Ancient Cities of the Indus Valley Civilization

Ancient Cities of the Indus Valley Civilization presents a refreshingly new perspective on the earliest cities of Pakistan and Western India (2600-1900 BC). Through a careful examination of the most recent archaeological discoveries from excavations in both Pakistan and India, the author provides a stimulating discussion in the nature of the early cities and their inhabitants. This detailed study of the Indus architecture and civic organization also takes into account the distinctive crafts and technological developments that accompanied the emergence of urbanism. Indus trade and economy as well as political and religious organizations are illuminated through comparisons with other contemporaneous civilizations in Mesopotamia and Central Asia and through ethnoarchaeological studies in later cultures of South Asia. The book is written as an introductory text on the Indus Civilization along with a catalogue section that illustrates some of the important objects recovered during the most recent excavations at Harappa, as well as earlier finds from excavations in the 1920s and 1903s. The abundant maps and line drawings, along with illustrations in color and white, make this an optimal teaching tool for high school and college teachers.