A More In-Depth Look at the Indus River Civilization
CitiesThe 3 major cities of the Indus River Valley Civilization were Mohenjo-Daro, Harappa, and Dholavira. They had streets in a grid-like pattern which makes us believe that the layout of the cities was planned before they were built. The cities also had thick walls for protection and a Great Bath, shown on the right, which was most likely used for ritual bathing or religious ceremonies. Harappan houses were made of brick clay and usually were two stories high. In addition, each house had clay sewage pipes that led to the near by river for disposal.
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Organized GovernmentThe fact that the bricks in different cities hundreds of miles away from each other are the same dimensions, signifies a common government that ruled over the entire Indus River Valley. This government regulated economic systems and also seemed to be responsible for the planning of the cities because they all have similar layouts. There was some sort of actual ruling body, however we are unsure of exactly what type. Historians believe there was a ruling king or high priest who governed the civilization.
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Writing SystemWe know that the Indus River Valley Civilization had trading contacts with Mesopotamia, China, and the Mediterranean and was open to the influence of these cultures, but it ended up developing its own unique form of writing, which still hasn't been fully deciphered to this day. The writing consists of approximately 2,000 different seals and is very difficult to decipher because the texts are very brief, with an average of 5 seals per text, and the language isn't based off of any other known language.
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