Book Review: Ancient Cities of the Indus Valley Civilization By Jonathan Mark Kenoyer

Ancient Cities of the Indus Valley Civilization is a book presenting a different perspective on the earliest cities of West India and Pakistan. In the beginning chapters of the book the nature of the cities and its denizens is discussed.  The origins of urban society and the livelihood means of the population are also debated. For construction use of bricks was common. A well-built and well managed drainage system was operating during those times. Water tanks were used for storage which indicates the scarcity of water resources.  There is a general lack of evidence for militarism and control seems to have been through trade and religion. As far as the Indus script is concerned, to this date archeologists have been unable to decipher the Indus script and it still remains a hurdle in understanding various facets of the Indus life. Trade did flourish during that time and Indus valley served as a center point for commercial activity.  The presence of various types of jewelry and relics indicate that the existence of trade relation with other parts of the world. Copper metallurgy also existed in the Indus society and the potter’s wheel which we see today in various parts of Pakistan was also used in the Indus valley. Burial with different ornaments was also common. Some graves had valuable ornaments while others were placed with inferior ones. This indicates a certain kind of class structure which did exist at that time. Religious organization was in place but the exact rituals and practices could not be ascertained. A very basic reason for this is that scripts found can still not be interpreted. In addition to that archeologists believe that games such as ludo and pittu garam have been carried forward from the Indus valley civilization. The scientific evidence of the presence of animals has also been provided. Rhinoceros, elephant, bear and deer are included in the list. Furthermore in the latter part of the book a catalogue is also available for the reader which explains important objects excavated during the twentieth century.