1 The people of the Indus An advanced civilization from nearly 4000 years ago

2 What I want you to notice is  These people were living in the same time as the Bronze Age was first beginning in Britain  In Britain, they did not have cities  They did not have proper government and were not very organised  They still lived in small groups

3 I also want you to notice … ..how often it says archaeologists think …  This is because they can only guess about quite a few things  They only have the evidence from the things they find  There are no written records (at least not ones we can read) – see later

4 Where is the Indus?

5  This is south-east Asia. You can see the borders between Afghanistan, Pakistan and India. The Lost City of Mohenjo-Daro is in the Indus valley.  The Indus civilisation existed in this area between 2600 and 1900 BC.  It was spread across Pakistan, India and parts of Afghanistan. This area was four times bigger than the whole of the UK!

6  This map shows the physical features of the area.  Thar desert: is a very hot place. It is difficult for people and animals to live here.  Arabian Sea: People have used boats to fish and trade on the Arabian Sea for thousands of years.  Himalayan mountain range: has some of the world's highest mountains. They are covered in snow all year long. Every spring, the mountain snows melted and the river flooded. When the water drained away, it left behind a rich mud. This was good for planting crops.  Highlands: The Indus valley has highlands to the west and north. Valuable wood, mineral and metal resources were found here and transported to Mohenjo-Daro.  Indus river: rises in the snowy mountains of the Himalayas. It flows down to the hot, dry lands below.

7  This map shows some settlements in the Indus Valley. There are three main cities.  Lothal: It may have been an important port city. The traders who lived here probably sent precious beads, ivory and jewellery to faraway lands.  Harappa: It was first excavated by archaeologists in Over 30,000 people may have lived here.  Mohenjo-Daro: means 'Mound of the Dead'. Nobody lives there now. It is the biggest settlement to have been discovered in the Indus Valley.  It covers about 1.5 square kilometres. Archaeologists believe over 35,000 people lived here. Note that no-one knows what these people called themselves nor what names they gave to the cities. They did have a script but we do not know what it says! (see later on)

8  This is an aerial photograph of Mohenjo- Daro.  Archaeologists often take aerial photographs of the sites they are investigating. This helps them study the site and surrounding area.

9  Mohenjo-Daro. 4 different famous archaeologists have visited the site and worked there  VS Area - named after MS Vats; DK Area - named after KN Dikshit; HR area - named after H Hargreaves; SD area - named after AD Siddiqi  citadel/mound :This is a big mound. Large and important buildings have been discovered here. Some archaeologists called it the Citadel. Now most archaeologists don't think it was fortified.  Lower town: Archaeologists named this area Lower town. The streets and buildings here look as if they were built to a plan. Only part of Lower town has been excavated.  First street: This seems to be the longest and widest street in Mohenjo-Daro. Archaeologists called it First street.

10  First street is 10 metres wide in places. Even after about 4000 years the house walls are still standing!

11  The bricks used for building house walls were often made of mud and dried in the sun. This type of brick kept the house cool.  Many bricks were fired in kilns to make them stronger. They were used for foundations, lower walls, large buildings, drains and wells.  The bricks we use today are made in much the same way!

12  These are excavated houses. You can see the different rooms.  There are spaces where there used to be windows and doors.  There are big and small houses in Mohenjo- Daro.  Most houses had drains to take away dirty water, like our houses today.

13  Many houses had wells for fresh drinking water. See how the wedge-shaped bricks were placed closely together.

14  Narrow drains can be found in the streets and alleyways of Mohenjo-Daro.  Drains were built with a slight slope. This allowed water to drain away from the city. Solid waste collected in square brick pits.  Some drains had covers - just like our drains today.

15  This is a large underground drain. In Mohenjo-Daro, some drains were big enough for people to walk in.  This was so that they could be unblocked.  People still have to do this nasty job in our drains today!

16 Artifacts  An artefact is an object that has been made by a person.  Archaeologists use artefacts to learn about the past.  Archaeologists brush gently uncover hidden artefacts without damaging them.  When an artefact is discovered, it is photographed.  A photograph is a reliable record of the find.  Its position (its horizontal position and its depth) are carefully recorded  This is because as objects are dropped, the floor level builds up and the depth is a good indication of age

17  Weights These weights were found in Mohenjo-Daro.  Archaeologists think that traders used them to measure the goods they traded.  Precious goods like gold or beads may have been weighed using the smallest weights.  The biggest weights may have been to weigh heavier goods like sacks of grain.

18  Elephant seal This seal was found in Mohenjo-Daro. It is about the size of a large postage stamp.  Seals were used to make an impression on wet clay.  There is an elephant on the seal. Other animals such as crocodiles, bulls and tigers were carved on seals.  Archaeologists believe that the signs carved along the top are the Indus writing.

19  Terracotta figurine This figurine was found in Mohenjo-Daro. It is 18.7 cm tall and 9.5 cm wide  It is made of terracotta, which is clay. Clay was plentiful. It's great for making things.  The figurine is of a woman, wearing lots of jewellery.  Some archaeologists think that this figurine shows a woman dressed for a special occasion.

20  Necklace  This necklace was found in Mohenjo-Daro. It is 18 cms long.  It would have taken a highly-skilled craft worker a long time to make it.  It is made of gold beads and green stone beads, which were rare and valuable.  It was probably worn by a rich woman.

21  Model cart This model cart was found in Mohenjo-Daro. It was probably a toy  It was put together with animal and human figurines for an exhibition. It is 19 cms long.  It is made of terracotta.  Full-size wooden carts rotted away.  It is likely that bullocks pulled the full-size carts. Farmers in the Indus valley still use carts and bullocks because they move easily in a field.

22 The people of the Indus had a script  But so far no-one can agree about what the symbols mean  What do you think? A cow or a jar with handles?

23 Now you are going to look at a story about a boy  Each page will look like this  You need to click on each picture to see what it tells you  This will help you answer the questions on the sheet I have sent you  is the link and then click on ‘story’ The boy opened his eyes to the warm morning sun. He watched it sneak across the hard earth floor of his room and up the plastered walls. In the corner of the room he could see his toy cart. It was filled with small jars and looked as if it was ready for a journey. The boy smiled. It was market day today and he would go with his father to the marketplace. There his father would trade his beads with the travelling merchants.  You might like to look at ‘explore’ later  You will see some things you have already learnt and some other things that are new ideas