Mohenjo-Daro and Harappa Photographs of ancient cities

Historians often find evidence of life in ancient times based on artifacts that they find. Although historians did not find written records of a government existing in the IRV (Indus River Valley), there are clues that give historians information that there must have been a sense of leadership and government within the cities of the IRV.

Grid view of Mohenjo-Daro

Street in Mohenjo-Daro

What do you notice? On a post-it or piece of paper, jot down what you notice about the three pictures we just saw You can write about the way the city is laid out, the bricks, the streets

Bricks of nearly equal size

The Great Bath

Sewer system

Public well in Harappa

What do you notice? Jot down what you notice about the sewer and drainage systems of Harappa. What are your thoughts about an ancient civilization having such advanced drainage systems?

Cities built to protect Both Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro were large cities for their time They had as many as 35,000 people living in each city A fortress was built to protect residents Walls surrounded each neighborhood

Most houses had flat roofs with many rooms such as bathrooms inside of the house Wells supplied water, and water flowed to drains in the streets

People who lived in the cities built large granaries to store food for the entire city Why would something like a granary be important for a civilization? What does this remind you of?

Evidence of government Based on what you learned about the cities of Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro, how can you tell that they had a government? Brainstorm with your partner and jot down some ideas that prove that through building such impressive cities, both cities clearly had a government

Evidence of government Cities were set up like a grid for easy navigating (straight streets) Bricks were all of similar size They created a sewer system Granaries were created to store food for the entire city