Maureen Goff, age 13, of Nashua, N.H., for her question:
WHAT WAS THE INDUS VALLEY CIVILIZATION?
One of the world's first four great civilizations was the Indus Valley civilization. It boomed and prospered about 4,500 years ago through the river valleys in what is now western India and Pakistan.
The three other great ancient civilizations flourished in the Nile Valley of Egypt, between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers of Mesopotamia and in the Hwang Ho Valley of China.
About 2500 B.C. the Indus Valley civilization started, but scholars do not know how it actually began. They suggest the people probably came to the area from farm villages. Then, with some strong leadership, they developed simple technical skills and the civilization thrived.
In the 1920s, the remains of deserted villages and towns of the Indus Valley civilization were discovered. Archaeologists found the Indus remains buried in large mounds.
Diggings show the Indus civilization extended about 1,000 miles from the foothills of the Himalaya to the Indian Ocean. It covered much more area than did any of the three other great ancient civilizations.
The diggings at the larger sites show that the people of the Indus Valley civilization planned their towns carefully. They built brick buildings and laid out streets in a rectangular pattern. Some of the houses had rooms built around courtyards.
Elaborate, brick lined drainage systems provided sanitation for the towns. One site has a large public bathing pool.
We have learned from the ruins that the Indus people stored grain in large warehouses and had a system of weights and measures. The people also probably traded with Mesopotamia since beads and engraved seals identified as Mesopotamian have been found.
Indus craftsmen used copper, bronze and silver to make pots, pans and other utensils. They also used simple flint blades as everyday knives.
People of the Indus Valley civilization also used some gold, but only for jewelry and decorations. Also, carved pieces of bone and ivory were used to decorate furniture.
Small figures made of clay depicted humans and animals. The Indus people probably used them is ceremonies. Some of the figures were also made of bronze and stone.
Seals engraved with Indus writing have been found but scholars have not as yet been able to make translations. Until the writing can be understood, scientists have little hope of learning much more than they already know. about the Indus people.
Scholars are not sure why the Indus Valley civilization declined and then disappeared. Studies of the land suggest that natural disasters severely damaged the territory. Unusual and prolonged flooding occured.
In addition, there is evidence that the river courses were changed, probably causing a loss of reliable water supplies.
Also, because they were probably unable to defend themselves against attacks by raiders from the western and northern hills, the Indus civilization had completely disappeared by about 1700 B.C.