Indus Valley Civilization Facts
Indus Valley Civilization remains one of the greatest mysteries of the ancient civilization of the world but how vast are you when it comes to the Bronze age of civilization? Below are some interesting and unknown facts about the Indus Valley civilization;
1. Interestingly, the Indus Valley civilization is believed to be about 8,000 years old.
2. With over 1,260,000 square kilometers, the Indus Valley Civilization boasts the largest in comparison with other ancient civilizations.
3. It is believed that the Indus Civilization had a population of over 5 million people with the majority of the people mostly artisans or traders.
4. Archaeologist suggests that the people of Indus Valley might have invented dice cubes and chess games having found flat stones with engraved markings.
5. Quite interesting to know that majority of the cities in the Indus Valley were designed in form of grid patterns.
6. In contrast to other ancient civilizations, the people of Indus Valley exhibited a high level of standardization and coordination.
7. Sanitation and drainage system in Indus Valley was top-notch and well planned.
8. The largest known Harappan site is about 550 hectares and it is called the Rakhigarhi.
9. The oldest Indus Civilization site is about 7500 B.C.E old and it is called the Bhirrana.
10. Burnt bricks were often used in the construction of houses and public buildings during the Indus Valley Civilization.
11. Majority of the houses back then were either two-storeyed or three-storeyed buildings.
12. Interestingly, the people of the Indus Valley Civilization lived a healthy and hygienic life.
13. The people of Indus Valley were so ahead of others that they had dams and reservoirs to ensure enough water supply throughout the year and avoid flooding.
14. They had in-depth knowledge of metallurgy such that they were one of the first producers of lead, copper, tin, and bronze.
15. Archaeologists believe that dentistry was first practiced in Indus Valley between 5,000-7,000BC.
16. The people of Indus Valley were great innovators such that they created a technique to help measure the purity of Gold.
17. They were the first to produce cotton on an industrial scale.
18. Innovation wasn’t their problem as they made buttons from seashells and dates back to 2800-2600 BCE.
19. Archaeologists’ finding suggests they owned the oldest signboard in the world with over 30cm in height.
20. Art and Craft was already their thing before the modern age with an archaeologist named Sir Johnson Marshall finding a dancing girl statue that dates back to thousands of years ago.
21. The decline or dissertation of the Indus Valley people was quite mysterious as no one could place what happened to them.
22. Despite their high level of organization and coordination, it was very difficult to point to a governing body or council in charge of infrastructure and leadership.
23. It is believed that the majority of the people of the Indus Valley were egalitarian as there was no known temple or palace to always pay homage to.
24. Unlike other ancient civilizations, it is believed that the people of the Indus Valley were almost at peace with each other as there was no record or evidence of warfare.
25. The Lothal City was one of the most popular cities in the Indus Valley Civilization and was integral to the development of the city has served as a port for trading, business, and communication.
26. It boasts of the oldest script in the world and it’s called the Harappan Script which remains unsolved to date.
27. They hold the record for the oldest and most precise ancient ruler used in measuring the height and width of objects.
28. Sheep, goats, dogs, and elephants were often domesticated in Indus Valley Civilization.
29. Mohenjodaro and Harappa were the main capital of Indus Valley Civilizations.
30. Majority of the seals used in the Indus Valley civilization were made of gold, agate, ivory, chert, and terracotta.
31. Seals were often used for commercial purposes in Indus Valley civilizations.
32. It is believed that the majority of the villages in Indus Valley civilizations were either made of timber or mud.
33. Their lifestyle and culture remain a mystery as there wasn’t any trace of such.
34. The largest city in Indus Valley civilization was the Mohenjo-Daro with over 300 hectares in terms of area.
35. A lot of planning went into Indus Valley as their primary streets were located along the North-South direction while their secondary streets were majorly in the East-West direction.
36. Interestingly, the streets in Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro enjoyed a spacing of about 10.5m.
37. Each neighborhood in Indus Valley Civilization had a particular profession they indulged in.
38. Their level of cleanliness was second to none as they had dustbins along the roads in their major cities such as Mohenjodaro.
39. Each City in the Indus Valley is believed to have at least one Great Bath.
40. It is believed that they once worshipped trees and fire known as Peepal and Havan Kund respectively.
41. The lord of animals is often called Pashupati Mahadeva.
42. One of their major foundation in terms of a profession is Agriculture.
43. The smallest city in the Indus Valley is called Allahdino.
44. Buttons in the Indus Valley civilization were used majorly as ornaments rather than do utility purposes.
45. Their kitchen utensils were surprisingly made of earth and stones.
46. Many Archaeologist believes the majority of the Indus Valley inhabitants were children.
47. The people of Indus Valley also engaged in bead making.
48. Majority of the houses in Indus Valley were designed in a way that would prevent noise and dust.
49. Quite interesting to know that Indus Valley had a jaw-dropping 80 public toilets and about 700 wells.
50. The Mehrgarh in the Indus Valley was popularly known as the Farming Village.
51. It is believed that the people of the Indus Valley civilization could read and write.
52. Indus Valley had a second major river called Ghaddar but dried up mysteriously about 2000BC ago.
53. Quite astonishing that a city well organized as the Indus Valley doesn’t have any form of security forces such as the Police or Army.
54. Crops grown in the Indus Valley Civilization include grapes, dates, watermelon, and mustards.
55. Interestingly, the spoils gotten from the capital of the Indy Valley are now a UNESCO world heritage site.
Do you know that ancient Egyptians invented toothpaste as far back as 5000BC? Check out 24 Interesting Facts about Ancient Civilization to discover more facts.