Mohenjo-Daro (meaning “Mound of the Deceased“) is one of the world’s oldest Ancient Civilizations (around 2500 BCE) and is now classified as a UNESCO World Heritage site, because of the archaeological significance and importance of the site.
Difference:
Unlike the other early civilizations of Mesopotamia and Ancient Egypt that revered their kings and monumental tombs, Mohenjo-Daro was established with the intent to support humanity collectively and collectively support an early establishment of rights for all people.
Mohenjo-Daro is a demonstration of the creation of a highly developed social contract that existed between its citizens, or social contract of society. Mohenjo-Daro serves as an example of a unique urban community that was cooperative, equitable and peaceful. Mohenjo-Daro serves as the basis for Mohenjo-Daro’s true legacy and an ongoing foundation of a society built around human dignity.
Discovery:
Mohenjo-Daro – The discovery of Mohenjo-Daro in the 1920’s was the beginning of modern archeological work in the area. Two men, R.D. Banerji and Sir John Marshall were among the first archeologists to excavate the site and uncover a city and a complete culture and civilization that changed forever how we view the Indian subcontinent.
Impressions on Mohenjo-Daro
When Mohenjo-Daro is viewed for the first time what comes to the attention of the observers is the systematic approach to the construction of the first city in the Indus Valley Civilization. The city is laid on a brick grid with uniformly sized bricks. There are no large temples which would signify the presence of a ruling class. The streets are oriented to the cardinal directions complte with evenly sized building blocks organized in quads. The overall design of the city provides social equity to the citizens as all building blocks were constructed to the same dimension.
Social Justice in City Planning:
The creation of urban centers like Mohenjo-Daro offered its people an organized setting in which to live, and more importantly, to cultivate a balanced and integrated society.
• Positive impact on society cities like Mohenjo-Daro allowed for the integration of organized social structures and the formation of interdependent positive relationships among the inhabitants. Planning Creates Equality:
Urban design and the use of grids created a system in which everyone had access to all areas of the city. The use of standardized kiln fired bricks in the same ratio (4:2:1) for all buildings, including public baths, demonstrates the existence of a well-structured and highly-regulated pottery industry and a city authority that prioritized durable structures over creating a beautiful city.
Daro’s commitment to public welfare is most convincingly demonstrated in its methods of managing water – a clear example of providing fundamental rights long before these words came about.
- The hundreds of wells spread throughout the city provided residents with equal access to safe drinking water at the neighborhood level so that there was no inequitable distribution of water, as there was in many other societies of the ancient era.
- Our modern sewer system is a by-product of the largest investment in public health known at the time, with almost every residence in addition to an indoor bathroom had access to a covered sewer system, and it allowed many members of the population the right to live in a healthy environment free from the threat of disease.
The Legacy of Equality – Housing and Social Structure Say About Mohenjo-Daro
The residential buildings of Mohenjo-Daro give an insight into their society.
The Lack of Palaces
There has been no structure positively identified as a royal palace or major temple. The largest buildings (e.g., Great Granary) appear to serve as storage for the public and do not suggest individual ownership. Therefore, the power of leadership was probably divided among various merchant or priestly groups rather than being controlled by one ruler.
The Range of Housing versus a Minimum Standard of Living
Different types of housing indicate different levels of wealth, however, almost all houses had multiple rooms, courtyards for natural light and air, and connected to the drainage system which indicates a common minimum standard of dignity for nearly everyone in society.
Economic Rights and Fair Practices:
Seals, Weights and Cotton:
Civic relations were the foundation of all economic activity in the city-state of Mohenjo-Daro. This foundation provided a basis of fairness and exactness that enabled citizens to have confidence in their dealings.
Standardized Weights and Measures:
The use of standardized cubic weights in the binary and decimal number systems was an important development throughout the area of Indus. This standardization allowed for fair trade practices because it ensured equitable pricing for all goods and services between markets and through to overseas markets.
Seals:
Thousands of seals made of steatite that depicted some form of symbol oranimal, including the famous “unicorn,” were likely used to identify goods, understand who owned a product, and assist in facilitating trade. The creation of these seal was part of an extensive system of commercial and administrative regulations and law.
Early Textile Manufacturers:
The people living in the region surrounding the Indus were some of the first to grow cotton and process it into fabric, often calling the material “kumaṣ” or fabric). Cotton became the “gold” of the ancient world, leading to the growth of a huge textile industry, providing economic freedom to millions, and creating a significant trade network with Mesopotamia.
Are the Rights to Peace and Security as Non-Militaristic as Possible?
There has been much debate about one of the most remarkable characteristics of these Ancient Civilizations; that there is no archaeological evidence to suggest that warfare or even the glorification of violent acts was an accepted practice.
Non-Military state
The art of the civilization of Mesopotamia and Egypt show Kings trampling their enemies in the same manner, with battle scenes and the depiction of their warriors in their monumental architecture. In the Indus Valley Culture this type of representation does not exist. The only evidence that has been discovered regarding weapons is simple forms of weaponry which were primarily used for hunting purposes or minor conflicts.
Boundaries
The “Citadel” of the Indus Valley to the west was an elevated area which was the center of the many public buildings within it. Although its walls have not shown a significant amount of evidence that they were constructed as Military Fortifications, there is some indication that they may have been designed to control or channel water during floods or to define Civic Boundaries and Landowners.
This Archaeological evidence indicates that the political and social structure of the Indus Valley Civilization placed a higher value on Internal Cohesion, Focus on Trading Relationships, and Rituals than on Militaristic Expansionism. Therefore, the Indus Valley Civilization likely perceived its Security in the form of an Economic Social Contract with its inhabitants rather than a Monopolization of Force, suggesting that the concept of Security, in its current form, originated long before the Modern Day notion of Human Security.
Art, Culture, & Implicit Gender Narratives
Through visuals from the art corpus (although the amount of visually represented art is relatively smaller), we are able to see cultural and maybe even social values, from the type of art, the way it was made to the way it is presented. Through our observations of the figurines, we note the following significant points:
“Priest-King” Statue:
Such an iconic sculpture exists of a male figure wearing a fillet along with a trefoil cape who possesses a calm, authoritative countenance; The priest-king is depicted without weapons rather with symbols of authority; Hence, the statue appears to have a leadership role as a result of both administrative or priestly authority.
Children’s Toys:
The toys found in this community (the carts, whistles, and figures of animals) are evidence of the community’s respect for children and play time. Indirectly, therefore, these toys indicate a stable society.
Mohenjo-Daro Was Not Conquered in a Catastrophic Battle But Gradually Fell Apart Before 1900BCE
The following are examples of theories concerning how this destruction occurred:
Potentially Hydrological Changes:
There have been intriguing speculations that around 1900BCE the cropland that formed the basis of the economy supporting Mohenjo-Daro may have failed as a result of significant environmental change and loss to crop yields through both drought or flooding
Possible Climatic Change:
The decline in agricultural capacity was likely worsened by rapidly changing patterns in the geographic area that would have resulted from the loss of monsoon cycles, which would have increased the duration and intensity of drought conditions.
Trade Issues:
Disruptions in trade with Mesopotamia created immediate economic vulnerability for the residents of Mohenjo-Daro as it created an unending supply of goods for their community.
Changes in Society Structure:
The combined effects of these three factors may have created a situation in which the original social systems in place to support Mohenjo-Daro were no longer able to support the population, thus creating a loss of common identity and creating a situation conducive to the mass movement of people.
No Proof of Mass Violence in Mohenjo-Daro (or Any Other City):
The people of Mohenjodaro’s way of life appeared to be uneventful, in the absence of any indication of warfare. Dating back to the Indus valley civilisation South Asia is renowned for its rich cultural legacy. The Indus Valley Civilisation appears to have had a considerable influence on the indigenous people’s customs and practices in the Indian subcontinent according to the findings from numerous archaeological digs. The impact of this legacy is seen in many local customs which are still practiced today.
* Cultural Legacy.
Many elements of South Asian cultures contain elements of the Indus Valley Civilization, such as ritual bathing and the reverence of specific animals, as well as perhaps proto-yogic postures on seals. All of these are found in some form within later Hindu and South Asian cultures.
* Modern Symbol for Pakistan.
It represents a foundation of Pakistan’s national heritage and identity, and is a great source of national pride and depth of history.
* Urban Sustainable Planning.
The values exhibited by the way the people of Mohenjo-Daro managed water and sanitation and how they planned their cities with water and sanitation in mind, are very relevant to the current crisis of climate change and urban inequality. The archaeological lesson of how to plan a city for the well being of all its residents is a powerful reminder of what a great city should be.
The Conservation of Mohenjo-Daro.
Increasingly the water level is rising and with that weather patterns are changing such that the ground in this region has become saline. It is essential for UNESCO and archaeologists to have support from people all around the world to preserve the site for the benefit of generations yet to come.Final thoughts concerning ‘Mohenjo-Daro:
The Silent Language of Bricks and Wells’
As we followed our course through Mohenjo-Daro, we discovered a culture that was distinctly humanistic at its core. The grandeur of this society will never be recorded in conquest tablets, nor does it contain entombed pharaonic gold; however, it has been expressed in many ways—through public wells, covered drains, and standardization of brick size. As a result, what Palestinians experienced and what the early citizens of the Indus Valley produced were societies that produced urban forms oriented towards subjective social justice through decisions, built-in standards of economic fairness through standardized weights and measures, and created public health as a community responsibility (i.e., the common health).
While we are still unable to decipher the written language of this family of cultures, the artifacts that we find associated with Mohenjo-Daro demonstrate
An enduring message of civilizational vitality:
A society achieves maximum vitality when it promotes human dignity and the security of its citizens; and when it recognizes the necessity of a society-wide interest in the well-being of all members of that society. While humanity may not yet fully embrace this notion, Ancient Mohenjo-Daro is still a modern-day silent champion advocating for the Human Rights of All, based on the fundamental infrastructure that allowed for the longevity and thriving of this greatest civilization.