Brief Summary
This video explores the history of the Indus Valley Civilization, focusing on its origins, major cities like Mehrgarh, Harappa, and Mohenjo Daro, and its eventual decline. It discusses the discoveries made by archaeologists, the artifacts found, and the ongoing mysteries surrounding the civilization's script and disappearance.
- The Indus Valley Civilization, one of the oldest in the world, thrived around the Indus River.
- Key cities like Harappa and Mohenjo Daro showcase advanced urban planning and trade connections.
- The civilization's script remains undeciphered, and its sudden decline is still a mystery.
Introduction: The Historical Identity of Pakistan
The video addresses the question of who the historical inhabitants of the Pakistan region around the Indus River are, including the descendants of the Indus Valley Civilization, Aryans, Turks, Arabs, Persians, and Mongols. It highlights the confusion surrounding Pakistan's historical identity and aims to clarify the people who historically lived in the region.
The Dawn of Civilization: Mehrgarh and the Indus Valley
Around 9000 years ago, the mud walls of Mehrgarh, located in Balochistan, Pakistan, marked the beginning of the largest known civilization in human history: the Indus Valley Civilization, also known as the Harappan Civilization. This civilization spread across a vast area of present-day Pakistan and India, encompassing about 800,000 square kilometers with five major cities and 2,000 settlements, housing at least one million people. The inhabitants lived in concrete houses, traded with distant areas, wore jewelry, and enjoyed festivals, showcasing a modern and advanced society that flourished for thousands of years before mysteriously disappearing 3,900 years ago.
Rediscovering a Lost World: The Unearthing of Harappa
The Harappan civilization vanished, leaving people unaware for 3,500 years that they were standing on its ruins. Despite various groups coming to India, the significance of these ruins was not recognized, with locals misinterpreting them as mounds of the dead or the abode of ancient giants. The rediscovery began when some individuals took a closer look at the crumbling ruins, leading to surprising revelations. The first city discovered was Harappa in Punjab, but its bricks were unfortunately used for construction by locals and during the British rule for the Multan-Lahore railway track, causing significant damage to the site.
Charles Mason's Discovery and Early Research Efforts
James Lewis, also known as Charles Mason, a British spy working for the East India Company, first recognized the historical importance of Harappa during his mission in Punjab. He reported traces of a fort and buildings to the company, suggesting it might have been a large ancient city destroyed by Alexander the Great. The name Harappa, according to one theory, comes from the Punjabi word 'Harap,' meaning to devour, reflecting the city's destruction over time. Although Mason brought Harappa's significance to the East India Company's attention, research was delayed until after Raja Ranjit Singh's death in 1849, when the British took control of Punjab.
Alexander Cunningham and the Archaeological Survey of India
After Punjab was taken over by the East India Company in 1859, the British established the Archaeological Survey of India to research the region's history. Alexander Cunningham, the Director General from 1871 to 1885, initiated excavations at Harappa. A significant discovery during this time was a seal with the image of a bull without a hump and unintelligible words. Cunningham initially believed the seal was not of Indian origin because Indian bulls typically have humps.
The Harappan Seal and the Discovery of the Unicorn
The discovery of the Harappan seal suggested that Harappa was linked to an ancient and advanced civilization. Cunningham's realization, however, lacked definitive proof due to the limited technology for dating ancient objects. The seal was taken to the British Museum in London. Further research in 1877 led Cunningham to believe the seal contained words from an ancient Hindi script dating back to the 5th century BCE. Additional seals found in the 1880s revealed the image of a unicorn, an imaginary animal, connecting the Indus Valley to ancient folklore and suggesting the unicorn concept traveled to Europe through this civilization.
John Marshall and the Excavation of Harappa
In 1912, photographs of the Harappan seals were published, sparking the interest of John Marshall, the Director General of the Archaeological Survey. He expedited excavation work at Harappa, leading to the discovery of more items and seals. Marshall believed Harappa could unlock new chapters in India's history. From 1921 to 1924, Indian archaeologist Diya Ram Sahni oversaw the excavation.
Mohenjo Daro: The Mound of the Dead
Around 1919 and 1920, the discovery of Mohenjo Daro near Larkana in Sindh, meaning 'Mound of the Dead,' shook the world. Initially, experts thought a domed-like building there was a Buddhist worship place. However, archaeologist Rakhal Das Bannerji found seals identical to those from Harappa, confirming that both cities were part of the same great civilization. This civilization was distinct from other Indian civilizations, with no apparent influence from Buddhism, Hinduism, or external sources, suggesting it developed independently.
Unveiling Mohenjo Daro: A Planned City
John Marshall, fascinated by the Indus Valley Civilization, initially estimated it to be at least 3,000 years old. Experts researching ancient cities in Mesopotamia (Iraq) discovered similar unicorn seals, suggesting the civilization was 4,000 to 5,000 years old. Some even theorized that the people of Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro migrated from Iraq. Ernest Mackay, an expert on the Cimmerian civilization, influenced the name change to Indus Valley Civilization. From 1926 to 1931, Mackay meticulously excavated Mohenjo Daro, revealing a city with streets, sewer lines, and walls.
Key Discoveries at Mohenjo Daro: Priest-King and the Great Bath
The excavation of Mohenjo Daro revealed significant artifacts, including the statue of the 'Priest King,' adorned with a crown and a floral shawl, suggesting a royal or religious figure. The Great Bath, measuring 39 feet in length, 23 feet in breadth, and 8 feet in depth, was another premier discovery, possibly the oldest bathing pool in the world. Mohenjo Daro was remarkably well-preserved compared to Harappa, showcasing advanced urban planning with large houses, a network of streets, canals, and a sophisticated water drainage system.
Mohenjo Daro: Trade, Script, and Peaceful Society
Mohenjo Daro's main street was 11 meters wide, and every house had a water well, demonstrating an advanced system that still functions today. The city, estimated to have a population of 40,000 to 200,000, traded with civilizations in Iraq and Egypt via the Arabian Sea, as evidenced by boat carvings on stones. Ancient Iraqi writings mention a city called Maluha, believed to be Mohenjo Daro, through which goods were sent to Iraq and Egypt. Necklaces of precious stones from the Indus Valley have been found in Iraqi royal cemeteries. The Indus Valley people used a script in the form of pictures on seals, but this script remains undeciphered. The absence of weapons and fortifications suggests a peaceful society with a mysterious government system.
Religious Practices and Discoveries After 1947
Religious inferences are drawn from statues and seals, including a goddess statue and a three-faced deity with animal images. By 1947, 37 Indus Valley sites had been discovered in India. After the partition, work continued in both Pakistan and India, leading to the discovery of over 1,000 sites spread over 800,000 square kilometers. Excavations have yielded precious stone necklaces, pottery, figurines, toy bullock carts, seals, and sports articles, preserved in museums in London, Pakistan, and India. Cemeteries revealed beliefs in life after death, with utensils and food buried alongside human remains.
Origins and Mysteries: Mehrgarh and the End of the Civilization
Two major questions about the Indus Valley Civilization are its origin and its sudden disappearance. Experts believe the civilization originated in Mehrgarh, Balochistan, predating the Iraqi and Egyptian civilizations. Mehrgarh's inhabitants, dating back 8,000 to 9,000 years, spread throughout the Indus Valley, building cities like Mohenjo Daro and Harappa. The end of the Indus Valley Civilization remains a mystery, with theories including a long dry spell, Aryan invasion, deforestation, and the drying up of the Saraswati River.
Theories on the Decline and the Undeciphered Script
The decline of the Indus Valley Civilization was gradual, divided into Early, Middle, and Late Harappan periods, with the last traces dating back to 1900 BCE. The fate of its inhabitants is unknown. Excavating major sites, finding further remains, and deciphering the Indus script may reveal this secret. The Indus Valley script remains undeciphered due to the small sample sizes and lack of related texts. The video concludes by mentioning the arrival of the Aryans after the Indus Valley Civilization and promises a discussion on their role in the next vlog.
