Indus Valley Civilization

The Indus Valley Civilization (IVC) was a Bronze Age civilization (33001300 BCE; mature period 26001900 BCE) that was located in the northwestern region[1] of the Indian Subcontinent.[2][3] Flourishing around the Indus River basin, the civilization[n 1] primarily centered along the Indus and the Punjab region, extending into the Ghaggar-Hakra River valley[7] and the Ganges-Yamuna Doab.[8][9] Geographically, it was spread over an area of some 1,260,000 km. There is an Indus Valley site on the Oxus river at Shortugai[10] and extending towards Alamgirpur at the Hindon river located only 28 km from Delhi, India. The Indus Valley is one of the world's earliest urban civilizations, along with its contemporaries, Mesopotamia and Ancient Egypt. At its peak, the Indus Civilization may have had a population of well over five million. Inhabitants of the ancient Indus river valley, developed new techniques in metallurgy and handicraft (carneol products, seal carving), and produced copper, bronze, lead, and tin. The civilization is noted for its cities built of brick, roadside drainage system, and multistoried houses.

Harappa
, pronounced [ ppa ]) is an archaeological site in Punjab, Harappa (Urdu/Punjabi: northeast Pakistan, about 35 km (22 mi) west of Sahiwal. The site takes its name from a modern village located near the former course of the Ravi River. The current village of Harappa is 6 km from the ancient site. Although modern Harappa has a train station left from the British times, it is today just a small (pop. 15,000) crossroads town. The site of the ancient city contains the ruins of a Bronze Age fortified city, which was part of the Cemetery H culture and the Indus Valley Civilization, centered in Sindh and the Punjab.[1] The city is believed to have had as many as 23,500 residentsconsidered large for its time. The ancient city of Harappa was greatly destroyed under the British Raj, when bricks from the ruins were used as track ballast in the making of the Lahore-Multan Railroad.

In 2005, a controversial amusement park scheme at the site was abandoned when builders unearthed many archaeological artifacts during the early stages of construction work. A plea from the prominent Pakistani archaeologist Ahmed Hasan Dani to the Ministry of Culture resulted in a restoration of the site.[2

Indus Civilization Geography

The Largest Bronze Age Urban Civilization

Indus civilization remnants have been discovered from as far south as Mumbai [Bombay], in Maharashtra State,
India, and as far north as the Himalayas and northern Afghanistan.

The westernmost sites are on the Arabian sea coast in Baluchistan, Pakistan, right next to the Iranian border. A thousand miles to the east in India, Harappan settlements have been found beyond India's capital, New Delhi in
Uttar Pradesh State. Discoveries in Lothal and Gola Dhoro and Dholavira in Gujarat State suggest a southern coastal network spanning hundreds of miles.

Seals
Double Duty
Have you ever heard of a double agent? Its someone who leads a double life as a secret agent, or spy for two different sides. Seals arent spies, but they do live double lives. Theyre mammals that live important parts of their lives on land and other parts entirely in the water. They breed and care for their babies on land, but spend most of their lives in the ocean.

Harbor seals spend close to half of their time on land and the other half in water. They can dive to 1,500 feet (457 m). Sometimes they even sleep in the water!
M.Campbell/GLOBIO.org

Seals are related to walruses and sea lions, for which they are often confused. True seals, or earless seals, propel themselves through the water with rear flippers. They use side flippers to steer in the water and move about on land. Unlike sea lions, true seals cannot walk on their hind flippers when theyre on land. True seals look a lot like eared or fur seals but they dont have ears you can see.