Fluvial Landscapes of the Harappan Civilization
A look at climate, river-basin and other geographic factors and their relationship to the possible east-ward evolution of the Indus Valley civilization.
Articles concerned with regional climate, geology, rivers, land formations, environmental conditions and the effects the environment itself had on the ancient Indus Valley Civilization.
Pedology and Late Quaternary Environments Surrounding Harappa: A Review and Synthesis
A review and explanation of the regional climate, geology, and environment which historically influenced the life and culture of the Harappan peoples.
"A review and synthesis of pertinent pedological, geological, and paleoenvironmental studies in the vicinity of Harappa (District Sahiwal, Punjab,
Water Supply and History: Harappa and the Beas Regional Survey
A paper examining and interpreting climate models and the history of water supply as it pertains to the Indus Valley civilization (including dramatic changes in precipitation and shifts in the Ravi River among the rerouting of other streams and tributaries).
Adaptation to Variable Environments, Resilience to Climate Change
An important contribution synthesizing many fields of research. The authors write: "This paper will explore the nature and dynamics of adaptation and resilience in the face of a diverse and varied environmental and ecological context using the case study of South Asia’s Indus Civilization (ca. 3000–1300 BC), and although it will consider the Indus region as a whole, it will focus primarily on the plains of northwest India."
Large-Scale, Multi-Temporal Remote Sensing of Palaeo-River Networks: A Case Study from Northwest India and its Implications for the Indus Civilisation
Wikipedia defines a paleo-channel as "a remnant of an inactive river or stream channel that has been filled or buried by younger sediment.
The Prehistory of Sindh and Las Bela (Balochistan): Thirty years of surveys and excavations (1985-2014)
It has really only been since the 1980s that a more comprehensive picture of the wide and deep roots of Indus civilization in the larger Sindh and Balochistan region have become apparent. Mehrgarh did not spring out of nowhere but was embedded in a region where fishing, shell collecting, flint mining and other crafts were present and flourishing at different times.
Forgotten Islands of the Past: The Archaeology of the Northern Coast of the Arabian Sea
The author, who has been working in the larger region for decades exploring the long history of human habitation and industry going back tens of thousands of years, turns his attention to the geographic changes in the Indus delta region through the Bronze Age and what recent work shows us were the curious "islands" that once existed in lower Sindh (Dholavira, in Gujarat, is another example of such a later settlement).
Recurring summer and winter droughts from 4.2-3.97 thousand years ago in north India
This highly technical and scientific paper brings together all the recent evidence from Dharamjali Cave in the Himalayas over a 230 year period around 2000 BCE, when the ancient Indus civilization was in decline, to show "that repeated intensely dry periods spanned multiple generations. The record highlights the deficits in winter and summer rainfall during the urban phase of the Indus Civilization, which prompted adaptation through flexible, self- reliant, and drought-resistant agricultural strategies."