What was the structure of Mohenjo daro?
Mohenjo-daro had no series of city walls, but was fortified with guard towers to the west of the main settlement, and defensive fortifications to the south. Considering these fortifications and the structure of other major Indus valley cities like Harappa, it is postulated that Mohenjo-daro was an administrative center.
Why was Mohenjo daro abandoned?
Mohenjo-daro was abandoned in the 19th century BCE as the Indus Valley Civilization declined, and the site was not rediscovered until the 1920s. Significant excavation has since been conducted at the site of the city, which was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1980.
What is the population of Mohenjo daro?
The covered area of Mohenjo-daro is estimated at 300 hectares. The Oxford Handbook of Cities in World History offers a "weak" estimate of a peak population of around 40,000. The sheer size of the city, and its provision of public buildings and facilities, suggests a high level of social organization.
Why is Mohenjo daro so important to Pakistan?
In its heyday, Mohenjo-daro had a population of 40000 people and it was the most advanced city in the world in terms of urban planning and especially sanitation. Despite being such an impressive site and on the UNESCO World Heritage list, the site receives very few foreign visitors today because of the unpredictable situation in Pakistan.
Is Mohenjodaro a planned city?
The Harappan and the Mohenjodaro cities were known as well-planned cities because: The settlement was divided into two sections: Citadel (built on a higher elevation) and Lower Town. The Citadel was walled and separated from the Lower Town. The Lower Town was also walled.
Were the streets in Mohenjodaro planned?
A well-planned street grid and an elaborate drainage system hint that the occupants of the ancient Indus civilization city of Mohenjo Daro were skilled urban planners with a reverence for the control of water.
How was the town planning in Mohenjodaro?
Mohenjo-daro had a planned layout with rectilinear buildings arranged on a grid plan. Most were built of fired and mortared brick; some incorporated sun-dried mud-brick and wooden superstructures. Sites were often raised, or built on man made hills. This could be to combat flooding in the nearby areas.
Was Mohenjodaro an advanced city?
Located west of the Indus River in the Larkana District, Mohenjo-daro was one of the most sophisticated cities of the period, with advanced engineering and urban planning. Archaeological remains at the lower town of Lothal.
What are 5 facts about Mohenjo-daro?
10 Facts About the Lost City of Mohenjo-DaroThe town was divided into two parts. ... Mohenjo-Daro was not a perfect grid-patterned town. ... It had the world's best-channeled drainage system. ... There were multi-storey buildings in Mohenjo-Daro. ... The Great Bath. ... Mohenjo-Daro had a total of 700 wells.More items...•
How was Mohenjo-daro destroyed?
Located on the bank of Indus River in the southern province of Sindh, Mohenjodaro was built around 2400 BC. It was destroyed at least seven times by the floods and rebuilt on the top of ruins each time.
How were the Indus towns planned briefly explain?
Indus people were the first to build planned cities with scientific drainage system. The Indus cities were built on an uniform plan. Town planning was amazing in nature. A few cities have citadels to the West built on higher platform and to the east of which is the hub of residential area.
How were the Harappan city planned?
The Harappan cities were well-planned. The main streets ran parallel to each other cut at right angles by smaller streets dividing the cities into rectangular blocks. The main roads were straight and very wide. The streets were often paved with baked bricks.
How Harappan cities were planned and divided?
The Harappan city was divided into the upper town (also called the Citadel) and the lower town. The various features of the Harappan town planning is given below: Granaries: The granary was the largest structure in Mohenjo-daro, and in Harappa there were about six granaries or storehouses.
Why was Mohenjo-daro so advanced?
The sewage that came out of each house led to a drain ditch beside the alley. All of these factors indicate that Mohenjo-daro was built based on an elaborate city plan and an advanced surveying technique. It is really surprising that a city built in such a good order existed more than 4,000 years ago.
How did archaeologists determine that Mohenjo-daro was carefully planned?
By studying the ruins of Mohenjodaro, we see that the city was carefully planned. The citadel was on a platform of mud and brick. Below the citadel were nine streets that divided the city into blocks, like those of a modern city.
What was Mohenjo-daro known for?
The name Mohenjo-daro is reputed to signify “the mound of the dead.” The archaeological importance of the site was first recognized in 1922, one year after the discovery of Harappa. Subsequent excavations revealed that the mounds contain the remains of what was once the largest city of the Indus civilization.
What were the streets like in Mohenjo-daro?
"Inside the major blocks, the streets [of Mohenjo-daro] are not well-aligned. There are many doglegs and some deadends. The walls along the streets and lanes may pinch in on the avenues that grow narrower and narrower, but curves are rare in the Mohenjo-daro system of roads.
How were the streets constructed in the Indus Valley?
The streets were straight and cut each other at right angles. They were 13 to 34 feet wide and were well lined. The streets and roads divided the city into rectangular blocks. Archaeologists have discovered the lamp posts at intervals.
How were the streets organized in the Harappan civilization?
Streets: The roads and streets intersected at right angles, with covered drains along the road. Houses were built on either side of the roads and streets.
How were the streets of cities in Indus Valley Civilization?
The streets and highways of Indus Valley were all straight and crossed at a right angle. All of the roads were built with burnt bricks, with each brick's length being four times its height and its breadth being two times its height. Straight streets connected at right angles.
What is the significance of Mohenjo Daro?
The name Mohenjo-daro is reputed to signify “the mound of the dead.”. The archaeological importance of the site was first recognized in ...
What were the crops that were grown in Mohenjo Daro?
The ruins at Mohenjo-daro have yielded seeds of wheat and barley that were cultivated at that time. Millet, dates, melons, and other fruits and vegetables, as well as cotton, were known to the civilization. Plants were not only a source of food, however. A document, believed to date…
Did Mohenjo Daro flood?
The evidence suggests that Mohenjo-daro suffered more than once from devastating floods of ab normal depth and duration, owing not merely to the encroaching Indus but possibly also to a ponding back of the Indus drainage by tectonic uplifts between Mohenjo-daro and the sea.
What is the Mohenjo Daro?
Mohenjo-daro, meaning “the Mound of the Dead”, was named after the Buddhist stupa that dominates the site today. The stupa is in fact a much newer construction, built on top of the buried Bronze Age city.
What are some interesting facts about Mohenjo Daro?
Another interesting fact is the near lack of weapons or other evidence of warfare, suggesting a peaceful civilization.
Why are the remains of the Indus River below the water table?
Many of the remaining parts are below the water table today because of changes in the course of the Indus river, and this makes these parts difficult to excavate.
How many people in the Indus Valley have no sanitation?
Considering that the Indus Valley people could provide urban sanitation 4500 years ago, it seems incredible that there are today 1.2 billion people whole have no access to sanitation and rely on open defecation.
What is the significance of walking among the remaining brick walls of Mohenjo-daro?
Walking among the remaining brick walls of Mohenjo-daro makes one marvel at how planned the city looks. There is a lack of ornamentation and the design of the city and the houses focused instead on creating a comfortable and clean urban environment. There was also little difference in living conditions between the rich and the poor which suggests a level of equality in the society.
Why are the structures at Mohenjo-Daro eroding?
The structures are eroding and collapsing due to improper restoration, neglect, looting, and salt from the groundwater.
Where did the Bronze Age civilization flourish?
For most Westerners, the term “ancient civilization” evokes images of ancient Rome, Greece or Egypt. Much less known is the Bronze Age Indus Valley civilization that flourished from 2500 to 1800 BCE in areas on modern-day Pakistan and northwest India. Yet it was the largest civilization of its time with a population estimated ...
What is Mohenjo Daro?
Mohenjo Daro was an advanced city as its ruins show signs of remarkable civil engineering and urban planning tactics. Apart from this settlement, Harappa, Lothal, Kalibangan, Rakhigarhi and Dholavira were the urban centres of the Indus Valley Civilization, extended to the Iranian Border.
Who led the excavation of Mohenjo Daro?
It was led by John Marshall, who was the Director General of Archeological Survey of India at that time. In 1965, the excavation work at the site of Mohenjo Daro came to a halt as the place was showing the signs of weather damage.
What is the similarity between Harappa and Mohenjo Daro?
Both Mohenjo Daro and Harappa had similar urban layouts and planning. The infrastructure of the city of Harappa had individual and combined living quarters, brick houses with flat roofs, fortified religious and administrative centres.
What is the oldest settlement in the world?
Exploring Mohenjo Daro and Harappa . Mohenjo Daro and Harappa are two of the world’s oldest settlements. The infrastructure of both the sites was so robust that it still exists in the form of ruins. In this blog, we will be exploring the two separately.
How many wells have been found in Mohenjo Daro?
The excavation work done till date in Mohenjo Daro has unearthed over 700 water wells in this city of ancient times. These findings are an evident proof of the effectiveness of the water supply system that existed in Mohenjo Daro.
When was Harappa discovered?
Harappa was initially discovered in the 1820s but no impediment excavation work was carried out at the site then. However, after the discovery and excavation of Mohenjo Daro, the interest of archaeologists increased in the history of the Indus Valley Civilization.
When was the Harappa excavation?
The Archaeological Sites of Mohenjo Daro and Harappa. The excavation of Mohenjo Daro and Harappa started in the late 1820s, when Charles Masson, a British explorer in India, found the ruins of a lost city. These were the very first evidence of Harappan civilization that existed in this region thousands of years ago.
What is the name of the Mohenjo Daro?
Mohenjo-daro, the modern name for the site, has been variously interpreted as "Mound of the Dead Men" in Sindhi, and as "Mound of Mohan" (where Mohan is Krishna).
How many hectares is Mohenjo Daro?
Most were built of fired and mortared brick; some incorporated sun-dried mud-brick and wooden superstructures. The covered area of Mohenjo-daro is estimated at 300 hectares. The Oxford Handbook of Cities in World History offers a "weak" estimate of a peak population of around 40,000.
What were the objects found in Mohenjo Daro?
Numerous objects found in excavation include seated and standing figures, copper and stone tools, carved seals, balance-scales and weights, gold and jasper jewellery, and children's toys. Many bronze and copper pieces, such as figurines and bowls, have been recovered from the site, showing that the inhabitants of Mohenjo-daro understood how to utilize the lost wax technique. The furnaces found at the site are believed to have been used for copperworks and melting the metals as opposed to smelting. There even seems to be an entire section of the city dedicated to shell-working, located in the northeastern part of the site. Some of the most prominent copperworks recovered from the site are the copper tablets which have examples of the untranslated Indus script and iconography. While the script has not been cracked yet, many of the images on the tablets match another tablet and both hold the same caption in the Indus language, with the example given showing three tablets with the image of a mountain goat and the inscription on the back reading the same letters for the three tablets. Pottery and terracotta sherds have been recovered from the site, with many of the pots having deposits of ash in them, leading archeologists to believe they were either used to hold the ashes of a person or as a way to warm up a home located in the site. These heaters, or braziers, were ways to heat the house while also being able to be utilized in a manner of cooking or straining, while others solely believe they were used for heating. Many important objects from Mohenjo-daro are conserved at the National Museum of India in Delhi and the National Museum of Pakistan in Karachi. In 1939, a representative collection of artefacts excavated at the site was transferred to the British Museum by the Director-General of the Archaeological Survey of India.
Was Mohenjo-Daro an administrative center?
Both Harappa and Mohenjo-daro share relatively the same architectural layout, and were generally not heavily fortified like other Indus Valley sites. It is obvious from the identical city layouts of all Indus sites that there was some kind of political or administrative centrality, but the extent and functioning of an administrative center remains unclear.
Where was Mohenjo Daro?
The ancient Indian city (now in Pakistan) was densely populated, situated right on the bank of the Indus river. It was one of the fertile lands where the ancient Indus valley civilization lived. Mohenjo-Daro, the ancient Indian city that was inhabited by more than 40,000 people 4000 years ago.
When did Mohenjo Daro happen?
Aerial view of the ruins of Mohenjo-Daro. British researcher David Davenport found out that what had happened in Nagasaki also occurred to Mohenjo-Daro in 2000 BC. He spent over 12 years studying the city, reading ancient texts and any available information about it.
Why did Mohenjo Daro go extinct?
History taught us that most of the ancient civilizations got extinct either due to natural calamities or destroyed in wars with each other. Many people believe that the technology that humans possess in the modern world is the advanced one, never created before.
How many people lived in Mohenjo Daro?
It is estimated that ancient Mohenjo-Daro was inhabited by 40,000 people, but the numbers could be as big as 100,000. From his research, he cited the mysterious but powerful weapon mentioned in the sacred Hindu text known as Mahabharata.
What is the most advanced settlement destroyed by the nuclear explosion?
We do not have any videotapes or photographs to prove it, but some researchers believe that the ancient South-Asian city Mohenjo-Daro, aka “Mound of the Dead,” once held the most advanced ancient settlement destroyed by the nuclear explosion. The ancient Indian city (now in Pakistan) was densely populated, situated right on the bank ...
Was Mohenjo Daro thrown?
It is not thrown, but with willpower, it is sent against the enemy.”. The ruins of the city helped Davenport suggesting that Mohenjo-Daro was turned into ashes by the advanced weapons in the past. He found several objects at the site that were heated up to 1500 degrees Celcius.
