Mohenjo-Daro (mound of dead men) PART- 1

Mohenjo Daro is an archaeological site in the province of Sindh, Pakistan. Built around 2500 BC, it was one of the largest settlements of the ancient INDUS VALLEY CIVILIZATIONS, and one of the world's earliest major CITIES, occurring at the same time with the civilizations of ancient Egypt, Minoan Crete, Norte Chico. etc. Mohenjo-daro was abandoned in the 19th century BC as the Indus Valley Civilization declined, and the site was not rediscovered until the 1920s.

MOHENJO-DARO

Mohenjo-daro is located off the right bank of the lower Indus river in Larkana District, Sindh, Pakistan. It lies on a Pleistocene ridge in the flood plain of the Indus, around 28 kilometers (17 miles) from the town of Larkana.

HISTORICAL CONTEXT:

Mohenjo-daro was built in the 26th century BC. It was one of the largest cities of the ancient Indus Valley Civilization, also known as the Harappan Civilization, which developed by prehistoric Indus culture. The Indus Civilization extended much of what is now Pakistan and North India, extending westwards to the Iranian border, south to Gujarat in India, and northwards to an outpost in Bacteria, with major urban centers at Harappa, Mohenjodaro, Lothal, Kalibangan, Dholavira, and Rakhighari. Mohenjo-daro was the most advanced city of its time, with remarkably sophisticated civil engineering and urban planning. When the Indus civilization went into sudden decline, Mohenjo-daro was abandoned.

ARCHITECTURE AND URBAN INFRASTRUCTURE

Mohenjo-daro has 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. The covered area of Mohenjo-daro is estimated at 300 hectares.

The nearly size of the city, and its provision of public buildings and facilities, suggest a high level of social organization. The city is divided into two parts, the so-called Citadel and the Lower City. The Citadel – a mud-brick mound – is known to have supported public baths, a large residential structure designed to house about 5,000 citizens, and two large assembly halls. The city had a central marketplace, with a large central well. Individual households or groups of households obtained their water from smaller wells. Waste water was channeled to covered drains that lined the major streets. Some houses, probably those of more prestigious inhabitants, include rooms that appear to have been set aside for bathing, and one building had an underground furnace possibly for heated bathing. Most houses had inner courtyards, with doors that opened onto side lanes. 

Water supply and wells

The location of Mohenjo-daro was built in a relatively short period, with the water supply system and wells being some of the first planned constructions. Over 700 wells are present at Mohenjo-daro, alongside drainage and bathing systems. This number is unheard of when compared to other civilizations at the time, such as Egypt or Mesopotamia, and the number of wells was transcribed as one well for every three houses. Because of the large number of wells, it is believed that the inhabitants relied solely on annual rainfall, as well as the Indus River's course remaining close to the site, alongside the wells providing water for long periods in the case of the city coming under reliance. Due to the period in which these wells were built and used, likely, the circular brick well design used at this and many other Harappan sites is an invention that should be credited to the Indus civilization, as there is no existing evidence of this design from Mesopotamia or Egypt at this time, and even later. Sewage and wastewater for buildings at the site were disposed of via a centralized drainage system that ran alongside the site's streets. These drains that ran alongside the road were effective at allowing most human waste and sewage to be disposed of as the drains most likely took the waste toward the Indus River.

OTHER VIEWS

Flooding and rebuilding

The city also had large platforms perhaps intended as a defense against flooding. According to a theory, the city could have been flooded and silted over, perhaps six times, and later rebuilt in the same location. For some archaeologists, it was believed that a final flood that helped engulf the city in a sea of mud brought about the abandonment of the site. Greygory Possehl was the first to theorize that the floods were caused by overuse and expansion upon the land and that the mud flood was not the reason the site was abandoned. Instead of a mud flood wiping part of the city out in one fell swoop, Possehl coined the possibility of constant mini-floods throughout the year, paired with the land being worn out by crops, pastures, and resources for bricks and pottery spelled the downfall of the site.

 THE GREAT BATH