UPSC Prelims Exam: Must Know Facts about Indus Valley Civilization Part VII

UPSC Exam: Must Know Facts about Indus Valley Civilization.

Continuing with the series on the great Indus Valley Civilization, we bring you some interesting facts about it. This is important not only from a historic point of view, but also from the UPSC IAS exam viewpoint. These static facts can increase your understanding and appreciation of this ancient civilization and of course, aid you in your IAS prelims exam.

Fact# 34: The Indus Valley Civilization had precise measurement systems

• Stone cubes have been excavated from the sites of this civilization. Archaeologists believe them to be weights for measurement.
• These weights increase in a ratio of 5:2:1. They had weights of 0.05, 0.1, 0.2, 0.5, 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, 50, 100, 200, and 500 units.
• They are different from the system of measurement of Egypt and Mesopotamia of that time, so it can be concluded that this system was developed indigenously.
• The smallest division on a marking on an ivory scale was around 1.704 mm found in Lothal, Gujarat. This is the smallest recorded division found from the Bronze Age.

Fact# 35: They even tested the purity of gold by the touchstone technique

• A touchstone has been recovered from Banawali, Haryana.
• This touchstone has streaks of gold in it indicating that it was probably used to assay the purity of gold.
• This technique is used in some parts of the country to this day.

Fact# 36: The Indus Valley Civilization even had dentists among them

• In 2006, Nature journal declared that the first evidence of drilling of the human teeth in a live person was found in Mehrgarh, present Pakistan.
• This discovery was done in 2001 when eleven drilled molar crowns were unearthed from a Neolithic grave in Mehrgarh dating between 5500 B.C. and 7000 B.C.
• This remarkable discovery shows that people of the Indus Valley Civilization had knowledge of proto-dentistry.

Fact# 37: They were the world’s earliest cotton cultivators

• The earliest traces of cotton in the world were found here. The earliest evidence for the use of cotton was found in Mehrgarh dating back to the sixth millennium B.C.
• The Indus Valley farmers were the first ones to spin and weave cotton.
• Cotton was also one of the export items.

Fact# 38: They had the world’s first buttons

• The world’s first buttons were found here dating back to 2800 – 2600 B.C.
• Buttons were made out of seashells and some of them had holes pierced in them for them to be attached to clothes with threads.
• Buttons in the Indus Valley were used more for their ornamental value rather than for utility.

Also Read |  Indus Valley Civilization – Part 6    Indus Valley Civilization – Part 8

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