Mohenjo-Daro - Decline and Legacy

Mysteries of Mohenjo-Daro


Actually, Mohenjo-Daro is one big mystery. Much of what we know (or think we know) about them is speculative, based solely on the artifacts and ruins of Mohenjo-Daro, Harappa, and dozens of other sites found in the Indus River Valley.

One mystery will possibly never be explained - the fate of the people of Mohenjo-Daro. The ruins of the city were discovered under layers of silt during the construction of a railroad. The city also had several layers to it indicating that it had been destroyed and rebuilt multiple times, probably because of severe flooding from the Indus River. As a result, one theory of the decline of Mohenjo-Daro is that the people simply decided to leave because of frequent floods.

Another theory is that the Indus River moved. We know that it moved; it’s currently several miles from the site of Mohenjo-Daro. Some speculate that a severe tectonic event (earthquake) caused the river to drastically change course. It would not be out of the realm of possibility that the people of Mohenjo-Daro would take such an event, if it indeed occurred, to be a sign from the gods to leave.

Yet another possibility is that the people of Mohenjo-Daro were conquered and / or driven out of the area by another group of people, possibly the Aryans.

Mohenjo-Daro’s Legacy

Whatever happened to the people of Mohenjo-Daro, they left us with clues to our human past. They were prosperous, intelligent, and had a culture unique yet similar to many others before or since. As archaeological and anthropological work continues in the Indus River Valley and around the world, the potential is alive to discover much more about the people and how they lived. Until the mysteries are solved, we can just continue to analyze the clues they left us and wonder.

Mohenjo-Daro - Trade, Culture, and Government

Trade and Links to Mesopotamia

The people of Mohenjo-Daro were actively engaged in trade with other people of the Indus River Valley and with Mesopotamian civilization. Standardized weights, measures, and scales found in Mohenjo-Daro are evidence that the citizens had an organized system of trade. It is reasonable to assume also that services – construction, artisan, etc – were traded as well as goods.

Indus Valley Civilization Resources

I’ll be making several posts in the next few days on the Indus Valley Civilization and the city of Mohenjo-Daro. Below are some of the resources I used to compile the information and that I use when I teach about ancient India. I’ll update the list as my posts evolve…


Mohenjo-Daro in Photographs - a great site with lots of good information and photographs about the ancient city. There is also an extensive bibliography to explore.

Harappa - a sister site to the one above about the sister city to Mohenjo-Daro, again, lot’s of photos and info.

Information from Encyclopædia Britannica about India - quite an extensive set of entries on the Indus River Civilization.

Wikipedia - Indus Valley Civilization - I’m sure you know the drill with Wikipedia.

The First Cities (Amazon link) - this book is part of a series by Time-Life, and I believe it’s out of print. It is available used through Amazon or possibly your local used bookstore. The book has info and lots of pictures and illustrations on several ancient cities including Mohenjo-Daro.

Harappa and the Indus River - from Washington State University

Economics of the Indus Valley Civilization - A short essay with pictures

The Ancient City of Mohenjo-Daro

In modern-day Pakistan is a site that was once home to as many as 30,000 people of the Indus Valley civilization. We know it as Mohenjo-Daro.  In English, the name means "Mound of the Dead." The ruins of Mohenjo-Daro are a window into the mysterious civilization of the Indus Valley people. We know they were advanced. They had running water, a below ground sewer system, and possibly a forerunner to the modern bank. We will see (or read) just how much the people of Mohenjo-Daro lived like us as we discuss the ruins of their city.

Geography of Ancient India - The Indus River Valley

The culture that developed in the Indus River Valley around 3500-2500 BC, referred to by some as the Harappan Culture (named for Harappa, one of the ruined cities of the ancient civilization), was cut off from others on all sides by its geography.