Life in the Indus Valley

You’ve discovered that the Indus Valley had cities. What can you notice in this picture? It shows the ruins of an ancient Indus Valley city.

The walls were constructed from bricks, likely made of mud and baked to harden. There were roads and towering walls. I can’t help but wonder if that narrow passage stretching from the street to the bottom of the picture was meant for people or water.

They did have narrow streets, but they also dug drains and wells for water.

Some cities had a fortress of sorts, a citadel, a building that was larger and up higher than the others. Maybe that was the place where the ruler lived.

Did most people live in cities? No, the majority were farmers.

Our knowledge of life in the Indus Valley is limited. Most of what we know comes from archaeological findings at sites like the ones mentioned above, while the rest is based on interpretations and educated guesses from the evidence available.

The discovery of crowns suggests that each city likely had its own ruler. The streets in these cities remained unchanged for centuries, preserving a way of life that endured for generations.

The city was surrounded by walls; like those in the Bible, with gates that everyone used to come and go. Guards stood vigilant, ensuring the city’s safety, while the walls provided a solid defense against any enemies.

One of the reasons we know so little about life in the Indus Valley is that their writing remains undeciphered. While other ancient scripts have been decoded, theirs still baffles us, leaving no written records to reveal details of their lives.

Based on various statues and artifacts discovered, it seems they worshipped numerous idols and gods, much like other ancient civilizations.

This statue, unearthed in 1927 and referred to as the “Priest-King,” prompts curiosity about why it is thought he held a position of leadership.

To start, they built a statue of him. He appears well-groomed, adorned with an ornamental headdress, and dressed in a decorative robe. He’s clearly not an ordinary person.

We aren’t sure if they had priests or if the priests were their leaders—it’s just a theory. What we do know is that they had beliefs about the dead. When they buried someone, they included items from their home, possibly food and water, to provide for them.

Photo Credits:

“Priest-King” By Mamoon Mengal (world66.com) [CC BY-SA 1.0], via Wikimedia Commons

“City Planning” By Gaffar772 [CC BY-SA 4.0], from Wikimedia Commons