History
- First farming settlements appeared around 4000 BCE
- First signs of urbanization appeared around 3000 BCE
- Many towns were established around 2600 BCE
- Indus was at it's peak in 2500-2000 BCE
- Indus began to decline at around 1800 BCE
- The nomadic people called the Aryans migrated to the Indus valley around 1500 BCE
- It is widely believed that the Indus valley civilization saw the Aryan migration as an attack which caused their downfall
Geography
- Indus is located in modern North West India
- Indus was located next to the Indus river which helped them thrive
- Indus was also located next to the Ganges river.
- Harappa and Mohenjo Daro were some of the largest cities in ancient Indus
Economy
- Economy in the Indus valley civilization was based off of agriculture and trade
- The Indus people grew rice, wheat, cotton, and barley
- They also grew melons and peas
- Indus people used seals to sign documents
- Weights were used by officials to impose taxes
- Indus had a sophisticated trade system
Social Structure
- In ancient Indus there were ruling classes in the cities
- People of a certain class would teach their children how to do the job
- The Indus Valley civilization had local hierarchy
- People were born into social classes that could not be changed
- The Indus river valley civilization had adopted the caste system
- The caste system consisted of 4 main classes with priests and kings at the top, next are warriors, then artisans and merchants, and finally peasants
Government
- Cities were often ruled by local officials
- Rulers would often place weights to impose taxes
- Rulers were not as powerful as powerful as in other civilizations
- Rulers were more like governors.
Religion
- Believed in Hinduism and Buddhism
- Hindu hymns are in the Vedas
- In Hinduism people believed they would be reincarnated as a different animal
- There were many Hindu gods such as Brahma
- In Buddhism people believed in a being called Buddha
- Buddha was a person who achieved enlightenment through meditation
Achievements
- The Indus civilization studied astronomy
- The Indus civilization also established sewers and plumbing systems in their cities
- The Indus also domesticated animals
- The elephant was domesticated for it's ivory tusks
- Indus also had expensive materials and art
Architecture
- The Indus constructed grid roads in cities
- They had gravity driven plumbing
- They used bricks for their buildings
- Public baths were build by the Indus
- Storage facilities, marketplaces, and houses were also built