Indus Valley Civilization- Discovery, Recovery, Decline

Indus Valley Civilization (IVC), also known as Harappan Civilization, was the beginning of the history of India. The civilization is dated between 2600 BC and 1900 BC, after which it started declining. Out of the world’s four ancient civilizations, including Mesopotamia, Egypt, India, and China, the Indus Valley Civilization is considered the largest. It is also known as the bronze age civilization.

Discovery And Recovery Of The Indus Valley Civilization

In the year 1912, John Fleet working with the Indian Civil Services discovered several Harappan seals, which led to an excavation campaign by the Director-General of the Archaeological Survey of India, John Marshall. This resulted in discovering two old cities, i.e. Harappa in the Punjab region in 1921 and then Mohenjo-Daro in 1922 near the Indus River in the Sindh region.

Important Sites Of Indus Valley Civilization

Site	Location	Importance
Harappa	Punjab(Pakistan)	Infrastructure: World’s first known Urban Sanitation systemWell-ordered wastewater drainage and trash collection system Considered to be more advanced than urban sites of the Middle East   Architecture: Presence of dockyards, granaries, warehouses, brick platforms Massive Walls to protect the Harappan from floods and other military conflicts TechnologyHad great knowledge in working with copper, bronze, and tin and used various new techniques in metallurgy
Mohenjo-Daro	Larkana district of Punjab(Pakistan)	Architecture:A large and public bathing and a social area called the “Great Bath.”Includes advanced architecture such as granaries, dockyards, warehouses, etc. Art:A figure of “Priest-King” displaying beard and patterned robe.Statuette named “Dancing girl” shows a female figure in a dance form which is 11 cm high and 4000 years old.  Includes sculptures, seals, pottery, gold jewellery and terracotta figurines.  Religion:A seal called the “Pashupati Seal” shows an image of the three-eyed figure, which is believed to be an early form of Lord Shiva.A seal showing a half-human, half buffalo monster attacking a tiger.
Chanhudaro	Sindh on the Indus river	Known as the “Lancashire of India”Considered to be centre for manufacturing of carnelian beadsArchaeologists have found copper artefacts, including knives, spears, razors, axes, tools, etc.Discovery of a small pot which is thought to be an inkpot
Lothal	Gujarat	Architecture:World’s earliest known dockyardConsidered to be 22m long and 37m wide.Considered to be the greatest work of maritime architecture Technical Advancement:Provided accommodation to craftsmen, coppersmiths, goldsmiths, and bead-makersHundreds of carnelian beads, tools, and raw material were recovered, signifying highly skilled bead makers.
Surkotada	Gujarat	Harappans built a fortified citadel & residential annexe made out of mud brick, mud lumps, and rubble. A good number of bones of horses were also recovered. Horse remains were 1% of all animal remains.
Dholavira	Gujarat	Considered being a remarkable and well-preserved urban settlementA hub of manufacturing jewellery made of shells and semi-precious stones like agate Cascading series of water reservoirsArtefacts include gold and copper ornaments, terracotta pottery, beads, etc.
Kalibangan	Rajasthan	The presence of fire altars depicts that people believed in the worship of fire.Discovery of ploughed field along with wooden furrowFound 7 fire altars in a row suggesting the practice of sacrificeCharging bull called the “realistic and powerful folk art of Harappan Age” was found

The Decline Of Indus Valley Civilization

Indus valley civilization came to an end around 1800 BCE. The causes of the decline of this civilization have not been firmly established, but the archaeologist believes it was due to climate change and migration. 

Climate Change Theory

The population was dependent on seasonal monsoons rather than developing an irrigation facility. When the monsoon shifted eastward, reducing the water supply, it forced the Harappan to migrate towards the Ganga basin in the East and establish smaller villages and farms. These small villages were unable to continue the trade with Egypt and Mesopotamia. They could not produce agricultural surpluses to support large cities. This led to the decline of the Indus Valley Civilization.

Aryan Invasion Theory 

A theory given by British archaeologist Mortimer Wheeler states that Indo-European tribes, i.e. Aryans conquered the Indus River Valley. He stated that based on the unburied corpses found in Mohenjo-Daro archaeological sites, they were victims of war. The Aryans were believed to have horses and advanced weapons that led to the defeat of the Harappan people. 

Various scholars later contradicted this theory by stating that it could be skeletons of remains of hasty burials. In later cultures, they found various elements of the Indus Valley Civilization, suggesting civilization did not disappear suddenly due to an invasion. They focused more on the theory that Harappan culture assimilated with the Aryan people during their migration into northwest India.

Other Natural Disasters

Many believe that Indus Valley Civilization collapsed due to movement in Earth’s crust that led to a dramatic shift in river courses which might have brought a flood to the areas. The cities were closely linked to the river, and hence there was a terrible effect of its flow on them. Due to these natural causes, there was a slow but inevitable collapse of the Indus Valley Civilization. 

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