Dyana Postelle
Many times the best way to understand civilizations is in reference to another civilization or civilizations in the same time period, or by comparing advancements in language, size, and trade, or by comparing city-state and territorial-state perameters. In this essay I will discuss the Indus Valley Civilizations, and more specifically Mohenjo-daro with regards to its similarities and differences to Mesopotamian, and Egyptian civilizations, and its status as a city-sate or territorial-state.
Although the Indus Valley Civilizations were bigger than Egyptian and Mesopotamian civilizations, they are the least known about. It is only within the past 130 plus years that the discovery and debate about the significance of the Indus …show more content…
Yet, it is somewhat different than other city-states, in that there is social stratification, but there is not a high degree of inequality seen in the artifacts that have been found up to this point (Films, 2000). Although there is a form of writing that has been found, there has yet to be anyone able to decipher the writing (Films, 2000). This makes it harder to determine the complete social picture. With the evidence at hand as a guide, Mohenjo-daro seems to be more of a socialist’s society. There was one communal bath, not two or more, which indicates that the people, regardless of social rank bathed together, worshiped together. Although there may have been a royal family, as evident by the statue of the priest king (Keynoer, 2003), there has not been evidence of inequality – the lack of ostentatious grave goods, which would show separate social classes (Lawler, 2008). The existence of a detailed public works, which included all homes regardless of size, shows that there was care taken for all to have access (Smiley & Films,
Many times the best way to understand civilizations is in reference to another civilization or civilizations in the same time period, or by comparing advancements in language, size, and trade, or by comparing city-state and territorial-state perameters. In this essay I will discuss the Indus Valley Civilizations, and more specifically Mohenjo-daro with regards to its similarities and differences to Mesopotamian, and Egyptian civilizations, and its status as a city-sate or territorial-state.
Although the Indus Valley Civilizations were bigger than Egyptian and Mesopotamian civilizations, they are the least known about. It is only within the past 130 plus years that the discovery and debate about the significance of the Indus …show more content…
Yet, it is somewhat different than other city-states, in that there is social stratification, but there is not a high degree of inequality seen in the artifacts that have been found up to this point (Films, 2000). Although there is a form of writing that has been found, there has yet to be anyone able to decipher the writing (Films, 2000). This makes it harder to determine the complete social picture. With the evidence at hand as a guide, Mohenjo-daro seems to be more of a socialist’s society. There was one communal bath, not two or more, which indicates that the people, regardless of social rank bathed together, worshiped together. Although there may have been a royal family, as evident by the statue of the priest king (Keynoer, 2003), there has not been evidence of inequality – the lack of ostentatious grave goods, which would show separate social classes (Lawler, 2008). The existence of a detailed public works, which included all homes regardless of size, shows that there was care taken for all to have access (Smiley & Films,