Ancient Indus Narrative Seal

Mohenjo-Daro
An Ancient Indus Valley Metropolis

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  | by Jonathan Mark Kenoyer  University of Wisconsin, Madison |
 
Mohenjodaro City

Decline and Transformation

Towards the end of the Indus occupation a slightly different type of pottery, called Jhukar ware was used alongside the more standard Harappa pottery.

New styles of geometric seals that did not have writing replace the inscribed seals that were characteristic of the Indus occupation.

The transition from one culture to the next was gradual as seen at Harappa, and there is no evidence for invasions by outside communities such as the so-called Indo-Aryans.

Although some scattered skeletons were discovered in the later levels, they do not represent warfare or raiding, and there is no evidence that the site came to a violent end.

Various factors contributed to the decline of Mohenjo-Daro.

On the one hand, changes in the river flow patterns and correspondent widespread flooding would have disrupted the agricultural base, but did not destroy the city directly.

Although there appears to have been a significant break between the end of the Indus occupation and the Early Historic occupation, it is unlikely that the site was ever totally abandoned due to its high position on the plain and the protection it afforded against floods.


There have been some suggestions that the entire site was destroyed by floods (see Raikes and Dales, Bibliography) but this theory has not been substantiated by later research.

The region around Mohenjo-Daro was inhabited throughout the Early Historic period and numerous historical villages and towns are located near the mound today.

FIRST SLIDE > of 103 TOTAL

COMPLETE MOHENJO-DARO BIBLIOGRAPHY >

A 90 Slide Introduction to the Ancient Indus Valley Civilization with many of the most famous objects found in Mohenjo-daro >

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