Knowra Indus Valley Civilisation Indus Valley Civilisation A Bronze Age urban civilization centered on the Indus River basin, flourishing from about 2600 to 1900 BCE. Its cities shared distinctive planning, craft traditions, and an undeciphered writing system.
Harappa : A major Indus city in Punjab, Pakistan, and the site that gave the Harappan civilization its name. Its excavated remains first helped establish the civilization’s archaeological identity.
Indus Valley Civilization trade : The exchange of goods within the Indus region and with neighboring societies, including Mesopotamia. Trade linked urban producers to distant markets and supplied materials absent from the Indus basin.
Early Harappan phase : The period of regional settlement growth and cultural development preceding the mature Indus urban phase. It shows the diverse local traditions from which large Indus cities emerged.
Indus script decipherment : Attempts to identify the language and reading system represented by Indus inscriptions. A reliable decipherment could clarify political, religious, and social life otherwise known mainly through archaeology.
Mesopotamia : An ancient civilization centered between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, with cities and written records from the fourth millennium BCE. Its readable texts and prominent rulers contrast with the Indus civilization’s undeciphered script and less visible political hierarchy.
Mohenjo-daro : A large Indus city in Sindh, Pakistan, notable for its planned streets and monumental public structures. Its dense urban remains make the civilization’s city planning especially visible.
Meluhha : A place named in Mesopotamian texts, commonly identified with the Indus region. Mesopotamian references to Meluhha offer rare written evidence of contact with the Indus world.
Kot Diji : An Early Harappan settlement in Sindh associated with a cultural phase preceding mature urbanism. Its fortified settlement and material culture illuminate developments before the urban peak.
Indus Valley Civilization religion : The religious practices and beliefs inferred from Indus objects, buildings, and burial evidence. Interpretations remain uncertain because no readable religious texts have been identified.
Ancient Egypt : A civilization centered on the Nile, known for dynastic kingship, monumental architecture, and hieroglyphic writing. Egypt’s royal monuments differ sharply from the Indus region’s comparatively modest evidence for centralized rulers.
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