Planned Cities on the Indus Chapter 2 section 3

The Geography of South Asia South Asia – modern India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh is a subcontinent. It is separated from the rest of Asia by tall mountains (the Himalayas and the Hindu Kush).

Just below the mountains are two large plains that hold the Ganges and Indus rivers. The high mountains gave the people safety from invaders. Because they lived close to the sea, the people could travel over the water to trade with other people.

The people along the Indus River faced many of the same challenges that the people in Mesopotamia did. Their river flooded each year and left soil good for farming.

But the floods did not occur at the same time each year But the floods did not occur at the same time each year. Also the river sometimes changed course

The region’s weather caused problems, too. Each winter, strong winds blew dry air across the area. Each spring, the winds brought heavy rains. These seasonal winds are called monsoons.

Civilizations Emerges on the Indus

Historians cannot understand the writings of the people who settled in the Indus Valley. So, they have not learned much about these people.

They do know that they were farming along the river by about 3200 B.C.

They also know that the culture of these people covered an area larger than either Mesopotamia or Egypt.

About 2500 B. C. , these people also began building their first cities About 2500 B.C., these people also began building their first cities. They were Harappa, Mohenjo-Daro, and Lothal.

In Mesopotamia, cities were a jumble of winding streets. Dholavira In Mesopotamia, cities were a jumble of winding streets. Ur

In the Indus Valley, however, the builders carefully planned their cities. They made a grid (or blueprint) of streets.

Harrapa

Mohenjo-daro

Dholavira

Dholavira

Mohenjo-Daro

Some of the cities in the Indus Valley also had a system for carrying water and sewage.

They built an area called the citadel that was easy to defend They built an area called the citadel that was easy to defend. A citadel is a fort used to protect the city. All the important buildings were next to it.

The civilization of the Indus was peaceful The civilization of the Indus was peaceful. Because the houses were mostly alike, scholars think that the Indus culture did not have big differences in social classes.

Houses were one or two stories high, made of baked brick, with flat roofs, and were just about identical.

Each was built around a courtyard, with windows overlooking the courtyard. The outside walls had no windows. Each home had its own private drinking well and its own private bathroom.

Clay pipes led from the bathrooms to sewers located under the streets Clay pipes led from the bathrooms to sewers located under the streets. These sewers drained into nearby rivers and streams. This was a very advanced civilization!

Mohenjo-daro bath

Few weapons have been found at the sites of these cities Few weapons have been found at the sites of these cities. This indicates that warfare was not common.

These early people left an important mark on the region. Some religious objects include symbols that became part of the later Indian culture.

Historians also think that the people of Indus Valley traded with the people of Mesopotamia.