Sometime around 2500 B.C., another civilization was popping up. No, it wasn't in Mesopotamia, or Egypt, or even China or the Mediterranean but along the fertile Indus River in present day Pakistan. This civilization, in time, become the most organized in all of history--but not one personality has survived. Neither has a clay tablet, a piece of text written on papyrus (these people did trade with the Mesopotamians, who in turn traded with the Egyptians at various points in time) or any example of government. No stories about stupid kings, brave heroes, or any stories at all have survived. As Susan Wise Bauer says, "This annoys the historian to no end!"
However, many seals and artifacts from other civilizations have survived from this empire--proving it had traded both far and near.
From Humble Beginnings To The Borg
The Harappan civilization started out as poor farming villages along the Indus. Some trade may have occurred, but was very limited. Basically, it was primitive people who had discovered agriculture. Soon, though, like all civilizations, cities began to thrive. Two stick out among these--Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro. (or Mohenjodaro, either way is acccepted) Merchants from these two cities began to trade far and wide, and by 2300 B.C. they are expected to have reached the Arabian peninsula, traded with Akkadians, and gone back home.
Soon these cities began to develop armies and the conquering-fest began. Not in the regular way, though. You see, these people were now far from primitive. Both cities' old remnants had been burned, and specially designed and laid out towns were put on top. All of the streets were perfectly straight, all the houses perfectly made. They all included lavish features such as elaborate draining systems, indoor bathrooms, swimming pools, and all the houses were two stories. No, uniqueness was absolutely NOT allowed!
So the mighty Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro set out to create an empire. It is not known whether they were united or not, but from city to city they went--not taking over, but burning down. After the fire had stopped, they built their usual prototype on top of it.
After a couple hundred years, cities began to surrender themselves to the Harappan army, for by now they all WANTED to be a part of the empire. They were basically the Borg, if you care to compare ancient history to modern sci-fi movies.
"Obsessive Uniformity*"
After awhile, though, the Harappan civilization began to disintegrate. Build-up of silt aused enormous floods, fire, and foreign invasion sent this civilization obsessed with uniformity into chaos. They simply didn't have the strength to rebuild according to their regular plan--it was too much work.
Finally, the king, or whoever, blew his top. The Harappans demoted themselves back to farming villages--their empire a thing of the past.
Legacy
Even though no writing has been found, the Harappans have left a lasting impression on the modern world. First of all, their cities, even though threat of foreign invasion was slim, were basically safe havens. Walls surrounded each individual town, not dinky walls, but strong, tall ones. Also, inside each city was a citadel, which was the last resort if the invaders entered the village. There the residents could seek shelter--and warriors had the high ground, an obvious advantage.
Another legacy, or mystery, you could say, is their government. No evidence points to a king, a priest-king, or even an oligarchy. However, some group of people had to be in charge, no city could ever be that orderly without strict commands!
This leaves us with a VERY slim, but possible, idea. Could this have been the first true democracy?
Most historians say this idea is total bogus, one that crazy historians have dreamed up. I'm leaving my mind open, though. Such a discovery would rock the world of history--and send every history book into chaos. Modern knowledge as we know it would become flawed!
Plus, Athens would blow its top.
*John Keay
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on Saturday, July 19, 2008
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Ancient Times,
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