Mohenjo-Daro, Indus Valley Civilization: Water Supply and Water Use in One of the Largest Bronze Age Cities of the Third Millennium bc

Recent archaeological research at Mohenjo-Daro, the probable capital of the Indus Valley Civilization, reveals that the city's true extent was significantly larger than previously thought. Drillings and deep soundings indicate that over 3 million square meters—three times the currently visible area—were buried under alluvial silts deposited by the Indus River over 4,500 years. This suggests that the ancient city was much lower in elevation than today's landscape, with the river having silted up its valley by more than 7 meters near Mohenjo-Daro. The study also highlights the uniformity of the city's material culture and architecture, built primarily from bricks of standardized proportions (1:2:4), with notable exceptions like cylindrical structures formed using conically shaped bricks.

Jansen, M. (2014). Mohenjo-Daro, Indus Valley Civilization: Water Supply and Water Use in One of the Largest Bronze Age Cities of the Third Millennium bc. A History of Water: Series III, Volume 1. https://doi.org/10.5040/9780755694310.ch-002