The Indus Valley Civilization Civilization began in India around 2500 B.C., about 1000 years after the start of civilization in Sumer. The first Indian civilization arose on the northern plain in the valley of the Indus River. Historians call that civilization the Indus Valley, civilization. Civilization developed in the Indus Valley much as it had in Sumer and Egypt. Thousands of years ago nomads moved into the valley. The rich soil and plentiful supply of water made the valley a good place to live. The nomads settled into villages and began to plant crops, such as wheat and barley. In time, their tiny farm villages grew into towns and cities. Indus Valley Cities The Valley civilization had two chief cities: Harappa and Mohenjo‐Daro. Both cities were planned. Both welaid out in blocks like a modern cy. The streets of the cities were wide, straight, and paved. Indus Valley built their cities out of mud bricks. They learned to bake the bricks in ovens. Those bricks were almost as hard as stone. Valley people also built sewer systems for their cities. They laid large sewer pipes under their streets. Each house was connected to the sewer by drain pipes. The pipes carried waste water away from the houses. Indus Valley Achievements The Indus Valley civilization lasted over 1000 years. Like the peoples of the ancient Middle East, Indus Valley people developed their own systems of writing and counting. They also developed a system of weights and measures. Valley people were skilled crafts workers. They made jewelry and' other objects of gold, bronze, and copper. Weavers wove cotton thread into cloth. (Indus Valley people were probably the first people to grow cotton.) Sailors from the Indus Valley crossed the Arabian Sea to trade cotton cloth and other goods with Mesopotamia. Sailors took crows with them on their ships. If the sailors lost sight of land, they set a crow free and followed it. They knew that a crow always flies toward land. Indus Valley civilization began to decline about 1800 B.C. No one knows why. Floods may have forced people to leave the valley. Or invaders may have destroyed towns and cities. By 1500 B.C the Indus Valley civilization had disappeared. Looking Back . Where did civilization begin in India? 2. How did Indus Valley people build their cities? 3. What were some achievements of the Indus Valley people?
The Indus Valley Civilization Civilization began in India around 2500 B.C., about 1000 years after the start of civilization in Sumer. The first Indian civilization arose on the northern plain in the valley of the Indus River. Historians call that civilization the Indus Valley, civilization. Civilization developed in the Indus Valley much as it had in Sumer and Egypt. Thousands of years ago nomads moved into the valley. The rich soil and plentiful supply of water made the valley a good place to live. The nomads settled into villages and began to plant crops, such as wheat and barley. In time, their tiny farm villages grew into towns and cities. Indus Valley Cities The Valley civilization had two chief cities: Harappa and Mohenjo‐Daro. Both cities were planned. Both welaid out in blocks like a modern cy. The streets of the cities were wide, straight, and paved. Indus Valley built their cities out of mud bricks. They learned to bake the bricks in ovens. Those bricks were almost as hard as stone. Valley people also built sewer systems for their cities. They laid large sewer pipes under their streets. Each house was connected to the sewer by drain pipes. The pipes carried waste water away from the houses. Indus Valley Achievements The Indus Valley civilization lasted over 1000 years. Like the peoples of the ancient Middle East, Indus Valley people developed their own systems of writing and counting. They also developed a system of weights and measures. Valley people were skilled crafts workers. They made jewelry and' other objects of gold, bronze, and copper. Weavers wove cotton thread into cloth. (Indus Valley people were probably the first people to grow cotton.) Sailors from the Indus Valley crossed the Arabian Sea to trade cotton cloth and other goods with Mesopotamia. Sailors took crows with them on their ships. If the sailors lost sight of land, they set a crow free and followed it. They knew that a crow always flies toward land. Indus Valley civilization began to decline about 1800 B.C. No one knows why. Floods may have forced people to leave the valley. Or invaders may have destroyed towns and cities. By 1500 B.C the Indus Valley civilization had disappeared. Looking Back . Where did civilization begin in India? 2. How did Indus Valley people build their cities? 3. What were some achievements of the Indus Valley people?
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