Provider, error: 40 - Could not open a connection to SQL Server) Must Read Story of chhotey veer (little brother) Gurtej, just 23 years of age, whose boyish looks concealed a steely soldier, who never shyed away from an unequal fight., National : Today Indya

Latest News

10 Fascinating Facts About Indus Valley Civilization
Friday, October 27, 2017 IST
10 Fascinating Facts About Indus Valley Civilization

Indus valley civilization was a bronze age civilization located in south Asia, extending from today’s Afghanistan to Pakistan and northwest part of India. It was one of three early civilizations of the old world, other two were Ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia and it was the largest of all three. Just like any other ancient civilization, it flourished in the basins of Indus river which was equivalent of Nile in ancient Egypt.

Although the Indus valley civilization existed for thousands of years but historians divide its age into three different time periods. Mature Harappan period dated from 2600-1900 BCE, while early Harappan and late Harappan periods lasted from 3300-2600 and 1900-1300 BCE respectively. Harappa was the most prominent city and it was also the first city discovered by archaeologists which is why Indus valley civilization is also known as Harappa civilization.

Before jumping into the list let’s clear one point, Indus valley people were literate and had a language, but for some reason we still can’t read their language so, everything we know about them is due to archaeology.

 

 
 

10. They Were Ahead Of Their Time

An artist’s reconstruction of the gateway and drain at the city of Harappa (image via; sci-news.com)
An extremely sophisticated and technically advanced culture of its time is evident throughout the Indus valley civilization. The cities that were built by them were absolutely amazing, particularly “Harappa” and “Mohenjo-Daro”. They had the dense cluster of multistory nonresidential buildings, homes that were constructed using uniformly sized baked bricks, some homes were in a special orientation to catch the wind and provide natural form of air conditioning, they even had their own version of flushing toilets.

The people of Indus valley civilization placed high priority on hygiene too. Harappa and mohenjo-daro had the world’s first sanitation system. Most homes were connected with the centralized drainage system to carry waste and water with the help of gravity, this kind of system was pinnacle for 18th century Europe. The ancient Indus sewage and drainage system that were used throughout the Indus region, were leagues ahead of any contemporary urban city of middle east. It is also believed that their drainage system was more efficient than those in many areas of today’s India and Pakistan.

There’s an apparent indication of some kind of government that were taking and implementing complex decisions. Construction of cities were done in highly uniform and a well planned grid pattern. They probably didn’t have monarchy system, but had different rulers for different cities.

9. The Great Bath of Indus Valley Civilization

One of the most captivating things about the Indus valley civilization is that the largest built structure by them wasn’t any temple or monumental building, which is commonly seen in contemporary civilizations like Ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia, instead it was a public bath in Mohanjo-Daro named The great bath.

The 11×7 meters bath had the depth of around 2.5m. It had two wide staircases from north and south that served as the entry to the pool. A hole was also found at the end of the bath, which might have been used to drain water into it. The floor and walls of pool was water tight due to finely fitted bricks and the mud laid with gypsum plaster. The sides and the floor of the pool were covered with a thick layer of waterproof tar.

Although the exact purpose of the great bath is still much debated. But most scholars believe that it was built for religious purposes, a kind of ritual which is still practiced today in India, but mostly among Hindus, Jains and Buddhists. Indus valley people may have believed that the water purify and renew the soul of bather.

8. They Had Highly Skilled Craftsmen

The Engineering skills of Indus valley people were remarkable, they developed some new techniques in metallurgy and produced elements like copper, bronze, lead and tin. Various sculptures, seals, vessels pottery, gold jewelry and anatomically detailed figures have been found in archaeological sites that are made out of various materials such as terracotta, bronze, gold and satellite. Those people had mastered many crafts including shell working, ceramics, agate and satellite bead making. They were also obsessed with ornaments like necklaces and bangles, which is evident in almost all phases of Harappan culture. Some of these crafts are still practiced in the subcontinent today. Their extraordinary craftsmanship is manifest with highly detailed dancing figures of females with cylindrical limbs that they made using terracotta. Some historians call these crafted figures almost impossible to be developed by the people of 3rd millennium BCE.

7. Astonishing Seals

It’s now widely accepted among historians that people from Indus valley civilization traded goods with Mesopotamia and probably Egypt. Perhaps they were even the first people to use wheel transport. But the most interesting things that they produced were “seals” that they used as identification markers on goods and clay tablets.

These seals contain a written language that we still can’t read and a lot of interesting designs of fantastical creatures, animals and people (probably gods). But the most famous and profound seal is the one called Pachupati seal. In this seal a three headed man with Buffalo horns on his middle head is sitting between a tiger and a bull. The exact meaning of the image isn’t well understood but it’s purported to be the earliest depiction of Hindu god “Shiva”, who’s also regarded as the “lord of animals”. The man is sitting with legs bent in a position that he seems to be doing medication, some believe that it could also be the earliest example of practicing Yoga.

6. They Pioneered Buttons And Stepwell

The inventions and discoveries made by Indus valley civilization doesn’t sound interesting today, but they were great achievements at their time. We’re talking about the age when the rate of innovations was much lower than the modern time period, while number of inventions and discoveries done by humans didn’t skyrocket until 15th century or perhaps industrial revolution.

People of Indus valley civilization actually developed and used Buttons around 2000 BCE for ornamental purposes. Buttons were made out of seashells, some of them were carved into various geometric shapes. They had holes pierced into them, so that they can be attached by using thread. Earliest known button is found in Mohenjo-daro which is believed to be about 5000 years old.

Earliest apparent evidence of stepwell is also found in Indus valley civilization’s archeological site Mohenjo-Daro. It probably had religious significance which also seems to explain why later Buddhist and Jains adapted stepwells into their structures, both the ritual of bathing and stepwell reached other parts of the world with Buddhism.

 

 
 
 
 
 

Related Topics

 
 
 

Trending News & Articles

 Article
Nostradamus prediction : India will produce the immortal ruler

Quatrain 75, Century X Long awaited, he will not take birth in Europe,  India will produce the immorta...

Recently posted . 19K views . 2 min read
 

 Article
Dark side of Alauddin Khilji's sexuality and Baccha Bazi that led to his brutal death!

Secret's of Alauddin Khilji's sexuality Several historians argue that the roots of ancient Indian history, especially linked to ...

Recently posted . 8K views . 1 min read
 

 Article
Untold Truth Behind Rani Padmavati & Alauddin Khilji That You Need To Know

There are various challenging stories about Rani Padmavati otherwise known as Padmini. While from one viewpoint, the Rajputs keep up the holiness of everything iden...

Recently posted . 5K views . 1 min read
 

 Article
A newborn kangaroo is about as long as a paperclip

The kangaroo is a marsupial. A distinctive characteristic common to marsupials is that, with most, the young are carried around in a pouch. They are mainly found in...

Recently posted . 4K views . 1 min read
 

 
 

More in History & Classics

 Article
Aadhaar card linking MANDATORY with THESE 3 services

The linking of Aadhaar with PAN, bank account, mobile number, UAN and others have been in question since the government intended that every citizen should get their...

Recently posted. 723 views . 1 min read
 

 Article
Bombay High Court Judge Sets Record, Sits Till 3:30 in Morning to Dispose of Matters

Justice S J Kathawalla has been burning the midnight oil since the last one week to reduce pendency and finish hearing matters before the month-long summer break ki...

Recently posted. 790 views . 1 min read
 

 Article
Now go to jail if your car, bike doesn’t have high security number plates by 13 October

According to the transport department, there are 40 lakh vehicles in Delhi which still don't comply with the regulation high-security plates mandated by the S...

Recently posted. 1K views . 2 min read
 

 Video
Chanakya - On beliefs



Recently posted . 1K views
 

 Photo
Top 7 Extinct Human Species



Recently posted . 4K views
 

 Article
Traffic restrictions in Delhi for Independence Day rehearsal

Delhi Police has imposed several traffic restrictions while security has also been increased for Independence Day parade rehearsal.

Recently posted. 701 views . 0 min read
 

 Article
NSG commandos conduct mock drill at Delhi Metro airport express line

A counter-terror unit of NSG commandos on Saturday led a three-hour-long mock drill at a Delhi Metro station situated on the air terminal express line. T...

Recently posted. 876 views . 7 min read
 

 
 
 

   Prashnavali

  Thought of the Day

इस बात को कभी व्यक्त मत कीजिये कि आपने क्या करने के लिए सोचा है, अपनी बुद्धिमानी से इसे रहस्य बनाये रखिये और इस काम को करने के लिए हमेशा दृढ रहिये!!
Anonymous

Be the first one to comment on this story

Close
Post Comment
Shibu Chandran
2 hours ago

Serving political interests in another person's illness is the lowest form of human value. A 70+ y old lady has cancer.

November 28, 2016 05:00 IST
Shibu Chandran
2 hours ago

Serving political interests in another person's illness is the lowest form of human value. A 70+ y old lady has cancer.

November 28, 2016 05:00 IST
Shibu Chandran
2 hours ago

Serving political interests in another person's illness is the lowest form of human value. A 70+ y old lady has cancer.

November 28, 2016 05:00 IST
Shibu Chandran
2 hours ago

Serving political interests in another person's illness is the lowest form of human value. A 70+ y old lady has cancer.

November 28, 2016 05:00 IST


ads
Back To Top