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What were the Indus Valley people like?

Part of HistoryIndus ValleyYear 3Year 4

Watch: Life in the Indus Valley

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What was the Indus Valley?

  • The Indus Valley was home to one of the world's first large civilisations.
  • It began nearly 5,000 years ago in an area of modern-day Pakistan and Northern India.
  • There were more than 1,400 towns and cities in the Indus Valley.
  • We do not know what the Indus people called their cities, because nobody has been able to translate their ancient language.
A busy marketplace in the Indus Valley
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Where was the Indus Valley?

  • The Indus people lived on the banks of the Indus river.
  • The Indus river starts in the Himalayan mountains (the tallest mountain range in the world), and flows nearly 3,000 kilometres through modern-day Pakistan.
  • Downstream it carves out a valley. This is where the Indus people lived.
  • People used river water to drink, wash and to grow crops.
An artist's impression of an Indus city.
An artist's impression of an Indus city.
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Were there battles and wars in the Indus Valley?

Artist's impression of life in the Indus Valley. There are people weighing and selling goods at a busy market stall.
This is an artist's impression of what life may have been like in the Indus Valley.

  • The Indus civilisation seems to have been a peaceful one.

  • The cities were built with strong walls and gates, which usually means they needed protection.

  • However few weapons have been found and there is no evidence of an army.

  • Ancient writing can tell us about civilisations, but we can't translate the Indus writings. We have to look for other clues.

Artist's impression of life in the Indus Valley. There are people weighing and selling goods at a busy market stall.
This is an artist's impression of what life may have been like in the Indus Valley.
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What were Indus Valley towns like?

A photograph of some ruins.
Ruins of an Indus city.

  • The Indus cities had straight roads which criss-crossed in a grid pattern to form city blocks.

  • The main streets were almost 10 metres wide - wide enough for two carts or elephants to pass each other.

The ruins of an ancient Indus city street
This photo of a street at Mohenjo-Daro shows how high the walls were either side of the street

  • Drains ran along the edge of the streets to carry rubbish away and wells were dug for clean water.

  • Some cities, like Mohenjo-Daro, had high walls. These walls had gateways so people could come and go.

  • Some city districts inside were raised on mounds. The highest mound was known as the citadel.

  • Most Indus buildings were made from mud bricks.

The ruins of an ancient Indus city street
This photo of a street at Mohenjo-Daro shows how high the walls were either side of the street
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Activities

Activity 1: Indus cities

Click on the labels below to find out more about the cities in the Indus Valley.

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Activity 2: Quiz – Who were the Indus people?

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