Indus Valley Civilization

The two most prominent and extensively excavated cities are Harappa and Mohenjo-daro, both located in modern-day Pakistan. These massive urban centers were discovered in the 1920s, revealing incredibly advanced city planning. They featured grid-like street layouts and complex municipal drainage systems.

The exact cause of the civilization's decline around 1900 BC remains a major archaeological mystery, though theories abound. Most scientists believe a massive, centuries-long drought caused by shifting monsoon patterns severely damaged their agricultural base. Changing river courses and tectonic activity also contributed to the abandonment of the cities.

The Harappans utilized incredibly standardized, ratio-specific baked bricks across all their settlements. The bricks were manufactured in a uniform proportion of 4:2:1, which allowed for seamless construction across hundreds of miles. This level of standardization indicates a highly centralized and organized government.

No, the intricate script found on thousands of Indus Valley clay seals and tablets remains completely undeciphered to this day. Without a bilingual text like the Rosetta Stone, linguists have been unable to determine the phonetics or grammar of the language. Because of this, the true names of their kings and gods remain unknown.