Indus Valley Civilisation One-liner

Here are 50 one-liner facts about the Indus Valley Civilization:

1. The Indus Valley Civilization (IVC) was a Bronze Age civilization that flourished from 3300 BCE to 1300 BCE.
2. It was one of the three earliest civilizations of the ancient world, along with Egypt and Mesopotamia.
3. The IVC covered an area including much of modern-day Pakistan, northwestern India, and northeastern Afghanistan.
4. The civilization flourished in the alluvial plain of the Indus River and along monsoon-fed rivers in the vicinity of the Ghaggar-Hakra.
5. The term “Harappan” is sometimes used for the IVC, named after its first excavated city, Harappa.
6. The discovery of Harappa and Mohenjo-daro in the early 20th century marked the culmination of work begun after the founding of the Archaeological Survey of India in 1861.
7. The mature phase of the Harappan civilization lasted from c. 2600–1900 BCE.
8. The entire Indus Valley Civilisation may have lasted from the 33rd to the 14th centuries BCE.
9. At its peak, the IVC may have had a population between 4–6 million people.
10. The IVC developed advanced urban planning and efficient municipal governments.
11. Indus cities featured the world’s first known urban sanitation systems.
12. Houses in IVC cities opened only to inner courtyards and smaller lanes.
13. The ancient Indus systems of sewerage and drainage were more advanced than those in contemporary Middle Eastern sites.
14. IVC architecture included dockyards, granaries, warehouses, brick platforms, and protective walls.
15. Agriculture was the most important occupation in the IVC.
16. The IVC was the first civilization to cultivate cotton.
17. Animals domesticated in the IVC included sheep, goats, pigs, and possibly chickens.
18. Crops grown included wheat, barley, cotton, ragi, dates, and peas.
19. The IVC conducted trade with the Sumerians.
20. Indus merchants used carved stone seals to mark their goods.
21. The IVC developed at sites like Harappa from about 2500 BCE.
22. The largest IVC city, Mohenjo-daro, may have had a population of 35,000-41,250.
23. The IVC spanned approximately 486,489 square miles (1,260,000 square kilometers).
24. Over 1,056 IVC urban centers and villages have been identified, but only 96 have been excavated.
25. The earliest IVC settlement, Mehrgarh, was established around 7000 BCE.
26. Most IVC inhabitants were artisans and traders living in villages.
27. IVC cities were well-organized and not chaotic, unlike some contemporary cities in Mesopotamia or Egypt.
28. The IVC economy focused on agriculture, trade, and commerce.
29. Mesopotamian scribes referred to a flourishing trade with “Meluhha,” believed to be the IVC.
30. The IVC was the world’s first cotton producer, with evidence dating back to the 6th century BCE.
31. IVC farmers were the first to refine spinning and weaving techniques.
32. The IVC used a system of weights and measures made from limestone.
33. IVC artists were highly skilled, working with earthenware, copper, bronze, and native rocks.
34. The IVC perfected the early art of bead-making.
35. A notable rise in artistic endeavors occurred from the 3rd millennium BCE.
36. The famous “Dancing Girl” bronze sculpture demonstrates the IVC’s expertise in metal casting.
37. IVC artisans used a lost-wax casting technique millennia before the Greeks.
38. The IVC was a literate civilization, with a language tentatively identified as Dravidian.
39. The best-known IVC artifacts are seals depicting real and imaginary animals.
40. The end of the IVC is unclear, but Mohenjo-daro was attacked and destroyed in the mid-2nd millennium BCE.
41. There was continuity between the IVC and the Copper Age civilizations of central and western India in the south.
42. The IVC began declining around 1900 BCE.
43. Possible reasons for the IVC’s decline include invaders, climate change, floods, and diseases.
44. The IVC had two main capital cities: Harappa and Mohenjo-daro.
45. Most IVC cities had a similar pattern with two parts: a citadel and a lower town.
46. Many IVC cities featured a Great Bath.
47. IVC houses were typically two-storied and made of burnt bricks.
48. The IVC had excellent stormwater and wastewater management systems.
49. The Asian elephant was likely domesticated in the IVC.
50. There is evidence of continuity between the IVC and later cultures in the region.

Want to know more about IVC in Detail? Click here on Mohenjo-Daro, Harappa, Lothal, Kalibangan, Dholavira.