Mohenjo-daro

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Mohenjo-daro was one of two cities that formed the core of the Indus Valley civilization in ancient Pakistan, along with Harappa. At its peak, between 2,500BC and 2000BC, these two cities thrived with more than 1000 settlements, covering more than 7000 hectares of land. Mohenjo-daro, the larger of the two cities, had a population of around 35,000 people.

The city is uniquely built out of baked clay bricks, and is remarkably well-preserved. It is still possible to walk around the streets to this day, and you can still make out the structures of buildings such as the Great Baths - a large, communal bathing facility - and granaries.

Notable artefacts found at Mohenjo-daro include the statue of the 'Priest King', and a figure of a dancing girl. Graves discovered at the city suggest that the wealthy elite were buried more modestly than the opulent Egyptians, with little more than pottery and scarce items of copper jewellery found in the tombs.

There are also signs of a script being in use in the city. However, this Indus Script has yet to be deciphered, and some archaeologists believe that the characters used do not relate to any spoken language, and are instead merely symbols.

Mohenjo-daro is thought to have been abandoned between 2100BC and 2000BC, due to changes in the climate at that time.

Images

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