Mohenjo-daro in brief
Mohenjo-daro (“mound of the dead” in Sindhi) lies on the plain beside the Indus River in Sindh province, Pakistan. It was one of the main cities of the Indus (or Harappan) civilisation, which flourished from about 2600 to 1900 BC (the city itself was built around 2500 BC and lasted until about 1900 to 1700 BC) across what are now Pakistan and northwest India. At its height, perhaps 40,000 people lived there. UNESCO listed it in 1980.
Discovery
In 1919 to 1920 the Indian archaeologist Rakhal Das Banerji recognised the mounds as very ancient, and saw that they matched finds from Harappa, found earlier. Sir John Marshall, head of the Archaeological Survey of India, led large excavations in the 1920s, and announced in 1924 the discovery of a previously unknown civilisation, which was as old as Mesopotamia and Egypt.
A planned city
- Layout. A raised citadel to the west, with public buildings, and a lower town to the east with streets in a grid, running north to south and east to west.
- Bricks. The houses are built of standard-sized baked bricks.
- Water and drains. Most houses had a bathroom and a toilet, connected to covered brick drains under the streets, and wells were widespread. The sanitation was far in advance of its time.
- The Great Bath. A large pool in the citadel, about 12 metres by 7 metres and 2.4 metres deep, lined with bricks and waterproofed with bitumen. It was probably used for ritual bathing.
- Granary. A big building on the citadel, thought to be a store for grain, though this is disputed.
Objects
Excavators have found beads, pottery, copper tools, toys and weights. Famous pieces are a small bronze statue of a dancing girl, about 10.5 centimetres high, and a carved bust nicknamed the “Priest-King” (there is no evidence that he was either). Thousands of stone seals with animals and a script of about 400 signs have been found at Indus sites. The script has not been deciphered.
No kings or armies?
Mohenjo-daro has no obvious royal palaces or temples, and few weapons, which led some scholars to propose a peaceful society without great inequality. Others point out that we cannot read the script, and that there may have been rulers whose evidence we have not recognised.
Decline
By about 1900 BC the cities of the Indus began to decline. Earlier theories that invaders destroyed Mohenjo-daro are not supported by the evidence. Scholars suggest changes in climate, with weaker monsoons, and shifts in the courses of rivers, which affected farming and trade.
Threats
The site is under pressure from salt in the ground, which damages the bricks, and from floods. Conservation work is ongoing, and visitors are asked to follow the rules.
Why it matters
Mohenjo-daro shows that one of the world’s first urban civilisations, as old as those in Egypt and Mesopotamia, arose in South Asia, with advanced town planning and water management, and trade with distant lands.
Visiting
The site is in Larkana District, Sindh, about 400 km from Karachi, with a small museum and a viewing platform. Conditions can vary, so check current travel advice. See also Petra.
Sources
- Marshall, J. (1931). Mohenjo-daro and the Indus Civilization, 3 volumes. Arthur Probsthain.
- Kenoyer, J. M. (1998). Ancient Cities of the Indus Valley Civilization. Oxford University Press.
- UNESCO World Heritage Centre. Archaeological Ruins at Moenjodaro.