Category Great Civilizations

          Do you know that the seeds of the Ancient Egyptian civilization were first sown along the banks of the great Nile River? It was a true gift for the Egyptians, as it attracted them towards its banks by providing an ideal condition for the development of stable communities. The annual flooding of the river left the banks fertile, thereby encouraging agriculture.

          Farming was an important factor that facilitated the Ancient Egypt’s economic development. They depended on agricultural activities not only for livelihood but also for commercial purposes. Even though the land of Egypt consisted of dry desert, and received very little rain, they managed to flourish by utilizing the water of the Nile.

          The Egyptians ploughed and planted seeds in the fields, which were irrigated with ditches and canals. They cultivated all kinds of crops like barely, but three crops stood out. One was wheat which was ground into flour, flax that was spun into linen and papyrus that was dried and used as a paper substitute. 

            Egyptian civilization is one of the six historic civilizations to arise independently. Egyptian civilization followed prehistoric Egypt. It is believed to have begun around 3100 BC with the political unification of Upper and Lower Egypt under the first pharaoh, Narmer.

            The success of the Ancient Egyptian civilization came partly from its ability to adapt to the conditions of the Nile River valley for agriculture. The predictable flooding and controlled irrigation of the fertile valley produced surplus crops.

            The fertile floodplain of the Nile gave Egyptians the opportunity to develop a settled agricultural economy and a more sophisticated, centralized society that became a cornerstone in the history of human civilization. 

          What really happened to one of the world’s oldest and most advanced civilization is not yet known. The reason behind the decline of Indus valley civilization is based upon the speculations of historians.

          It is believed that the invasion of an Indo-European tribe from central Asia, the Aryans caused the decline of the Indus valley civilization, as they were the next settlers there. Some others opined that an increase in inter-personal violence and infectious diseases like leprosy and tuberculosis led to their decline.

          And some speaks of a great drought in the area, which led to the decline of trade with Egypt and Mesopotamia, and caused the collapse of the Indus valley Civilization. 

          Mohenjodaro was an ancient city which had a lot in common with our modern society. This mysterious city built around 2500 BC, was prosperous, and used advanced technology and constructed buildings that were unique to the ancient world.

          It was one of the largest settlements of the ancient Indus Valley civilization, and one of the world’s earliest major urban settlements. The city was divided into two parts, the Citadel and the lower city. Most of the lower city remained uncovered, but the citadel had a public bath, large residential structure and so on.

          The urban planning and architecture of the city has mesmerized archaeologists. It had a meticulous road plan with rectilinear buildings, channelled sanitization, a huge well that served as a public pool to bathe, the great granary and many more amazing designs on building.

          With the decline of Indus Valley civilization around 1700 BC, Mohenjodaro was abandoned. The great city vanished without trace from history until rediscovered in the 1920s. Now, Mohenjodaro is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. 

          Scholars have made innumerable efforts to solve the puzzle called ancient writing. But the writing system of the Indus Valley civilization, even today remains a mystery.

         Attempts to decipher it failed, and this was the reason why it is known as the earliest civilization of antiquity. Writings were found in pottery, amulets, carved stamp seals, on weights and copper tablets. Over 2000 stone seals have been found in the Indus valley, which were quadrangular in shape.

        The Harappan writing consists of short strings of symbols. Some say that each symbol represents a picture or Idea; others say it represents a sound.

        Some experts believe that these writings were slightly earlier than the writings of the Sumerians. These marking have similarities to what later became the Indus Script. Clay and stone tablets unearthed at Harappa, which were carbon dated 3300-3200 BC, contain trident-shaped and plant-like markings.

          The prosperity of Indus Valley civilization depended, to a large extent, on its trade and transport. Raw materials were brought by land and water routes from within and outside the valley. They used bullock carts as well as boats for trading purpose.

          Boats were probably small, flat-bottomed crafts, perhaps driven by sails.

          From the distribution of Indus Valley civilization’s remains, we can assume that they had trade relations with the coastal regions of Persia, and Mesopotamia. Evidences show that trade contacts extended even to Crete and possibly to Egypt.

          There was an extensive maritime trade network operating between the Harappan and Mesopotamian civilizations. Such long-distance sea trade became feasible with the development of plank-built watercraft, equipped with a single central mast supporting a sail of woven rushes or cloth.