104 lines
4.7 KiB
Markdown
104 lines
4.7 KiB
Markdown
The **Indus River Valley Civilization** or **Harappan Civilization** was
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a possibly [libertarian socialist
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society](List_of_Libertarian_Socialist_Societies "wikilink") in ancient
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times ([3300BCE -
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1300BCE](Timeline_of_Libertarian_Socialism "wikilink")) in what is now
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Southern Asia. It was noted for its staunch egalitarianism, large
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population, technological advances, great cities and contributions to
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mathematics. Due to the untranslated alphabet and lack of oral history,
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all assessments are based on archeological evidence.
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## Decision-Making
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Given the relatively equal size of housing and equal access to water
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supply and drainage, number of communal buildings (notably public bathes
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and granaries), drastic differences in technology and urban design
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compared to hierarchical civilizations of the same time period (eg Egypt
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and Sumer) and the lack of any centralized political buildings such as
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courts, palaces, military barracks or parliaments\[1\] it can be safe to
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assume that the most likely method of decision-making was some kind of
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[confederation](confederation "wikilink") rooted in [local
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assemblies](Democratic_Assembly "wikilink"). The entire society was
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composed of more than 1,000 cities and towns, with many more smaller
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villages and hamlets in between.
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## Economy
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The first known urban sanitation systems - where waste water from houses
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was directed by gravity to covered drains running through the city
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streets were developed in the Indus River Valley Civilization, these
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systems were more advanced than any other in the world and are still
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more well-developed than current urban areas of India and Pakistan.
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The region also witnessed the first applications of hydraulic
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engineering, impressive dockyards, granaries, warehouses, public bathes,
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canals, irrigation, accuracy in measuring length; mass and time, the
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development of a uniform system of weights and measurement across the
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entire area, the production of metals (copper, bronze, tin and lead),
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and the first use of dentistry and wheeled transport.
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The trade network around the civilization appears to extend from as far
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as Crete and Egypt, through the Arabian Peninsular, the coast of Persia,
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Central Asia and into Central India. Trade was managed via
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animal-powered wheeled carts and an extensive maritime network composed
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of docks and ships.\[2\]
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In terms of modern [libertarian
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socialist](Libertarian_Socialism "wikilink") theory, the economy mainly
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resembled a [mutualist](Mutualism "wikilink") one with elements of
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[anarcho-communism](Anarcho-Communism "wikilink").
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## Collapse
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The Indus River Valley Civilization appeared to enter a 600-year long
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period of decline beginning in 1900BCE, with the progressive moving of
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the population from cities followed by a distinct loss of signs culture
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despite people still living in the same area. Several theories have been
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proposed:
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### Invasion
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The first theory proposed to explain the decline, supporters point to
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skeletons uncovered in cities with damage indicating military combat.
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This theory was eventually debunked, showing the damage the skeletons
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had faced was caused by erosion from wind and water.\[3\]
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### Climate Change and Drought
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The '4.2 kiloyear event' theory hypothesizes that a significant period
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of drought and cooling occured across the world. This altered the course
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of rivers and led to less rainfall, making water supplies more difficult
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to access and eventually leading to the abandoning of the city model
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into smaller, self-sufficient villages.\[4\]
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### Earthquakes
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There is geological evidence showing damage from major earthquakes
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around the time of the decline beginning, it has been speculated that
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these earthquakes not only caused massive physical damage but changed
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the structure of the coastline and waterways, rendering much of the
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civilizations dependence on infrastructure unusable.\[5\]
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### Disease
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Skeletons dated towards the end of the civilization show an increase in
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infectious diseases such as leprocy and tuberculosis, suggesting a
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massive plague swept the region and rapidly destroyed much of the urban
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population. Whilst the more isolated rural and village population was
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able to survive.\[6\]
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## References
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<references />
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1. [Wikipedia](Wikipedia "wikilink") -
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<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indus_Valley_Civilisation#Mature_Harappan>
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2.
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3. [Wikipedia](Wikipedia "wikilink") -
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<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indus_Valley_Civilisation#%22Aryan_invasion%22>
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4. [Wikipedia](Wikipedia "wikilink") -
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<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indus_Valley_Civilisation#Climate_change_and_drought>
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5. [Wikipedia](Wikipedia "wikilink") -
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<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indus_Valley_Civilisation#Earthquakes>
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6. [Wikipedia](Wikipedia "wikilink") -
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<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indus_Valley_Civilisation#Late_Harappan> |