Question

What was the approximate time period of the Indus Valley Civilization?
A) 2400 BCE– 1700 BCE
B) 2500 BCE – 1700 BCE
C) 2400 BCE – 1750 BCE
D) 2500 BCE – 1750 BCE

Answer 1

Hint: The history of India begins with the advent of this civilization. It was the fourth civilization that came into existence after the Australian, the Circa and the Mesopotamian.

Complete answer:
Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro were the first two sites of the Indus Valley Civilization to be discovered in the 1920s. Hence, it is also referred to as the Harappa Civilization. Both these sites (Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro) are presently located in Pakistan. In India, we have sites like Lothal, Kalibangan, Dholavira etc.

What distinguished the Indus Valley Civilization from other civilizations of the world, was the system of town planning that they had adopted. They used a grid system to build the towns and houses and all the houses were connected to a network of drainage. Each and every house had a courtyard and a bathroom.

The Indus Valley Civilization is categorized into three phases; the Early, the Mature and the Late Harappa Phase. The Early phase spans from 3300 BCE to 2500 BCE. This was the stage where the civilization had not yet been established as the one that we know today, but it was in the building process. The civilization that we refer to as the Indus Valley Civilization is the Mature Harappan Phase which spans from 2500 BCE to 1750 BCE. After 1750 BCE, we saw the decline of civilization.

Thus, the correct answer is Option (D) 2500 BCE – 1750 BCE.

Note: The traders of the Indus Valley Civilization traded in cotton, metals and exotic animals from places as far as Ancient Mesopotamia. The ruins of the site of Mohenjo-Daro have been declared as a UNESCO Heritage Site. Mohenjo-Daro is also known for the largest structure found in civilization, i.e. a communal bath known as the ‘Great Bath’.