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Surprising Discoveries From the Indus Civilization
National Geographic News ^
| April 29, 2013
| Traci Watson
Posted on 05/04/2013 3:18:46 PM PDT by SunkenCiv
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The Indus civilization was first identified at Harappa, once a city of 80,000 people. [Photograph by James P. Blair, National Geographic]
1
posted on
05/04/2013 3:18:46 PM PDT
by
SunkenCiv
To: SunkenCiv
Those folks weren’t much on house building but their sidewalks were excellent in the picture.
2
posted on
05/04/2013 3:36:25 PM PDT
by
count-your-change
(you don't have to be brilliant, not being stupid is enough)
To: SunkenCiv
Interesting article.
As a side note: Case Western Reserve University -- go Cleveland!
3
posted on
05/04/2013 3:37:06 PM PDT
by
BenLurkin
(This is not a statement of fact. It is either opinion or satire; or both)
To: SunkenCiv
So, if you have a rich city people from poorer regions will come in and try to take your stuff. (See the history of the 4th Century Roman Empire, or later, the 20th century Rio Grande civilization.)
One way to keep the invaders out is to hire mercenaries. One problem with mercenaries is that it's difficult to sustain their loyalty over a long period of time. A way to counter that is to marry off the mercenaries to local girls. The recruiting poster would be "Come to Harappa, join the army and take a wife!"
Of course there's no evidence of this.
4
posted on
05/04/2013 3:40:04 PM PDT
by
InABunkerUnderSF
(Because 2 terms with Jerry Brown as Governor was all I could take.)
To: SunkenCiv
Bones from about 1900 to 1700 B.C. -- more than a millennium later than those examined by Kenoyer -- make it clear that at least some Harappan residents were subjected to savage violence. The skull of a child between four and six years old was cracked and crushed by blows from a club-like weapon. An adult woman was beaten so badly -- with extreme force, according to researchers -- that her skull caved in. A middle-aged man had a broken nose as well as damage to his forehead inflicted by a sharp-edged, heavy implement. Islam is older than we thought? ;)
5
posted on
05/04/2013 3:40:40 PM PDT
by
Mr. Jeeves
(CTRL-GALT-DELETE)
To: SunkenCiv
It may be no coincidence that at the time of these burials the Indus civilization was beginning to disintegrate and parts of Harappa were being abandoned, for reasons that scholars are still debating.The most likely culprits that come to mind were still eating grass, worms, and rocks for another 2700 years...
In this particular instance, it might not have been koranimals.
6
posted on
05/04/2013 3:54:12 PM PDT
by
publius911
(Look for the Union label, then buy something else.)
To: SunkenCiv
Wait! I’ve got it! The government built “low income” housing in the neighborhood!
7
posted on
05/04/2013 4:06:10 PM PDT
by
dljordan
(Voltaire: "To find out who rules over you, simply find out who you are not allowed to criticize.")
To: InABunkerUnderSF
8
posted on
05/04/2013 4:10:18 PM PDT
by
BenLurkin
(This is not a statement of fact. It is either opinion or satire; or both)
To: InABunkerUnderSF
The city was besieged, overrun and the city dwellers massacred. Happened often enough in recorded history. More than just plausible here.
The other information gleaned may or may not have anything to do with it. If somehow evidence indicates that it does, then your scenario comes right to the forefront.
City-states rising, becoming wealthy and powerful, sliding into decadence, then becoming unable or unwilling to withstand an invasion and falling seems to be predictably cyclical to the point of inevitability.
To: SunkenCiv
Let’s see, half the skulls show serious violence, including against at least one child, and the native women are married to foreign men. That sounds more like the city was conquered, with the native men and children killed, and the native women taken as prizes, than this interpretation they’ve come up with.
To: Boogieman
That’s “sexist” so they’d rather pretend not to know, lol.
To: Boogieman; RegulatorCountry
12
posted on
05/04/2013 4:28:17 PM PDT
by
SunkenCiv
(Romney would have been worse, if you're a dumb ass.)
To: StayAt HomeMother; Ernest_at_the_Beach; decimon; 1010RD; 21twelve; 24Karet; 2ndDivisionVet; ...
13
posted on
05/04/2013 4:28:51 PM PDT
by
SunkenCiv
(Romney would have been worse, if you're a dumb ass.)
To: dljordan; SunkenCiv
Wait! Ive got it! The government built low income housing in the neighborhood! That would do it!
Thanks for the ping Civ.
14
posted on
05/04/2013 4:34:37 PM PDT
by
fanfan
("If Muslim kids were asked to go to church on Sunday and take Holy Communion there would be war.")
To: SunkenCiv
“...the Indus civilization was beginning to disintegrate and parts of Harappa were being abandoned, for reasons that scholars are still debating.”
Hey, if you have skull smashers roaming around the city, I don’t know about you, but I’m beating feet outathere.
Debate over.
15
posted on
05/04/2013 4:43:33 PM PDT
by
wildbill
(You're just jealous because the Voices talk only to me.)
To: SunkenCiv
“It may be no coincidence that at the time of these burials the Indus civilization was beginning to disintegrate...”
Exactly so - and it’s a lesson worth studying in the present-day United States.
Thanks all. Indus Valley/script, Harappa/n/s, Aryan Invasions, etc:
17
posted on
05/04/2013 5:07:33 PM PDT
by
SunkenCiv
(Romney would have been worse, if you're a dumb ass.)
To: InABunkerUnderSF
It's always been traditional to trade the girls off to nearby tribes. The easy explanation is the death rate was so high at Harrapa that the only way they could maintain sufficient population to run the city and conduct the trade that was its mainstay was to attract serious minded and aggressive men from a wide area ~ and at the same time the women folks would be limited to a single local tribe willing to take the risks of the daughters suffering an early death.
Tribes further away would be busy taking in Harrapa's children ~ more or less like a large daycare operation.
So, who else did this for nearly 800 years? That place is well known as the Republic of Venice!
In Christopher Columbus time it was common for French nobles to farm their children out to Italians living in small villages away from the (for then) large cities and towns. A downside was if your real folks back home died in the palace, or in a local war, then you'd grow up as an Italian townsman.
That seems to be what happened to Chris!
18
posted on
05/04/2013 5:14:12 PM PDT
by
muawiyah
To: SunkenCiv
thanks for the ping and May the 4th be with you
To: Boogieman
Bones from about 1900 to 1700 B.C. -- more than a millennium later than those examined by Kenoyer -- make it clear that at least some Harappan residents were subjected to savage violence
20
posted on
05/04/2013 5:44:49 PM PDT
by
BenLurkin
(This is not a statement of fact. It is either opinion or satire; or both)
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