The Unicorn Seal, the Cradle of Civilization & the Mummy

Today I’m going to tell you the stories of the 3 major ancient civilizations in the world. So, let’s start

1. The first and most famous, the Indus Valley\Harappan Civilization: The Harappan Civilization was discovered in the 1920s by Rai Bahadur Daya Ram Sahni. The Harrapan Civilization was a civilization from the Chalcolithic or Bronze Age. It covered parts of north-east Afghanistan, most of Pakistan and the Indian states of Gujarat, Haryana, Punjab, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Jammu, and the union territory of Ladakh. The Harappan Civilization also had many cities like the famous ones of Mohenjo-Daro and Harappa and the lesser-known ones like Dholavira, Gujarat, Rakhigarhi, Haryana, Chanhudaro, Sindh, Kot Diji, Sindh, Desalpur, Gujarat. The cities were very similar. They had the same features like the granary, citadel, a large pool called the Great Bath, large main streets that led to smaller ones and houses on either sides of the roads. The extra crop was dried and stored in the granary to use later, the citadel flat like residences and the Great Bath seemed to be ritual bathing place. The Harappan cities also had the first sewage system in the world! The Harappan Civilization came to an end in 1800 BCE. The reasons about why it came to an end are debated upon, but I think that it came to an end because of invasion by a Central Asian tribe called the Aryans or because the Indus changed its course.

Unicorn\one-horned bull seal

2. This too is another famous civilization its related to mummies, you guessed it the Egyptian Civilization: The Egyptian Civilization was a civilization that emerged in 3100 BCE around the Nile river. The Egyptian Civilization is famous for its pyramids. The pyramids were pyramid shaped structures in which the pharaohs were buried in. The Egyptians were a very sophisticated peoples and built many cities like Memphis, Thebes, Avaris, Akhenaten, Tanis, Sais, and Thinis. They were one of the longest lasting civilizations. The Egyptians invented things like the ox-drawn plough, paper, nilometer (an instrument for measuring the level of thee Nile’s water) and mathematics. One of the most famous pharaohs was Tutankhamun, Djoser, Khufu, Rameses II, Hatshepsut, Thutmose III and Amenhotep. The Egyptian Civilization came to an end when the Persians defeated Nectanebo II. Now let’s go to the next and last civilization.

Sarcophagus

3. The Mesopotamian\Sumerian Civilization: The Mesopotamian or Sumerian Civilization was the first civilization, it emerged in 4000 BCE; this is the reason it is called the ‘cradle of civilization’. The Sumerians also were the first people to use the wheel. The Sumerians used the wheel as the potter’s wheel but later also used them as cartwheels. They made oxen-drawn and chariots and carts. The Sumerians built ‘ziggurats’ which were a place of worship and a place where they used to record and look at astronomical events like eclipses. One of the Sumerian Civilization's most famous monument was the Hanging Gardens of Babylon. The Sumerian Civilization traded with other civilizations like the Indus Valley Civilization. The Sumerian Civilization ended in 2000 BCE.

Ziggurat