Ancient Indus Questions & Answers

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"In a city like Mohenjo-daro, the excavators have said that the thick-walled houses could have taken an upper storey; there were several rooms and courtyards to a house, but whether each of these was the space for specific activities, we don’t know."

Among the more intriguing questions from site visitors, answered by three Indus archaeologists, from India, Italy and Finland.

Another question from site visitors answered by leading archaeologists.

Another question from site visitors answered by a panel of ancient Indus experts.

Another question answered by expert ancient Indus scholars.

Another answer to a question from you by our panel of leading ancient Indus archaeologists.

Another answer to a question from you to our panel of leading Indus archaeologists.

Another answer to a question to our panel of a dozen leading ancient Indus archaeologists.

What are the difficulties which makes it impossible to decipher the Harappan language? Aren't there any similarities with other languages?

Scholars answer another question from site visitors.

Dennys Frenez

Another question from site visitors answered by an ancient Indus civilization scholar, this time with a comprehensive timetable situation the ancient Indus civilization with others epochs.

Another answer to a question from you by our panel of leading Indus archaeologists.

Another answer to a question from you by our panel of leading Indus archaeologists.

Another answer to a question from you by our panel of leading Indus archaeologists.

Answer to question 52. from our panel of leading ancient Indus archaeologists.

Evolution or Revolution? Has recent research (that of the last 20 years ) given any new insights? Submitted by Gharial Abramnova from school student questions

Having toured the ruins of the Egyptian civilization in Cairo, Mayan in Guatemala/Mexico, Inca in Peru, what intrigues me about the Indus Valley civilization is that it was prosperous, peace loving AND egalitarian. I don't believe there is other precidence of these elements in unison being maintained over millenia. Clearly this is something worth researching to find clues of how to create sustainability in today's world.

Is it a bull (according to a recent British Museum/BBC history of the World series) and not a unicorn? A bull with two horns always shown from the side? A mythical one-horn beast? What is his significance? Submitted by Gharial Abramnova from school student questions

This case is being made on the basis of circumstantial evidence. Did the people of Indus Valley Civilization interact with people of the Rigveda? What is the relationship between the Indus Valley people and Vedic people? Submitted by Shubha Khandekar and others

Another interesting artifact in the National Museum is a terracotta basin. It is rectangular in shape rounded at edges, about 3 feet long and 9 inches deep. It is integrated with six legs 6 inches high and is rimmed. It has holes along its lower circumference, probably to drain out liquid. Could it be a baby's bath tub? Was it used to wash raw stones prior to chipping away impurities in bead making process? Or was there any other use? Submitted with illustration by Vasant Dave

Article on volumetric interpretations. Submitted by Wim Borsboom

Asko Parpola
The groups of vertical strokes (but not all of them) stand for ones and groups of semicircles probably stand for tens. Beyond this, the identification of numerals in the Indus script is difficult and uncertain. The arguments adduced by Brian Wells for his volumetric interpretations do not convince me.

Lothal by SR Rao (ASI of India, New Delhi, 1985) makes a passing mention of camels. However, in 'Harappan Terracottas' by DP Sharma (National Museum, New Delhi. 2003), the camel does not figure among 130 photos of animal figurines. If 'yes', were they single-humped Dromedary or double-humped Bactrian? Submitted by Vasant Dave