Indus River: Revealing the mysterious decline of the world's largest civilization

Existing along the Indus River northwest of the Indian subcontinent between 2,800-1,800 BC, the Indus civilization or Harappa civilization is considered to be one of the greatest civilizations of mankind. antiquity type.

The Indus River civilization extended from the Arabian Sea to the Ganges River, corresponding to the area northwest of India, eastern Afghanistan and present-day Pakistan over an area of 1,250,000 km and thus in terms of large area. than Ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia combined. This civilization is one of the four most ancient civilizations in the world known to mankind today: Egypt, Mesopotamia, India and China.

To date, more than 1,050 sites have been identified, mostly along the Indus River. Over 140 cities and villages were found. The two largest urban centers are Harappan and Mohenjo-Daro, in addition to many large cities such as Dholavira, Ganweriwala, Lothal and Rakhigarhi.

It was not until recently that archaeologists were able to explain the cause of the collapse of this civilization - the world's first major cities. Archaeologists believe that climate change wiped out the Indus civilization, which flourished more than four thousand years ago.

Discover the magic of the Indus River civilization

The Indus River civilization was forgotten from the 1600s BC until the site was unearthed in 1922. Since then, a series of studies have uncovered a complex urban culture with its own unique features. Intra-city trade route was established. Archaeologists also discovered constructions, sanitation systems, art, science, and writing systems, associated with civilization. The international team took more than five years to combine satellite images and geological data to create a digital topographic map of the entire area where the Indus civilization once existed. .

Archaeologist Liviu Giosan of Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute (USA), leader of the research team, said:

"We have recreated the landscape of the delta, where the Indus civilization flourished about 5,200 years ago, but slowly disappeared between 3,000 and 3,900 years ago. So far, There is a lot of speculation about the connection between the Indus River civilization, the rivers that brought richness to the land where the people of that time lived."

According to archaeologists, the ruins of the city of Mohenjo - Daro are considered a real mystery, because no civilization could have existed in the Indus valley 4,500 years ago than this site.

Since 1922, a series of discoveries, including the town of Harappa and then Mohenjo-Daro, have yielded evidence of an unknown civilization.

Unfortunately, there are not many sources of documents on the Indus civilization. Only about 10% of villages and houses have been excavated, the writing has not been deciphered and the sudden disappearance of this civilization from about 1,900 BC is also not completely explained.

Historians have different opinions on the cause of the decay and disappearance of the Indus River civilization. The popular theory is that this civilization collapsed by a natural disaster.

Scientists from the American Geophysical Union think that large earthquakes may have destroyed the Indus River civilization and some other major civilizations, such as the Maya civilization in Central America.

In addition to earthquakes, other large-scale disasters such as droughts, floods, and epidemics swept through and depleted the settlements of the ancient Indians.

Another interesting theory is that the Indus civilization had self-destructed when in many small settlements the population had grown beyond natural limits, causing society to collapse because there were not enough resources to sustain it.

Finally, there is the hypothesis that the Indus civilization was wiped out by an external invasion, namely the Aryans, the foundation of today's Indian peoples.

It is possible that the Aryans invaded the cities of the Indus valley, subduing the inhabitants there and imposing their own culture and religion.

Today, the outstanding vestiges of the living Indian civilization are the two urban centers of Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro. These monuments have been recognized by UNESCO as a World Cultural Heritage, a destination that attracts a large number of international tourists in the country of Pakistan.

Archaeologists have cited that, try to imagine a people living on a vast territory. This people speak an unknown language and use a script that has not been deciphered. The people of that civilization built large cities divided into neighborhoods according to a logic that we do not yet understand. Indeed, no palace or temple has been found.

Then from 3,200 to 1,800 BC, great cities appeared. The massive city walls around Harappa rose between 2,700 and 2,600 BC. At first, scientists thought that the Indus civilization was formed from tribes from Mesopotamia. But excavations show that people have distinct characteristics.

Everything shows that they have no military superiority, moderate personalities, and are very strong in culture. People make many theories about their social culture and religion. It is not like the Egyptian civilization with sudden scientific and technological advances, but with gradual progress.

The most astonishing feature of the city of Harappa is its urban complexity. Those cities span a circumference of 100 to 200 hectares. Mohenjo - Daro is beautifully designed. One can compare it to major cities in America. Furthermore, archaeologists have given the town the nickname "Bronze Manhattan". Indeed, one can see twelve major roads running straight through the town from north to south, cut from east to west by smaller roads, forming cottages. This is reminiscent of the subdivision images of New York City. The roads are paved and there are massive administrative centers. There are rows of small brick houses with private bathrooms and sewers.

In the heart of Mohenjo - Daro stands a vast citadel with festival halls and offices. In addition, people built public baths. Mohenjo - Daro also has a swimming pool 12m long, 7m wide, and 2.40m deep. It is thought to be reserved for ritual bathing as there are still ritual baths in Hinduism today.

On the streets are shops along both sides. Inside the houses there is a well, sometimes even a bathroom with a cistern and a shower. Sewage systems in households are made of clay pipes. These pipes focus on removable drains at intersections, convenient for maintenance. This ethnic group has a very high sense of order and hygiene. In the ruins of Mehrgarh, archaeologists have found what looks like our public dumps. There the waste of leather making, copper making, shells, etc.

After the Indus civilization collapsed, the new cultures that formed in the region showed that its influence spread to varying degrees. Perhaps a part of the inhabitants moved to the East, to the Ganges (Gange) delta. What has disappeared is not a people but a civilization: Cities, writing systems, trade networks and, ultimately, culture, the basis of intelligence. Anyway, this civilization also made its mark on India. Many aspects of present-day India have derived from that.

The Indus River civilization disappeared because of climate change

A scientist from the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) has developed a method for studying palaeontological time series, such as analyzing a certain isotope found in stalagmites from a cave in South Asia, to analyze monsoon records from 5,700 years ago, according to Express.

By analyzing stalactites from the Kuna Ba cave, located near Nineveh, northern Iraq, the researchers were able to test for heavy and light isotopes of oxygen.

These isotopes provide an overview of the climatic past, and researchers are able to see that the late Indus civilization experienced an unusually dry climate that lasted for thousands of years. how decade.

According to the research results, rivers gave life to the Indus River civilization, however, when the monsoon rains that caused rain disappeared, this ancient civilization also disappeared. The study also found that reduced rainfall weakened rivers, while river water was crucial to the survival of ancient civilizations. For the first time, scientists have discovered that climate change is the cause of the collapse of this famous ancient urban civilization.

Warning for today's civilization

The team says the discovery should be a stark warning for the future of society as climate change becomes more and more apparent in our modern world.

The scientists added: "Droughts like these give us an insight into what the Indus civilization suffered in the mid-fourth century BC. And the collapse of the civilization. The Indus River civilization offers a warning to today's societies.

"In the 21st century, humans have advantages over those of the ancient Indus civilization: an early perception of danger and a wealth of observational data from space.

"Unsustainable growth and environmental destruction just for the sake of individuals and nations that put pressure on water resources is a recipe for the downfall of any civilization."

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