The Indus Civilization

by Mortimer Wheeler

In 1921 at Harappa, a small town in the Punjab, and in 1922 at Mohenjo-daro in Sind, evidence was discovered of an evolved urban culture nearly two thousand years older than any previously recognized in the Indo-Pakistan subcontinent. From the distribution of the sites first explored, the culture was named the Indus Valley civilization. This name it retains, although subsequent research has revealed elements of the civilization on the one hand westwards to the Makran coast and Saurashtra, and on the other hand eastwards into the valley of the Yamuna (Jumna). Thus amplified, the civilization is appreciably larger than its contemporaries in Iraq and Egypt. In this digital reprint of the 1968 third edition, Sir Mortimer Wheeler summarized other contributions to the study of the Indus civilization, and included discussions on climate and dating. The book includes well over 50 photographs of pottery, sculpture and sites.

Genres: History, India, Archaeology

Paperback

First published September 1, 1968

Reviews

[Vinay · Rating 3 out of 5]

Exceedingly detailed for the layman, the author lays out every bit of archaeological evidence from the ancient civilization in detail and draws cautious conclusions from it. Given its academic nature, it can be quite dragging at parts especially during discussions of pottery sherds and excavational stratifications. But that can be forgiven for its rigourous nature. Each chapter begins with a thorough examination of evidence, at the end of which the author lays out conclusions drawn from it.

The writing style is a bit archaic and difficult to follow, as it was written in 1968. A lot of new evidence may have come to.light since then, but I couldn't find any single book that summarises it and lays out a proper narrative covering all aspects of this civilization comprehensively. This is the best book I could find so far on Indus valley civilization.

[Waqar Ahmed · Rating 5 out of 5]

A short but brilliant supplement on the IVC by Sir Mortimer Wheeler. It talks about the important themes of the Indus such as discovery, seals, crafts, weather, religion and dating. A must-read on the IVC if you are a beginner.

[Jayesh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good