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Mind Map: Indus Valley Civilization
The document Mind Map: Indus Valley Civilization is a part of the UPSC Course History for UPSC CSE.
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| 1. What were the main features of Indus Valley Civilization settlements and urban planning? |  |
Ans. The Indus Valley Civilization featured well-planned grid-pattern cities with standardised brick construction, sophisticated drainage systems, and public baths like those at Mohenjo-daro. Cities included residential areas, granaries, and fortified citadels, demonstrating advanced town planning and architectural knowledge thousands of years before other ancient civilisations.
| 2. How did the Indus script differ from other ancient writing systems, and why haven't we deciphered it yet? | |
Ans. The Indus Valley script contains approximately 400-600 symbols and appears on seals and pottery, distinctly different from Mesopotamian cuneiform or Egyptian hieroglyphics. Scholars haven't deciphered it because the script lacks bilingual texts like the Rosetta Stone, few samples exist, and the underlying language remains unknown, making translation attempts inconclusive.
| 3. What can we learn about Indus Valley economy and trade from archaeological evidence? | |
Ans. Archaeological discoveries reveal the Indus Valley economy relied on agriculture, livestock, and extensive trade networks extending from Mesopotamia to Central Asia. Standardised weights, measures, seals with pictographic symbols, and artefacts found across distant sites indicate organised commerce, merchant classes, and sophisticated economic systems without visible military fortifications or hierarchical royal structures.
| 4. Why did the Indus Valley Civilization decline, and what theories do historians support? | |
Ans. The civilisation's decline around 1900 BCE resulted from multiple factors: environmental changes including river course shifts, climate alteration reducing monsoon rainfall, possible natural disasters, and overexploitation of resources. Some scholars suggest Vedic Aryan migrations contributed, though evidence remains debated. Archaeological data supports environmental stress as the primary cause rather than single catastrophic events.
| 5. What does Indus Valley Civilization tell us about social structure, religion, and daily life based on excavation findings? | |
Ans. Excavations reveal relatively egalitarian societies with minimal social hierarchy, unlike contemporary Egyptian or Mesopotamian civilisations. Archaeological evidence suggests fertility worship, possibly mother goddess veneration, and standardised artefacts indicating uniform living standards. Absence of palaces, temples, and royal inscriptions suggests collective governance, decentralised administration, and shared cultural practices across settlements.
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