How old are streetlights, dice, weights, toilets, and covered drainage? One could safely answer: at least as old as Moenjodaro - an Indus Valley site estimated to be 5,000 years old.
Moenjodaro, literally the mound of the dead, is an archaeological site in Pakistan on the banks of the river Indus in Sind some 350 miles due north of Karachi (about 40 minutes by air). Along with Harrappa, which is a further 400 miles north, Moenjodaro are the major sites of the Indus Valley Civilization.
The Indus Valley Civilization
The Civilization spanned much of the northern half of the subcontinent with more than 200 existing sites suggesting an empire with a distinct culture. How this great civilization began is not clear. It seems to have burst upon the scene quite suddenly and having arrived, held sway over an extensive segment of the subcontinent. While its beginnings are obscure, the civilization is known to be contemporaneous with Egyptian and Mesopotamian civilizations.
Moenjodaro and its twin city Harrappa are believed to have each supported a population of 30,000 in an area of about 3 km in circumference. Each site is built around a heavily fortified citadel with the main city laid out around it in rectangular blocks. Among the prominent structures of the citadel area is the great bath. Adjoining the bath is another remarkable structure, believed to be the granary. Grain was clearly a measure of wealth and the Indus people stored it on raised platforms with provisions for air circulation to avoid spoilage. The structures on the citadel emphasize the authority that emanated from it. The government of the city was probably vested in the priest-king who held both temporal as well as religious authority. This was also the form of government that was followed at the time.
Moenjodaro
In its heyday Moenjodaro was a teeming metropolis. The residential area is neatly arranged in a grid of paved streets. All dwellings, rich and poor alike, were well planned. Baked brick is used throughout. Many houses had their own wells. Vehicular traffic however, did not enter the residential quarter of the city. The bullock cart now seen in the interior of Sind is identical to that used in Moenjodaro. Even the length of the axle has not changed as the wheel ruts on Moenjodaro’s ancient roads have shown.
Indus Crafts
All kinds of crafts flourished at Moenjodaro and the city’s artisans used a variety of materials including copper and bronze. Their jewelers used gold and precious stones for ornaments. An abundance of pottery - distinctive, well-made and usually decorated has been discovered at the site. Few precious objects or statues have been found. It is believed they were carried off in the final destruction of the city. Art objects, few as they are, exhibit sensitivity to beauty and form. The Indus craftsmen liked to look at the lighter side of life as well as their humorous pieces show.
The objects found at the site tell the story of the Indus Valley Civilization. Among the more significant finds is a collection of seals. The seals depict religious or ritualistic scenes. The Indus people enshrined on their seals the animals they knew and these include elephants, rhinos as well as a single-horned animal similar to the unicorn. The seals also bear inscriptions in the Indus language of which 96 distinct characters have been identified – too few to allow the language to be read. Indus seals appear to bear the stamp of authority though how they were used is not clear.
The Indus economy was agricultural harvesting wheat, barley, oats, millets as well as vegetables. They also raised cattle and goats and cast the Indus for fish. They sailed in boats similar to the present day Gulf dhows. Trade flourished on the Indus and beyond. Bahrain now believed to be the ancient city of Dilmun, was a trading partner of the Indus people.
It is believed Moenjodaro came to an abrupt and violent end. The city was apparently put to the torch and disappeared from view buried under the alluvium of the Indus. Moenjodaro remained buried till 1922 when the site was discovered. Moenjodaro of today is also under siege but this time the threat is posed by salinity and water logging which are eroding the foundations of the site and could destroy them completely. A U.N. assisted preservation program to save the site is in place but a much bigger effort is needed.
Author Sunil S.
Moenjodaro, literally the mound of the dead, is an archaeological site in Pakistan on the banks of the river Indus in Sind some 350 miles due north of Karachi (about 40 minutes by air). Along with Harrappa, which is a further 400 miles north, Moenjodaro are the major sites of the Indus Valley Civilization.
The Indus Valley Civilization
The Civilization spanned much of the northern half of the subcontinent with more than 200 existing sites suggesting an empire with a distinct culture. How this great civilization began is not clear. It seems to have burst upon the scene quite suddenly and having arrived, held sway over an extensive segment of the subcontinent. While its beginnings are obscure, the civilization is known to be contemporaneous with Egyptian and Mesopotamian civilizations.
Moenjodaro and its twin city Harrappa are believed to have each supported a population of 30,000 in an area of about 3 km in circumference. Each site is built around a heavily fortified citadel with the main city laid out around it in rectangular blocks. Among the prominent structures of the citadel area is the great bath. Adjoining the bath is another remarkable structure, believed to be the granary. Grain was clearly a measure of wealth and the Indus people stored it on raised platforms with provisions for air circulation to avoid spoilage. The structures on the citadel emphasize the authority that emanated from it. The government of the city was probably vested in the priest-king who held both temporal as well as religious authority. This was also the form of government that was followed at the time.
Moenjodaro
In its heyday Moenjodaro was a teeming metropolis. The residential area is neatly arranged in a grid of paved streets. All dwellings, rich and poor alike, were well planned. Baked brick is used throughout. Many houses had their own wells. Vehicular traffic however, did not enter the residential quarter of the city. The bullock cart now seen in the interior of Sind is identical to that used in Moenjodaro. Even the length of the axle has not changed as the wheel ruts on Moenjodaro’s ancient roads have shown.
Indus Crafts
All kinds of crafts flourished at Moenjodaro and the city’s artisans used a variety of materials including copper and bronze. Their jewelers used gold and precious stones for ornaments. An abundance of pottery - distinctive, well-made and usually decorated has been discovered at the site. Few precious objects or statues have been found. It is believed they were carried off in the final destruction of the city. Art objects, few as they are, exhibit sensitivity to beauty and form. The Indus craftsmen liked to look at the lighter side of life as well as their humorous pieces show.
The objects found at the site tell the story of the Indus Valley Civilization. Among the more significant finds is a collection of seals. The seals depict religious or ritualistic scenes. The Indus people enshrined on their seals the animals they knew and these include elephants, rhinos as well as a single-horned animal similar to the unicorn. The seals also bear inscriptions in the Indus language of which 96 distinct characters have been identified – too few to allow the language to be read. Indus seals appear to bear the stamp of authority though how they were used is not clear.
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The Indus economy was agricultural harvesting wheat, barley, oats, millets as well as vegetables. They also raised cattle and goats and cast the Indus for fish. They sailed in boats similar to the present day Gulf dhows. Trade flourished on the Indus and beyond. Bahrain now believed to be the ancient city of Dilmun, was a trading partner of the Indus people.
It is believed Moenjodaro came to an abrupt and violent end. The city was apparently put to the torch and disappeared from view buried under the alluvium of the Indus. Moenjodaro remained buried till 1922 when the site was discovered. Moenjodaro of today is also under siege but this time the threat is posed by salinity and water logging which are eroding the foundations of the site and could destroy them completely. A U.N. assisted preservation program to save the site is in place but a much bigger effort is needed.
Author Sunil S.
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