Mohenjo-Daro
27.32916666666768.138888888889Koordinaten: 27 ° 19 ' 45 "N, 68 ° 8' 20" E
Mohenjo -daro ( sometimes written Mohanjo - Daro or Moenjo - Daro ) is a historic city-like settlement on the lower reaches of the Indus River in what is now Pakistan about 40 km south of the city of Larkana. She was from 2600 to 1800 BC, part of the Indus Valley Civilization. It shows none of the usual power structures, central building is a bathroom.
The place was abandoned and fell into oblivion after that, until 1922, he was of British-Indian archaeologists (other sources: 1924) rediscovered. These excavations were led by Sir John Marshall, the then Director of the Archaeological Survey of India. Connected to the excavations in 1950 is the name of Sir Mortimer Wheeler. Mohenjo- Daro is better preserved than the Harappa few years earlier found.
Mohenjo- Daro is the suspected main center of Harappan or Indus civilization, one of the three early civilizations of mankind in the third millennium BC The name means in the modern Sindhi "Hill of the Dead". Mohenjo- Daro stands as the largest surviving city in the Bronze Age on the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
The mound can be seen in the plane from afar. The west of the city, located Citadel ( a later construction ) projects at the highest - up to 15 feet - up. 4500 years ago, the picture must have been even more impressive, as the Indus has floated the plane since that time by more than 7 meters.
Emergence and flowering time
The Harappan culture developed from the regional predecessor cultures around centers such as Amri and Kot Diji. The fertile Indus valley is about 100 km wide in this area. She received her bloom around 2500 BC and at that time had about 30,000 to 40,000 inhabitants. This was made possible by a short but intense innovation. This consisted essentially in the utilization of the Indus. On one hand, agricultural, on the other hand in terms of a year-round transport path. Since the lower Indus plains to October by land was not sufficiently accessible during the flood period from July, this was crucial. Those transport capability was achieved through enormous Plattformunterbauten of burnt brick, which could be built near the banks of the Indus.
Continued to develop during this time a social structure that made it possible to jump from the decentralized village settlements to a more urban political- economic system possible.
In addition, a font that Indus script, which is located mainly on small Steatitsiegeln arose. However, this document could not yet be decrypted.
Brick today's hand size ( approximately 6 × 13 × 27 cm) were standard in the high culture. From these, almost all parts of the building were made - including the infrastructure with their water supply and more than 600 wells and sewers for disposal.
Knowledge and assumptions
On one hand, Mohenjodaro, the largest surviving historical settlement from the Bronze Age and many insights can be referred to as secured. On the other hand, there are also many assumptions and presumptions, as well as from the time of rediscovery. For example, an enormous building (about 60 × 27 meters) called granary, although this is by no means to be regarded as definite information. It is believed that this building in the old days had a huge wooden structure.
The unique of a 17 cm high statuette is interpreted as a priest-king. On the other hand, were found throughout the city - in contrast to the civilizations in Mesopotamia and the Nile - no secular or sacred architecture of domination. At least, nothing could be supported by sufficient evidence and established facts. A 60 × 30 -foot plant is referred to as "Big Bad". In the courtyard there is a 7 × 12 -meter swimming pool, which is about 2 feet deep into the ground. Probably for this ritual use. But this is not backed up.
" Dancing Girl ", Bronze, height: 11 cm
Mohenjo- Daro seal 420
Climate
Mohenjo- Daro is the hottest place in Asia and one of the hottest places in the world. The highest recorded temperature is 53.5 ° C. Temperatures above 50 ° in the summer are not uncommon, in the winter the temperature rarely drops below 0 °.