In the earliest cities

HISTORY
CLASS VI
CHAPTER 4
IN THE EARLIEST CITIES

1. IN THE EARLIEST CITIES
HISTORY
CHAPTER 4
CLASS VI
FROM :SHRADHA SINGH
( KVS)

2. •The Indus Valley was home
to the largest of the four
ancient urban civilizations of
Egypt, Mesopotamia, India
and China. It was not
discovered until the 1920's.
Most of its ruins, including
major cities, remain to be
excavated. Its script has not
been deciphered. Basic
questions about the people
who created this highly
complex culture are
unanswered.
Purple dots represent the
first settlements

4. The Indus Valley
civilization flourished
around 2,500 B.C. in
the western part of
South Asia, in what
today is Pakistan and
western India. It is
often referred to as
Harappan Civilization
after its first
discovered city,
Harappa.

5. A historical “re-creation” drawing of the city of
Harappa

6. Mohenjo-Daro was an extremely well-planned city that was similar in
design to Harappa in the north. Both cities were approximately 3 miles
in diameter, laid out in a grid like formation, and were built primarily of
burnt and unfired mud bricks.

7. This map shows some settlementsin the Indus
Valley.
Harappa
The ancient city of Harappa was first
excavated by archaeologistsin
1920. Over 30,000 people may have
lived here
Mohenjo-Daro
The ancient city of Mohenjo-Daro.
means 'Mound of the Dead'. Nobody lives
there now. It is the biggest settlement
archaeologistshave discovered in the
Indus Valley. It covers about 1.5 square
kilometres. Archaeologists believe over
35,000 people lived here.

8. The story of Indus valley civilization is a story of a
people tied to their geography and environment. The
geography ofIndia is one of great extremes,
including deserts, mountains, forests, and jungles.
All of these environments experience unpredictable
periods of flood, or NO RAIN AT ALL (drought) and
monsoons. These difficult conditions were also a
great asset to the development of its early
civilizations. The Himalayas provided a great deal of
protection from invasions from the north, and other
mountain ranges provided similar protection in the
west and east. The water ways of the Indus River
provided an excellent resource for trade.

9. Thar desert
The Thar desert is a
very hot place. There is
very little water, so it is
hard for plants to grow.
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
The Himalayan mountain
range has some of the
world's highest mountains.
They are covered in snow
all year long. Some of the
snow melts in the spring.
The water runs off the
mountains, creating rivers.
Indus river
The Indus river risesin the snowy
mountains of the Himalayas. It
flows down to the hot, dry lands
below. 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.
Today the river is controlled by
dams and canals.