The Advance of Indus Valley Civilization

Overview

The Indus Valley civilization, 3300-1300 BCE, was known to be a Bronze age civilization (classified by the use of bronze in some aspects) and extended in the Northwestern regions of South Asia. Known to be one of the three early civilizations in East and South Asia, the Indus Valley civilization was the most extensive. The name Indus valley civilization comes from the fact that the earlier sites of Indus valley civilization were found in the plains of Indus river. First identified in 1921-22, the two major cities of Indus valley civilization were Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro, and these are present in the modern-day Pakistan.

The Indus valley civilization is considered to be the most advanced civilizations of its time and there is no denying this fact, as they had pioneering urban planning. Some special technical and political processes were used to govern the use of land and design for the environment. They had a very advanced drainage system and the architecture was great as well. Town planning was at its finest in Indus valley civilization, the well-built infrastructure and the way things were operated in the cities were a trademark of Indus valley civilization.

Salient Features of Indus Valley Civilization

The Indus valley civilization had many notable features and each and every one of those features made this civilization advanced and progressive. The town planning of this civilization made it evident that the people lived a very civilized and developed life, the cities were fascinatingly planned and the drainage system seems to have been scientifically built. Some cities had Citadels built to their West and the residential areas to the East of it. Here are some of the unique and advanced features of Indus valley civilization discussed in detail.

Infrastructure and Architecture

Many cities of the Indus valley civilization by 2600 BCE had established into large urban centers. Mohenjo-Daro is known not only to be the largest city of this civilization but also to be one of the first major urban centers of world. Mohenjo-Daro was located to the West of the Indus river and is considered to be one of the most sophisticated cities of that time. The city was built with great engineering techniques and urban planning. Harappa, another major city of this civilization had sculpted houses with a roof which was flat and constructed of red sand and clay.

Mohenjo-Daro and Harappa both had really similar organizations, both of these cities had citadels. The areas in the center of the city were fortified and guarded by well-made defensive structures. The higher buildings that were made because of these structures enabled the people to see the river (as the cities were situated along the river) or look over distances.

The Indus valley civilization was greatly organized and it is evident from many of their advancements in that era. A very progressive water drainage system and trash gathering system was one of the most characteristic features of this civilization. Granaries (a storehouse for grains) and public baths were present, and this gives a representation of how organized and developed the life was back in Indus valley civilization. This also shows an emphasis on hygiene and orderliness.

The Dockyards, warehouses, brick platforms and walls present the advanced architecture of the Harappan civilization. The walls built, were big and served as a defensive barrier as well as protection from floods. Mohenjo-Daro had a large public bathing area called the great bath.

The Great Bath

The great bath has to be one of the most striking features of the city Mohenjo-Daro or the Indus valley civilization in general. There is a large quadrangle with a swimming pool in the middle and steps are present on the either side of the pool that served as entry points. 8ft walls are known to surround the great bath. Rooms were located along the building and one of them had a well which may have provided the water required to fill the pool. A hole was present at one end of the bath and was used to drain water. The construction of this bath is remarkably solid, as it has withstood many natural disasters along the passage of time. According to some scholars the bath may have been used for special religious functions.

Drainage System

The cities of the Indus valley civilization were provided by a marvelous closed drainage system. The houses had their own drainage and a soak pit connecting to the main public drainage. The water channels were covered and had manholes at intervals. The manholes were used for cleaning or clearing any blockage. On the outskirts of the city large brick water channels were present to carry excess water. The drains were covered and were connected to large sewerage outlets which led the unclean water out of residential areas. The brick coverings of the channels in the drainage system were magnificent, as they never let the dirty water leak out. It is evident that cleanliness was a matter of great concern for them. Brick-lined drainage system was present for the removal of rain water. All in all, the drainage system of the Indus valley civilization showed unparalleled engineering skills of that time.

Granaries

Granaries are known to be the largest buildings in the cities of Indus valley civilization. Some estimates suggest that the granaries were 45.70 meters long 15.21 meters wide. The granaries stored grains and hence served as storehouses for grains. These granaries were really useful as the grains were continually stored in them, so that they can be used in case of emergency. A total of six granaries are thought to be existed in cities, and brick platforms served the basis for these granaries.

Buildings

Most of the houses and other buildings in the cities were built by the side of roads. The houses were made of burnt brick, and terraced houses were built. Some of the houses were single storied and some were more than one storied and were designed around an inner courtyard, paved floors and kitchen were also present. Apart from these residential structures, some buildings are known to have large halls like that of a palace, used to hold important meetings. Workmen had separate quarters. All of the buildings had good supply of water, public wells were present and a Dockyard had also been built.

Innovations

Besides the other great advancements that the people of Indus valley civilization had achieved in town planning, architecture and stuff, they also had made advances in measurements. This was a big step forward and probably one of the main reasons behind their advanced civilization. They had accurate tools and systems for the measurement of physical quantities like length and mass. Take the Fire bricks for example, they all were uniform in size and were used to build some of the most important structures. The consistency in brick size shows that their system of measurements was spot on but of course few in accuracies were expected as in any other system.

Seal carving is one of another very well-known features of the people of Indus valley civilization. This involves cutting of shapes or patterns into the face of a seal. Distinctive seals with distinctive patterns were used for the identification of specific property. Seals with animal figures carved on them are one of the artifacts discovered in the cities of Indus valley.

People of Indus valley civilization had also developed new techniques in metallurgy. People also made handicraft products using different techniques.

Trade and Transport

Harappans were involved in a sea trade network which extended from Central Asia to the Middle East. As economy is an integral part of any community or civilization, the economy of Indus valley civilization relied mainly on trade. This made advancements in transport necessary because trade wouldn’t be possible without the help of a good transport system. It is thought that the people of Indus valley civilization may have been the earliest ones to use wheeled transports such as an Ox-cart. Supported by some archeological discoveries, it is claimed that the people had also built boats and other watercrafts. Cotton and Silk were also manufactured. The trades mainly focused on importing raw material and minerals so that they could be used in workshops. The discovery of Harappan seals and ornaments in some archeological sites of Mesopotamia suggests that trade had also been happened between the Indus valley civilization and Mesopotamian civilization.

Conclusion

All of the characteristics features explained show how advance the people of Indus valley civilization were. They used great engineering techniques and kept bringing on innovations. The ruins of these cities are a perfect evidence of their fascinating town planning and organization. Widely organized streets, large meetings halls, terraced houses arranged around an inner courtyard, incredible drainage system and trash disposable system shows that they lived a very advanced and developed life. Compared to their contemporaries, the level of urbanization of Indus valley civilization was unmatched and this is why they are considered one of the most advanced civilizations.