The Indus Valley Civilisation
The Indus Valley civilisation was an early urban culture in South Asia with planned cities, drains and trade networks.
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The Indus Valley civilisation was an early urban culture in South Asia with planned cities, drains and trade networks.
- Mohenjo-daro and Harappa were major cities
- Standard weights and measures were used
- Its script is still not deciphered
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Three questions. Score 2 or more to complete the topic.
What is The Indus Valley Civilisation?
Within History, which covers ancient civilisations, empires, revolutions, world wars and the making of the modern world, this topic explains The Indus Valley Civilisation. History topics connect events, people and ideas across time, so each one here gives a clear summary and a way to test your understanding.
Check that you can explain The Indus Valley Civilisation in your own words and give one example from everyday life. If you can do that, you have understood the core idea.
Understanding The Indus Valley Civilisation helps you explain change over time and judge why events happened, which is the core skill in history essays.
The Indus Valley Civilisation in detail
The Indus Valley civilisation (about 2600–1900 BC) flourished along the Indus River in present-day Pakistan and north-west India, with major cities such as Mohenjo-daro and Harappa. The cities were carefully planned on grids, with brick houses, covered drains and wells, and public baths, showing advanced engineering.
People traded with Mesopotamia, using standard weights and carved seals with a script that has not yet been deciphered. There is little evidence of kings or warfare. The civilisation declined for reasons possibly including climate change and shifting rivers. Its discovery in the 1920s showed that South Asia had a very early urban society.
How the interactive helps you understand The Indus Valley Civilisation
Watch the timeline in the interactive. Use any sliders or buttons it offers to change the values and see how the timeline responds.
Before you change anything, predict the result. Then change one value at a time and check whether your prediction was right. This is a quick way to build a correct mental model of The Indus Valley Civilisation.
Real-life uses and examples
- Explain the causes and consequences of The Indus Valley Civilisation in a well-structured paragraph.
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- Build a timeline that shows when The Indus Valley Civilisation happened and what came before and after.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Describing events without explaining why they happened.
- Treating one source as the whole story when you study The Indus Valley Civilisation.
- Learning the definition without testing it. Use the quiz and the interactive to check that you can apply the idea.
Frequently asked questions about The Indus Valley Civilisation
What is The Indus Valley Civilisation?
The Indus Valley civilisation was an early urban culture in South Asia with planned cities, drains and trade networks.
What are the most important points about The Indus Valley Civilisation?
The main points are: Mohenjo-daro and Harappa were major cities; Standard weights and measures were used; Its script is still not deciphered.
Why is The Indus Valley Civilisation useful?
Understanding The Indus Valley Civilisation helps you explain change over time and judge why events happened, which is the core skill in history essays.
How can I practise The Indus Valley Civilisation?
Open the interactive at the top of this page and change the controls one at a time. Predict the result before each change, then take the three-question quiz. A score of two or more marks the topic as complete on this device.
Which topics are related to The Indus Valley Civilisation?
Related topics in History include Athens and Sparta, The Roman Republic, The Fall of the Western Roman Empire.