The Chinese society grew, developed and flourished in the loess regions associated with the eastern parts of High Asia. This was/is the most impressive and longest lasting of the ancient civilizations and it can be argued that it owes much of its success to its firm foundation in the loess lands. There were/are loess lands associated with the western end of High Asia; not so spectacular and amazing as the Chinese occurrences but significant and deserving of appreciation. The Central Asian loess has been studied and investigated but the loess now in India and Pakistan has been neglected and its societal influence has not been fully appreciated. The Indus Valley was the home for well developed societies in the period of around 3000-1500 BCE; two centres are identified: Harappa and Mohenjo Daro and they both appear to have interesting loessic connections. Here were well developed societies with brick buildings, built with fired bricks, and an alphabet or writing system, which still needs to be significantly translated. Some of these symbols appear to have geomorphological significance. There are four major rivers in the Punjab- the Jhelum, Chenab, Ravi & Sutlej dominate the region, and are closely associated with the Harappan society. The better known Mohenjo Daro situation is located further down the Indus Valley. The loess deposits in the Indus Valley are not well demarcated; there has not been much mapping activity, but the two deposits indicated by S.Z.Rozycki correspond nicely with the two sites of ancient societies . Region 7 on the High Asia diagram is where we find the Indus Valley civilizations; region 1 is the Central Asian loess region; the two rivers indicated are the Amu-Darya and the Syr-Darya. Regions 3 & 4 contain the Chinese loess deposits. S.Z.Rozycki 1991. Loess and Loess-like Deposits. Ossolinium Wroclaw. On p.117 in the section on Local Loesses of Southern Asia - one of the very few maps of loess in India region. SZR has made the picture rather too complex but he manages to show the two loess regions: NE of the Thar desert and W of the Thar desert; the locations of the Harappan and Mohenjo-Daro civilizations. Bricks. Thoughts about bricks. The Indus Valley people built with fired bricks; and they built extensively- there was a lot of brick construction in Harappa and Mohenjo Daro. So they must have had good access to large deposits of suitable brickearth- the sort of brickearth that encouraged the making of fired bricks. It has been suggested that the location of early brick buildings in England was to some extent controlled by access to loessic brickearth- for the construction of suitable bricks. Similar constraints could apply in the Indus Valley; city location may depend on the provision of material for making bricks. In the case of Mohenjo Daro the city appears to be placed exactly on the loess region demarcated by Rozycki. A large patch of suitable loess providing building material for a substantial city. And there must have been plenty of wood available; we see the bricks being fired in clamps with wood as the fuel. A lot of bricks requires a lot of wood. The bricks were made to a 4:2:1 ratio; the sizes were 10 x 20 x 40cms or 7 x 14 x 28 cms. These are large bricks; the smaller bricks appear to been used in houses and the larger bricks in public buildings. They were well laid and many of the constructions have lasted remarkably well. The question of the big brick. Reports suggest that fired bricks were used to construct the buildings at Harappa and Mohenjo Daro. Also it is suggested that some of these were very large- the big bricks 10 x 20 x 40 cms; far too large to be conveniently handled. The normal European brick in the 21st Century has dimensions of about 6 x 10 x 21 cm. It is designed to fit the hand of the bricklayer, and also be of a weight which he or she can lift and manipulate. To be able to produce, to move, and to construct with these large bricks suggests a very well organised and efficient society. The number of bricks used in Harappa and Mohenjo Daro is enormous- so vast brickearth resources were required, and large amounts of fuel for firing. But it is the size of the large brick which causes questions. It is too big; it requires two people to handle it- particularly in the unfired state; great skill and dexterity would have been required. And to get satisfactory firing.. difficult. Are the reports perhaps mistaken? The reported smaller Indus Valley brick at 7 x 14 x 28 cm is not that much larger than the standard European brick and would seem to have been a logical size for normal use. We need a brick measuring expedition to the Indus Valley to measure the bricks, and try to locate the regions where they were produced.

It may be time to rewrite history textbooks. Scientists from IIT-Kharagpur and Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) have uncovered evidence that the Indus

Indus Valley Civilisation also known as Harappan Civilisation occured on the banks of river Indus before Christ

History Of The Indian Vimana Epics of the Anunnaki Ancient Alien Gods in India's Indus Valley in the Hindu Vimana Ramayana and Baharata Epics

Does your name appear on an Indus Valley seal? Read to find out.

Mother goddess terracotta Indus valley civilization It is one most exciting sculptures found from the Indus Valley Civilization. This is titled Mother Goddess, it symbolizes fertility. It is made up of terracotta and it is made by hand and belongs to 2500 BCE and its origin is Mohenjodaro, Pakistan. It is dimensions are 22 cm ... Read more

Indians had a long history of wearing loose cloths in a form of drape. The story of costume in Indian art begins with the age of Indus Civilization, which was flourished in the North Western part o…

What do we know about the Indus Valley? Learn how archaeologists find out about the Indus Valley by looking at artefacts in this BBC Bitesize year 5/6 history guide.

A complete profile of Indus Valley Civilization

Today we all love to be updated when it comes to fashion. This is a persuasive factor that keeps one well aware of what’s going on around and about them or much more of a fashion dogma. But from…

Another shot of a vessel I didn't have time to do justice to.

A bulbous terracotta vessel with painted polychrome design of geometric panels, two flying birds and two feeding birds The Indus Valley Civilization (map) was a vast Bronze Age civilization lasting...

An illustrated paper on the evolution of textiles and costumes in ancient India.

Visit the post for more.

An illustrated paper on the evolution of textiles and costumes in ancient India.

Visit the post for more.

Large terracotta vase with polychrome decoration representing two flying birds facing each other and a buffalo surrounded by geometric motifs. Ovoid belly, with domed upper flared rim, a high flat shoulder and a short, not very wide neck with a curved lip. The lip is painted brown as well as the fillets that separate the

5-7,000 years ago, someone could have told you what the symbols and paintings represented, why the bull was tied up while fish hovered over him; but not today. Today, no one is really sure about the culture that produced this and other pieces, even though it was one of civilization's 4 cradles. Still, this piece and the others make quite an impression even today.

What do we know about the Indus Valley? Learn how archaeologists find out about the Indus Valley by looking at artefacts in this BBC Bitesize year 5/6 history guide.

The Indus script is a collection of symbols used in the Indus valley in northern India and Pakistan until 1900 BC. In spite of many attempts, the 'script' has not yet been deciphered.

The Mughal dynasty in India is founded by Bābur, a descendant of Mongol conqueror

The Mughal dynasty in India is founded by Bābur, a descendant of Mongol conqueror

What was life like in the Indus Valley Civilization? How could someone who lived so long ago teach us anything about how we should manage our lives today? The following is a historical fiction exploring how a person living 5,000 years ago may have seen their world and inspired change in ours. Ancient Indus Valley technology could solve many modern problems.

Indus River, great trans-Himalayan river of South Asia. It is one of the longest rivers in the world, with a length of some 2,000 miles (3,200 km). The earliest chronicles and hymns of peoples of ancient India, the Rigveda, composed about 1500 BCE, mention the river, which is the source of the country’s name.

The Mughal dynasty in India is founded by Bābur, a descendant of Mongol conqueror

The Indus script is a collection of symbols used in the Indus valley in northern India and Pakistan until 1900 BC. In spite of many attempts, the 'script' has not yet been deciphered.