Indus Valley Civilization Research Paper

ANCIENT INDIA
Although the Indus Valley Civilization began approximately 5000 years ago, it was not discovered until the 1920’s. Interestingly, all of the information we have on this civilization comes from physical findings, as although we’ve discovered some of their writings, it has yet to be deciphered. No consensus has yet been made concerning the social organization, and there is very little information on the religion of the Indus Valley Civilizations. What we do know is that there were at least two major cities, and hundreds of small towns and villages, all displaying a well planned urbanization system (http://www.ancient.eu/Indus_Valley_Civilization/). There were wide streets, public and private wells, drains, bathing platforms and reservoirs (http://www.harappa.com/har/indus-saraswati.html). We also recognize that all evidence points to a peaceful people, with very few weapons being found and no signs of violence on either the human bones or building remains (http://www.ushistory.org/civ/8a.asp) found.
The Indus Civilization evolved near the Indus River due to the spacious and fertile land. The people were able to grow crops

and domesticate animals, as other cities who formed close to rivers were. Obviously, having a way to grow food led to the formation of settlements, as people no longer had to hunt for food. Surrounded by mountains, desert and the ocean, the Indus people also surrounded their city with high walls. The walls were not only to protect them from attacks, but also to protect the cities from natural disasters, such as flooding. According to ushistory.org, the settlements were built on giant platforms and elevated grounds to protect from the seasonal floods and polluted water. The buildings along the roads were all constructed of bricks that were uniform in size and they were all equipped with bathing areas supplied with water from neighborhood wells. Findings, such as sophisticated drainage systems that carried dirty water and sewage outside of living spaces, clearly suggest that these organized people also valued cleanliness. Even the smallest houses on the edges of the towns were connected to the drainage systems (http://www.ushistory.org/civ/8a.asp).
The remains of the civilization suggest that this was a egalitarian society, or basically, everyone was equal (https://sites.google.com/site/1ancientcivilizationsforkids/ancient-india). Even all of the houses were all approximately the same size; suggesting there were no true social classes. Although it is now widely accepted that everyone was equal, there may have been different social groups, such as those that lived closest to the city center, the laborers and the craftsmen (http://thesocialclassesoftheancientworld.blogspot.com/2012/02/social-classes-of-indus-river-valley.html).
Very little is known about the religious views of the Indians, but we do know that it was important to them.

Although there has been no evidence of practices, clay figurines have been discovered suggesting that religion was important to them. Along with these clay figurines, several thousand seals have been discovered. Possibly the most notable artifacts found, these seals seem to depict animals and people and show a little about the life and character of the Indus Valley people (https://www.sscnet.ucla.edu/southasia/History/Ancient/Indus2.html). For instance, the women portrayed on the seals are shown with elaborate coiffures and wearing heavy jewelry, both which suggests that they were a people with cultivated tastes and a refined aesthetic sensibility

(https://www.sscnet.ucla.edu/southasia/History/Ancient/Indus2.html).
There is also very little known about the laws of the time. The only information I ran across during my research is that it is apparent that women and children had no rights. According to the blog website “The Social Classes of Ancient Egypt, Babylon and Harappa”, which cites the Harappa website, “women had practically no rights and were not legalised to do anything without the direct permission of their husband, moreover males could do as they pleased with their wife and children without having to answer to any laws”.
No one knows what happened to the Indus Valley civilization, but it completely ended somewhere around 1500 BCE. Some theorize that the people were victims of an attack, while others believe that it was a gradual decline due to nature. Regardless of the reasons, as stated on timemaps.com, “the large, well-planned cities vanished” and it would be “a thousand years before cities, writing and organized states came again” to the region (http://www.timemaps.com/civilization-ancient-india2).
BIBLIOGRAPHY
http://www.ancient.eu/Indus_Valley_Civilization/
http://www.harappa.com/har/indus-saraswati.html
http://www.ushistory.org/civ/8a.asp
https://sites.google.com/site/1ancientcivilizationsforkids/ancient-india
http://thesocialclassesoftheancientworld.blogspot.com/2012/02/social-classes-of-indus-river-valley.html
https://www.sscnet.ucla.edu/southasia/History/Ancient/Indus2.html
http://www.timemaps.com/civilization-ancient-india2