The oldest civilization in India was the Indus Valley Civilization around 2600 BC. This time, let's take a closer look at the Indus Valley Civilization, which is still surrounded by many mysteries, and the next civilization in India.
Where did civilization flourish in ancient India?
The oldest Indus Valley Civilization in the Indian subcontinent As the name implies, Indus River It's happening around. Indus Valley Civilization Mohenjo-daro near the lower reaches of But to the northeast of it Harappa An archaeological site called is found.
The two are about 672 km apart, and it takes about 8 hours by car. Ruins have also been found far from the river, and the Indus Valley Civilization is extensive . I know that. It's obvious when compared to other civilizations that happened at similar times.
Water and food to feed the many people most needed for the emergence of civilization. Water is obtained from the Indus River, and food is obtained by making and harvesting wheat as the main grain in the dry season, and by actively pastoralizing cattle, buffalo, sheep, pigs, camels and the like.
The area around Pakistan and India at that time was parallel to the Indus River (although it is a intermittent river flow that normally has no water flow in the dry season in modern times), a river with abundant water volume throughout the year " Gaggal Harkler River strong> There is a theory that there was a river called "(* It is just a theory! There is also a theory that it was already an intermittent river flow at this time).
Indus Valley Civilization The ruins of the river have also been found in the surrounding area where the Gaggal-Harkler River was allegedly located. By the way, it is said that the rich river "Saraswati" that appears in ancient Indian myths is likely to be the Gaggal-Harkler River, and although it is speculated, it was a river that was so important that it became a myth.
It seems that some people think that the ruins have been found even in areas a little far from the Indus River due to the difference between the ancient and modern environments.
What kind of civilization was the Indus Valley Civilization? ??
To tell the truth, it is also a mysterious civilization whose kind of civilization is not clear compared to other civilizations. That's why I emphasized that it was one theory earlier.
Indus Valley Civilization Is the so-called Bronze Age of ancient India Bronze ware was used in many tools and weapons.
It seems that a considerable amount of city planning was devised, and the walls were laid outside, and roads equipped with drainage facilities and houses, markets, brick baths and grain warehouses next to them were discovered. increase. A stamp (like a stamp) and a colored potter's wheel made of potter's wheel have also been excavated, and it is certain that it was a fairly advanced civilization.
Characters are also used and engraved on the seal, but it is one of the characters that has not been deciphered even though it was such a famous civilization.
What was the god worshiped in the Indus Valley Civilization? ??
Faith was practiced in the Indus Valley Civilization as in other areas.
Today's India is Hindu However, from this time on, Hinduism has already been achieved. Lord God Shiva Cow statue , which is sacred in the prototype and Hinduism of Has also been found.
Why does the Indus Valley Civilization remain a mystery?
Modern circumstances
Indus Valley Civilization The place where this happened is around Pakistan and India, so the Kashmir problem is ongoing. It is also an area that has. British Indian Empire dismantled in 1947 The situation is currently in an ongoing conflict between the two countries, which have been divided due to differences in religion.
Discovered in 1920 during the Indian Empire, the Indus Valley Civilization has many archaeological sites found in Pakistan. However, the research institute of the Indus Valley Civilization was taken over by India and the Indian Empire was dismantled, and Pakistan had to set up a new research institution. As a result of each searching for the ruins separately, the ruins were found in a wide range.
At the same time, due to the ongoing conflict area, the excavation work does not proceed as expected, the publication and sharing of historical materials does not proceed smoothly, the researcher's visa is not obtained, and only one research is done. There seems to be a fact that research is not progressing due to circumstances different from stable areas.
What is the reason why Indus characters are not deciphered ...?
Indus script As for, because I don't understand too much, it was just a "symbol? There is even a theory. It seems that there is a research result that AI recognized the same level of regularity as spoken language about 10 years ago, but it is not surely seen, and it is highly possible that the Indus script was "spoken language". It was about the credibility.
The reason why the Indus script has not been clarified so much is
- No cohesive text found
- No stone monument of letters in other areas has been found
- The language spoken by the inhabitants at that time is unknown (it is presumed to be Dravidian, but it is only presumed)
This is a major reason why we have not been able to decipher such circumstances. Furthermore, it seems that it has not been clarified yet with the addition of the modern circumstances mentioned earlier.
The decline of the Indus Valley Civilization
Such a Indus Valley Civilization Declined around 1800 BC, but the exact reason is still unknown.
- River channel transition theory / flood theory
- Environmental destruction theory due to grazing and logging
- Agricultural decline theory due to salt damage
Various theories are mentioned. There used to be a theory that people called Aryans invaded from Central Asia and declined, but in recent years it seems that the theory that it had already declined 200 years before the arrival of Aryans seems to be predominant. .. Let's take a closer look.
What exactly are each theory?
The Indian subcontinent, where the Indus Valley Civilization emerged, is a new orogenic belt surrounded by high mountains. Land included in. There are many high mountains that have not yet been weathered because of the ongoing crustal movement.
Isn't the Gaggal-Harkler River, which has abundant water now, affected by such crustal movements? It is said that.
River channel transition theory / flood theory
Isn't the Indus Valley Civilization declining due to the loss of water volume as a result of the effects of climate change that occurred at similar times when the flow path changed due to crustal movements? That is the theory of river channel transition, and the floods frequently occurred and declined along with it. That is the flood theory.
Agricultural decline theory
Regarding the theory of agricultural decline, it seems to be understood when considering what happens to agricultural land where the amount of water has decreased. Agricultural land with low water content increases the salt concentration of the soil, and plants that dislike salt cannot grow. Food production will fall and will no longer be able to support the ever-growing population. The main cause of this is the theory of agricultural decline.
Grazing / logging theory
The bronze ware widely used in the Indus Valley Civilization is
As written, bronze ware uses charcoal when making it. The more people there were, the more tools and charcoal would have been needed, and the more grazing and desertification to feed the people. The theory is that it has declined.
Bonus
Why the salt concentration in the soil rises and why the plants die in salt water
In the process of the earth becoming the sea and land as it is now, the rain containing sodium and chlorine in the rock causes a chemical reaction to form sodium chloride, and the sodium chloride flows and the sea is completed. (There is also sodium chloride that can be produced in other processes). So there is salt here and there on land. (* Refer to the Ocean Policy Research Institute blog "Why is seawater salty?")
However, in the case of normal moist soil, salt does not rise to the surface of the soil because the water covers the soil.
You can tell by making salt water, but if you put salt in water, the undissolved part will sink to the bottom. Because it is heavier than water. A phenomenon similar to this is occurring in the soil (actually, it seems that something difficult is happening, such as ions, but it is simplified).
In areas with a lot of rain, the rain will wash away the salt, and even if it dries and the salt rises in the soil, it will create a water retention layer again and cover the salt, but if there is little rain, it will cover it. It does not flow and does not form a water retention layer and remains in the soil.
In moist soil, fresh water comes in from above, so plants can grow with the water and nutrients that have sunk into the soil. On the other hand, in the case of soil with low water content, water containing salt in the underground as shown in the figure of soil with high water content will be sprinkled, and the salt concentration of the soil will increase more and more.
In the state of the soil, salt accumulates in such a way, but why does the plant not grow in water containing salt? The answer seems to be osmotic pressure.
Plants take in water (aqueous solution) in which nutrients are dissolved in the soil through the roots, but of course plants cannot be sucked like a vacuum cleaner.
The nature of the aqueous solution is
By utilizing the fact that it is, it absorbs by utilizing the difference in osmotic pressure between the aqueous solution in the cells that make up the roots of the plant and the aqueous solution in the soil.
Therefore, the aqueous solution of soil, which should be thinner than plants, cannot penetrate into the roots. In this way, it is said that the plants will die because they cannot take in water and nutrients.
The Indus Valley Civilization is a civilization that is hardly known, but ancient India is also a place that influenced many places including Japan. In that sense, it can be said to be one of the most important civilizations.
In the future, it will be revealed at once depending on the situation, so you may enjoy using your imagination now.