Indus Valley Civilization: A History from Beginning to End

by Hourly History

Indus Valley Civilization * * *Free BONUS Inside!* * * Read On Your Computer, MAC, Smartphone, Kindle Reader, iPad, or Tablet. In the late 1800s, British engineers building some of the first railways in the Dominion of India discovered large numbers of bricks buried in the dusty plains of the Punjab. This was odd because historians were not aware of any cities or civilizations which might have constructed buildings in this area. It wasn’t until archeological expeditions in the 1920s that it was finally realized that these bricks were the remains of mighty cities built by a previously unknown ancient civilization. Inside you will read about... ✓ Discovery ✓ Excavation of Harappa ✓ Origins ✓ Life and Death in the Indus Valley ✓ Downfall of the Indus Valley Civilization And much more! This culture has become known as the Indus Valley Civilization or sometimes the Harappan Civilization, after Harappa, the first city to be discovered. It has proved to be one of the largest ancient cultures, having a population of over five million people at its height and covering an area of one and a half million square kilometers. It also created very large cities, carefully planned and laid out where almost every house had its own bath and flush toilet, thousands of years before such things became common in other parts of the world. Somehow, the Harappans seem to have controlled this vast territory without having a large army or by conquering other weaker cultures, and they did not seem to have a single ruler such as a king or emperor. Then, for reasons that still aren’t understood, this culture declined and then vanished so completely that all that was left were piles of bricks in the plains of present-day India and Pakistan. We are still learning about these people, but this is what we know so far about the mysterious Indus Valley Civilization.

Genres: History, India, Nonfiction, Ancient History, Historical, Archaeology, Ebooks

114 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 13, 2019

About the author

At Hourly History, we focus on publishing history books that are concise, straightforward and take no longer than one hour to read.

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Reviews

[Udit Nair · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Indus Valley Civilization is one of the most significant, extensive and most influential of all the ancient civilizations, yet it is one about which we still know relatively little. Our understanding of this civilization is evolving , and it seems likely that there is still a great deal to be discovered about the people who inhabited this phase of history.

[Sreena · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first time I got to know about Indus Valley Civilization was from my father, which inspired me read this book.

This book covers:

Urban Planning: The book unveils the remarkable urban planning and engineering prowess of the Indus Valley Civilization, showcasing their advanced sewage systems, well-organized streets, and standardized brick sizes.

Trade and Economy: The author sheds light on the flourishing trade networks of the Indus Valley Civilization, emphasizing their extensive maritime trade routes and the significance of seals as symbols of economic activity.

Harappa and Mohenjo-daro: The book explores the two major cities of the civilization, Harappa and Mohenjo-daro, providing vivid descriptions of their elaborate city layouts, intricate buildings, and the unique Great Bath.

Writing System: The book introduces the enigmatic Indus script, discussing the challenges researchers face in deciphering it and the possible meanings behind the script's symbols.

Art and Craftsmanship: The author highlights the civilization's artistic achievements, showcasing exquisite pottery, jewelry, and sculptures, which reflect their mastery in craftsmanship.

Mysterious Decline: The book delves into the mysteries surrounding the decline and eventual disappearance of the Indus Valley Civilization, offering various theories such as environmental changes, economic factors, or the arrival of new cultures.

I would like to shed some light on the CBSE history books which only talks about the how wonderful the drainage system of Indus Valley Civilization is, believe me It's more than just drainage system. It was a cradle of civilization the world has ever seen.

There is famous Bollywood movie "Mohenjodaro" which you could watch. Though the story is fictional..

[Felicity Fields · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quick read on a very cool civilization

This is my first Hourly History book, and I enjoyed it. Each of their books takes an hour or less to read, so they aren't in depth. Rather, they're like reading a very long magazine article or a chapter in a survey book.

I picked this book up because I knew nothing of the Indus Valley Civilization, and this book laid out what's known about this fascinating culture. They had flush toilets and baths and urban planning, which is so cool. I wish we knew more about this civilization!

[Srikar · Rating 4 out of 5]

Turns out that the Indus Valley Civilization did many things, not just built drainage and sanitation systems What a shock!

[Neera Kapahi · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have always been fascinated with the Indus Valley Civilisation because it is one of the most advanced in the ancient world. Unfortunately Little is known about it because the written records found on seals have not been deciphered. The cities of Harappa and Mohenjo- Daro which existed during the Bronze Age had baked brick houses, well planned cities, an elaborate drainage system, baths and some kind of flush toilets. They appeared to be peaceful people. There is evidence that they traded with other cultures.

What is interesting is that it was only recently that people were aware that it existed. British Railway builders in India (British India) discovered the remains. It is now considered one of the three cradles of Civilisation.

I found the book very informative, interesting and fascinating. It is easy to read, straightforward and concise.

[David Parker · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lost in the sands of time.

The Indus Valley Civilization developed advanced metallurgy, medicine, and dentistry, the accurate measurement of size, weight, and time, used wheeled vehicles, and what were at the time some of the largest cities in the world. Yet they seem to have done this without a single ruler such as a monarch or emperor. Many people use this culture as an example of a truly egalitarian society which prospered without an autocratic ruler or the need for large armies.

[J Bel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting History of a Little Known Culture

I have read many of books in this series. This is the best I have read. I think one more cause for t?he disappearance of the Indus Valley civilization which is the possibility of a plague. A plague, along with a change in the course of the two significant rivers plus the change in the pattern of monsoon rainfall would have brought an end to the culture.

[Robert McLendon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting read with much speculation not supported by facts. The most egregious example is climate change. No proof, but lots of speculation


Interesting read with much speculation unsupported by facts. The most egregious example is climate change. No proof but equally no doubt.

[Sastry Panchagnula · Rating 4 out of 5]

good review with a caveat

Good presentation of the findings. The big complaint is: eventhough it is mentioned several times that there is no evidence of external invasion or wars the time of rigveda is mentioned asx1000 bc which is touted by the aryan invasion theorists. This is not acceptable and so i will not recommend it to young readers.

[Pallab chakraborty · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quick read

If you want to just learn the basic of Indus valley civilization you can go for it. Good book for starters.

[Mike Curtis · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really basic, but helpful overview on a time and place I knew very little about. These books are great to get a base knowledge and jump start some further research/learning.

[Aditya Nagar · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very nicely described.

Good book for upsc you will get some good info which can help in exam. More important that it's a small book that you can read in 1 hour

[Maran · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fine

Finely depicted. Enough to go at this book for the short, still elaborate, history of a great civilization. Recommended right away.

[Thieyana · Rating 5 out of 5]

Simple and elegant

A wonderful and concise documentation of an ancient civilization in simple words 😀 . Glad to have read this book.

[Lindy]

Did not read it after one reviewer said it was part of a series of book that could be read in an hour - so somewhat abbreviated. Will find more in depth book

[Terri Stewart · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very Informative

I thoroughly enjoy the Hourly History series. The topics are broad ranging and each gives good, basic information about the topic.

[James Crawford · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book is about a very, very strange early civilization. It's a civilization around 4000 years old whose people had homes with baths and flush toilets. There is over a thousand sites from their time. There were no palaces, though, no large temples and apparently no king or emperor.

Further, the people were peaceful and they did a lot of trading. Their burials didn't contain any treasures. There weren't even any massive structures in their cities. The civilization itself lasted a couple of thousand of years.

Then they vanished. Cities abandoned. People gone. No one knows what actually happened.

The book does a good job going into the history of this civilization, describing the people and the cities as much as possible and then giving some possible explanations for what happened to them.

What fascinates me the most is how different this civilization was from the others who were building big structures and spending a lot of time fighting and trying to take over other areas. This was proof that people could live together peacefully and thrive for a rather long time, something our own civilization hasn't learned yet.