Publication 2018-04-03 Liked 8 Views 2125
Mysteriously empty
Destroyed by war
Dying in fire
Defeated by water
Every city is a mystery
Some believe that a city, if people live in it for a long time, takes on a semblance of personality with its own character and mood. He can be mysterious or open, friendly or cold. But the most intriguing secrets hide the cities, whose inhabitants suddenly disappeared. Roanoke, Centralia, Mohenjo-Daro ... Suspiciously quickly abandoned places attract with their secrets and beckon to solve a mysterious puzzle
Incredibly, there were five- and seven-story houses in the city. Mohenjo-daro, rich and prosperous
The mysterious city is located in Pakistan, in an area called Sindh and is considered the largest of the ancient cities of the Indus Valley. In addition, it is one of the first cities built in this area during the time of Ancient Egypt.
A statue of the priest king greets tourists at the entrance to the museum In 1911, Mohenjo-Daro was found in the sands, and its regular excavations were carried out by archaeologists until 1931. The specialists were surprised by the well-thought-out layout of the streets, the use of baked bricks in the construction and the complex irrigation and agricultural structures. This is not entirely typical for urban planning of that period.
Mohenjo-daro - view from space In the golden age of the city, the territory of Mohenjo-Daro reached 300 hectares, and about 40,000 people permanently lived in it. Apparently, the city was an important center Indus civilization... Major religious rites, meetings and other events were held here.
The city was built at the same time as the pyramids of Egypt and Stonehenge Interestingly, despite the presence of signs indicating the wealth and prosperity of the city, archaeologists have not found a single luxurious palace or temple. Everything looks as if the population of Mohejo-Daro did not feel awe of material values and the accumulation of wealth, which is typical for later civilizations. The advancement is also indicated by the fact that the city was ruled not by one ruler and not by the priestly elite, but by a group of people who were elected by the inhabitants.
Ancient metropolis plan Mohenjo-Daro, mysteriously deserted
According to experts, Mohenjo-Daro originated around 2600 BC. and existed for about 900 years. Its sunset is not like the slow natural extinction of other abandoned cities. Why did the residents leave their homes and where did they go next? This secret has not yet been revealed, but, like any other mystery, it has given rise to many theories and conjectures, from completely rational to the most fantastic.
Part of the sewerage system of the ancient city Mohenjo-Daro, destroyed by war
Archaeologist M. Wheeler put forward a version that most of the city's population was exterminated during the invasion of the Aryans, and the surviving inhabitants were sold into slavery or fled. As evidence, the researcher cites an episode from where Indra destroys the Aryan fortress with divine fire.
Seal with Shiva from the time of Mohenjo-Daro However, this version of the Mohenjo-Daro mystery does not seem plausible, since no more than forty human remains were found in the city and the surrounding area. In the event of an attack on Mohenjo-Daro, even with the aim of plundering and capturing slaves, the death toll would have been much higher.
The Dancing Girl. The inhabitants of the city appreciated dancing and sculpture Mohenjo-daro, dying in fire
In one of the city's districts, the bricks of the buildings are mysteriously melted, which suggests the effect of high temperatures. This fact served as the basis for theories about mysterious aliens who destroyed the city with the help of their advanced technologies.
Melted rock and sand indicate a nuclear explosion 
The top of the Buddhist stupa was visible before the excavation began Another theory related to fire was put forward in the 1980s by chemist M. T. Dmitriev. He assumed that the natural conditions of the area caused the formation of plasma formations like ball lightning. They, in accordance with the hypothesis, caused the fire, and people, frightened by the mysterious heavenly fire, left the city.
44 skeletons found in one room Mohenjo-daro, defeated by water
The most realistic theory at the moment, explains the mystery of the decline of Mohenjo-Daro by flooding. This assumption was expressed by E. McKay during excavations at the beginning of the century, and continues to be developed by J. Dales.
Despite knowledge of metallurgy, no weapons were found in the city The proximity of the Indus River initially provided the city with the necessary resources for the rapid development of agriculture and the rise in living standards near the abundant fields. But after the rise in the level of the Arabian Sea in the second half of the second millennium BC. e. the Indus Valley was constantly tormented by floods, making it uninhabitable. Having ceased to receive enough crops from the sinking fields and unable to feed their families and livestock, the inhabitants of Mohenjo-Daro left their homes and went to look for more comfortable conditions in the southwest, where the city of Bombay is now.
Jewelry found during the Mohenjo-daro excavation Every city is a mystery
The history of Mohenjo-Daro still attracts inquisitive minds and lovers of the secrets of the past, despite the fact that the city itself and the civilization that built it are scattered by the winds of time.
Each house had a toilet and a bathroom equipped with a sewerage system But each city, if you look at it as an integral phenomenon, is full of secrets and secrets. The intricacies of the roads of modern cities, the bees' hum of megalopolises, the secret winking of street lamps with stars in the night sky - your city has its own mysterious life. To catch a secret by the tail, it is enough to walk along its streets at sunset, take a closer look at the usual route and listen to the words that the city can whisper.
Indian or Harappan civilization- an ancient eastern civilization. It flourished in the 3300-1300 centuries BC.
Indra- the king of the gods and the lord of the heavenly kingdom in Vedism, Buddhism and Hinduism. The Vedas glorify him as a demiurge who lifts the sky.
What do we know about the history of our civilization? In fact, not so much: the last 2000 years have been described in relative detail, but not always reliably. One gets the impression that the historical facts were adjusted to a certain scenario, but this was not always done carefully, so that here and there contradictions are revealed. For example, the origin and demise of the cities of Mohenjo-Daro and Harappa raises many questions. There are several versions of the answers, but they all require convincing evidence. Let's discuss this.
The first archaeological research
The earth is not too willing to part with its secrets, but sometimes surprises archaeologists. This also happened with the excavations in the Mohenjo-Daro and Harappa area, where the researchers first visited in 1911.
On a regular basis, excavations began in these places in 1922, when the Indian archaeologist R. Banarji was lucky: the remains of an ancient city were found, which later became known as the “City of the Dead”. Work in the Indus Valley continued until 1931.
The head of the research of British archaeologists, John Marshall, analyzed the artifacts found in territories that were 400 km away from each other and concluded that they were identical. Thus, both cities, located in the Indus Valley and separated by an impressive distance even by today's standards, had a common culture.
It should be noted that the concepts of "Indus civilization", "Mohenjo-Daro and Harappa" in archeology are similar. The name "Harrapa" coincided with the city of the same name, near which the first excavations began in 1920. Then they moved along the Indus, where the city of Mahenjo-Daro was discovered. The entire area of research was united under the name "Indian Civilization".
Ancient civilization
Today the ancient city, which ranges from 4000 to 4500 years old, belongs to the province of Sindh, which is a territory of Pakistan. By the standards of 2600 BC BC, Mohenjo-Daro is not just large, but one of the largest cities of the Indian civilization and, apparently, its former capital. It is the same age as Ancient Egypt, and a carefully thought-out development plan and a network of communications testify to the level of its development.
For some reason, the city was suddenly abandoned by its inhabitants almost 1000 years after its founding.
Mohenjo-Daro and Harappa have significant differences compared to earlier cultures, as well as those that were formed later. Archaeologists attribute these cities to the mature Harappan era, the originality of which requires a special research approach. The worst would be “squeezing” the civilizations of Mohenjo-Daro and Harappa into the framework of the official historical path of development, of which Darwin's theory is an integral part.
City structure
So, let's return to the events of 1922, when the walls, and then the streets of Mohenjo-Daro, opened to the eyes of researchers. D.R.Sakhin and R.D.Banerjee were amazed at how thoughtful and geometrically adjusted the parameters of architectural structures and residential quarters were. Almost all the buildings of Mohenjo-Daro and Harappa were of red baked bricks and were located on both sides of the streets, the width of which in some places reached 10 m. In addition, the directions of the quarters were distributed strictly according to the cardinal points: north-south or east-west.
The buildings in the cities were made in the form of similar packaging for cakes. For Mohenjo-Daro, the following arrangement of the interior of the house is especially characteristic: the central part was a courtyard around which living quarters, a kitchen and a bathroom were located. Some buildings had flights of stairs, which indicates the presence of two floors that have not survived. They were probably made of wood.
Territory of an ancient civilization
The territory of the Harappa or Mohenjo-Daro civilization - from Delhi to the Arabian Sea. The era of its origin dates back to the III millennium BC. e., and the time of sunset and disappearance - to the second. That is, over a period of a thousand years, this civilization has reached an incredible heyday, not comparable to the level that was before and after it.
The signs of a high degree of development are, first of all, the system of urban development, as well as the existing writing and numerous beautifully executed creations of ancient masters.
In addition, the discovered seals with inscriptions in the Harappa language indicate a developed system of government. However, the speech of more than five million people who made up the population of the Harappan civilization has not yet been deciphered.
The cities of Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro are the most famous cities found in the Indus Valley and its tributaries. As of 2008, a total of 1,022 cities were discovered. Most of them are located in the territory of modern India - 616, and another 406 are located in Pakistan.
Urban infrastructure
As mentioned above, the architecture of residential buildings was standard, and it only differed in the number of floors. The walls of the houses were plastered, which, given the hot climate, was very prudent. The population of Mohenjo-Daro reached approximately 40,000 people. There are no palaces or other buildings in the city that testify to the vertical hierarchy of government. Most likely, there was an election system that resembled the structure of city-states.
Public buildings are represented by an impressive pool (83 sq. M), which, according to some researchers, had a ritual purpose; a granary was also found, which probably contained a public supply of cereals for planting. In the area of the central quarter, there are remains of a citadel used as a flood barrier, as evidenced by a layer of red brick that strengthened the foundation of the structure.
The high-flowing Indus allowed farmers to harvest twice a year with the help of irrigation facilities. Hunters and fishermen also did not sit idle: there was plenty of game and fish in the sea.
The elaborate sewerage and plumbing systems, as well as the presence of public toilets, have attracted particular attention of archaeologists, testifying to the level of culture of Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro. Literally every house was connected to a pipe through which water was supplied, and sewage was discharged outside the city.
Trade routes
The crafts in the cities of the Indian civilization were diverse and developed, thanks to trade with such rich countries as Persia and Afghanistan, from where caravans of tin and precious stones arrived. Maritime communications also expanded, which was facilitated by the harbor built in Lothal. It was here that merchant ships from different countries entered, and from here the Harappan merchants went to the Sumerian kingdom. They traded in all kinds of spices, ivory, expensive sorts of wood and many goods that are in demand far beyond the Indus Valley.
Crafts and arts of Harappa and Mohenjo-daro
During the excavations, jewelry worn by women was found. Moreover, they live everywhere, from the center of the ancient Indian civilization Mohenjo-Daro and Harappa to Delhi.
These are jewelry made of gold, silver and bronze with precious and semi-precious stones such as carnelian, red quartz or mother-of-pearl shells.
There were also discovered ceramic items that differ in their originality and local color, for example, red dishes decorated with black ornaments, as well as animal figurines.
Thanks to the mineral steatite (“soapstone”), which is widespread in this territory, which is characterized by its soft nature, which is flexible to processing, the craftsmen of the Harappan civilization made many carvings, including seals. Each merchant had his own brand.
The found objects of art of Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro cannot be called numerous, but they give an idea of the level of development of the ancient civilization.
In New Delhi, there is the National Museum of India, which displays all kinds of artifacts found in this area. In it today you can see the bronze "Dancing Girl" from Mohenjo-Daro, as well as the statuette of the "King-Priest", which amazes with the subtlety of the carving.
The sense of humor inherent in the masters of the Indus Valley is evidenced by the figurines representing the inhabitants of ancient cities in a caricature form.
Disaster or Slow Decline?
So, judging by the artifacts found, Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro are the most ancient cities, the growth and influence of which on the Indian civilization was indisputable. That is why the fact of disappearance from the historical arena and from the face of the earth of this culture, which was much ahead of the era in its development, is striking. What happened? Let's try to figure it out and get acquainted with several versions that exist at present.
The conclusions made by scientists after studying the remains of Mohenjo-Daro were as follows:
- life in the city ended almost instantly;
- residents did not have time to prepare for a sudden catastrophe;
- the disaster that struck the city was associated with high temperatures;
- it could not be a fire, since the heat reached 1500 degrees;
- many melted objects and ceramics turned into glass were found in the city;
- judging by the finds, the epicenter of the heat was in the central part of the city.
In addition, there is unverified and unconfirmed evidence of high levels of radiation found in the surviving remains.
Version number 1: the disaster is related to water
Despite the obvious signs of the impact of high temperatures on the city, some researchers, in particular Ernest McKay (in 1926) and the Dales (in the middle of the 20th century), have considered floods as a possible reason for the disappearance of Mohenjo-Daro. Their line of reasoning was as follows:
- the Indus River during seasonal floods could pose a threat to the city;
- the level of the Arabian Sea has risen, as a result of which the flooding could become a reality;
- the city grew, and the needs of its population for food and development grew;
- active development of fertile lands in the Indus valley was carried out, in particular, for agricultural needs and for grazing;
- an ill-conceived management system led to the depletion of the soil and the disappearance of forests;
- the landscape of the area was changed, which led to a massive migration of the population of cities to the southeast (the current location of Bombay);
- the so-called lower city, inhabited by artisans and peasants, over time was covered with water, and after 4500 years the level of the Indus rose by 7 meters, so today the study of this part of Mohenjo-Daro is impossible.
Conclusion: aridization as a result of uncontrolled development of natural resources led to an ecological catastrophe, which resulted in large-scale epidemics, which led to the decline of the Indian civilization and a massive exodus of the population to more attractive regions for life.
Theory's vulnerability
The weak point of the flood theory is the moment in time: civilization cannot perish in such a short period of time. Moreover, soil depletion and river flooding do not occur instantly: it is a long process that can be suspended for several years, then resumed again - and so many times. And such circumstances could not force the inhabitants of Mohenjo-Daro to abruptly leave their homes: nature provided them with the opportunity to think, and sometimes gave hope for the return of better times.
In addition, there was no room in this theory to explain the traces of massive fires. They talked about epidemics, but in a city where an infectious disease is rampant, people have no time for walks or routine chores. And the found remains of the inhabitants testify precisely to the fact that the inhabitants were taken by surprise during everyday activities or rest.
Thus, the theory does not hold water.
Version # 2: conquest
The option of a sudden invasion of the conquerors was put forward.
This could have been true, but among the surviving skeletons there is not a single one, which would have been diagnosed with traces of defeat by any kind of cold weapon. In addition, the remains of horses, the destruction of buildings characteristic of the conduct of hostilities, and fragments of weapons should remain. But none of the above was found.
The only thing that can be asserted with certainty is the suddenness of the cataclysm and its short duration.
Version number 3: nuclear disaster
Two researchers - the Englishman D. Davenport and the scientist from Italy E. Vincenti - offered their own version of the causes of the disaster. After examining the green glazed layers and melted pieces of pottery found at the site of the ancient city, they saw a striking similarity of this rock with the one that remains in abundance after nuclear weapons tests in the Nevada desert. The truth is that modern explosions occur with the release of extremely high temperatures - over 1500 degrees.
It should be noted some similarity of the proposed theory with the fragments of the "Rig Veda", which describes the clash of the Aryans, supported by Indra, with opponents who were destroyed by fire of incredible power.
Scientists brought samples from Mohenjo-Daro to the University of Rome. Specialists from the Italian National Research Council confirmed the hypothesis of D. Devenport and E. Vincenti: the rock was exposed to temperatures of about 1500 degrees. Taking into account the historical context, it is impossible to achieve it in natural conditions, although it is quite possible in a metallurgical furnace.
The theory of a directed nuclear explosion, no matter how incredible it sounds, is confirmed by a survey of the city from above. A possible epicenter is clearly visible from a height, within the boundaries of which all structures were demolished by an unknown force, but the closer to the outskirts, the lower the level of destruction. All this is very similar to the consequences of the atomic explosions in August 1945 in Japan. By the way, Japanese archaeologists also noted their identity ...
Instead of an afterword
The official history does not allow accepting the version, confirmed by laboratory studies, about the use of nuclear weapons that took place more than 4500 years ago.
However, the creator of the atomic bomb, Robert Oppenheimer, did not exclude such a possibility. It should be noted that he was very keen on studying the Indian treatise "Mahabharata", which describes the catastrophic consequences of an explosion, identical to those that can be observed after a nuclear one. And D. Davenport and E. Vincenti also consider these events to be real.
So, we can offer the following as a conclusion.
There were ancient civilizations in the territories of modern Pakistan and India - Mohenjo-Daro (or Harappa), which were quite developed. As a result of some confrontation, these cities were exposed to weapons that are very reminiscent of modern nuclear weapons. This hypothesis is confirmed by laboratory studies, as well as by the materials of the ancient epic "Mahabharata", which indirectly testify in favor of the proposed theory.
And one more thing: since 1980, archaeological research of the ruins of Mahenjo-Daro has been impossible, since this city is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Therefore, the question of the presence or absence of nuclear or other similar weapons on our planet in those distant times remains open.
Mohenjo Daro is considered one of the greatest archaeological sites in the world. In 1980 it was included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. Located in Pakistan, Sindh province. It is the largest ancient city of the Indus Valley and one of the first cities in the history of South Asia, a contemporary of the civilization of Ancient Egypt and Ancient Mesopotamia.
In 1922, on one of the islands of the Indus River, archaeologists discovered the ruins of an ancient city. Traces of fires and severe destruction were found, but not a single grave was found, so the city was named Mohenjo Daro, which means "Hill of the Dead" in Sindhi. We still do not know what this city was actually called, what its inhabitants called themselves. Only one thing is known for sure - this is one of the greatest cities of antiquity. And one of the most mysterious, he died about 3,700 years ago under very unusual and still unsolved circumstances. Cities rarely fall into decay overnight, and in this city everything indicated that the catastrophe came overnight.
To date, only about 10 percent of the territory of Mohenjo-Daro has been opened and cleared, it is 260 hectares or more than 2.5 square kilometers. Its outskirts are buried today under the muddy deposits of the Indus. Excavations were carried out here until the 1960s. As the archaeologists descended lower and lower, saline subsoil waters began to rise towards them. Salt deposits are visible all over the bricks. The salt began to eat away at what was left of the city. And then, by decision of UNESCO, the excavations were mothballed.
But the ancient brickwork of Mohenjo-Daro, which amazed archaeologists, was also uncovered during archaeological research and reliably keeps the secrets of its city. Researchers have not found a single cemetery in the vicinity of Mohenjo-Daro. But the city existed for at least one and a half millennia. Numerous corpses of people and animals were not found in the ruins of buildings and structures.
In one of the houses, the skeletons of thirteen men, women and one child were found. Their remains bore signs of sudden death. But they were not killed and robbed - some were wearing bracelets, rings, beads. Throughout the city, archaeologists came across similar groups of skeletons, which testified that before their death, people freely walked the streets and were taken by surprise.
All this partly resembled a picture of the sudden death of people in Pompeii. Only a few of the several thousand skeletons found in Mohenjo-Daro actually had traces of wounds. During the excavations, no weapons were found, no remnants of any military ammunition, not even fragments of weapons or traces of devastation. The total number of skeletons was several thousand, which is very small for a large city. According to experts, during its heyday, about 50,000 people lived in Mohenjo-Daro.
Why did the inhabitants leave Mohenjo-Daro, where tens of thousands of people who lived here went? - These questions still remain unanswered.
Initially, Mohenjo-Daro was located on two islands on the Indus River. And as the excavations and computer reconstructions of the city show, it was very comfortable to live there. Perhaps even more comfortable than in some modern cities. Wide cobbled streets, multi-room 2- and 3-storey buildings, sewerage, plumbing and other amenities.
In the era of prosperity Mohenjo-Daro, fertile lands stretched around it, and deep rivers served as transport channels. The population was engaged in agriculture and cultivated wheat, barley, sesame seeds, dates and cotton. Rich harvests and convenient communication routes allowed the residents of the city to exchange their products for raw materials, metals, precious stones and spices from Central Asia, Afghanistan, Persia and South India. Among the ruins of Mohenjo-Daro were found many male and female terracotta figures and miniatures of various animals, as well as clay seals with pictographic inscriptions.
Houses in Mohenjo-Daro were built of baked bricks, which, together with the remains of huge dams that protected cities from floods, and a dense network of sewers, indicate that the inhabitants of the Indus Valley, unlike the Sumerians of southern Mesopotamia, clearly had an excess of water, although today it is one of the driest places on the planet.
The Indian civilization keeps many unsolved mysteries. We do not know what it was actually called, who created it. The names of its cities have been forgotten. The language of this civilization is also unknown, the hieroglyphs on the Indian seals still remain undeciphered. It is only known that it fell into decay rather quickly. To date, several hypotheses have been put forward explaining the reasons for the collapse of such a vast, powerful and developed civilization. Among them: climate change associated with the movement of tectonic plates, floods, earthquakes, the invasion of nomadic tribes. However, more recent studies have not confirmed any of these hypotheses. And the death of Mohenjo-Daro generally came suddenly.
In Mohenjo-Daro, archaeologists discovered an area where the bricks were melted, and this gave rise to a number of fantastic hypotheses of the death of Mohenjo-Daro up to modern nuclear weapons that allegedly existed in antiquity. From the research carried out, one thing was clear: Mohenjo-Daro became a victim of some kind of environmental disaster, it happened suddenly and did not last long. However, its strength was such that it led to the sudden and irreversible death of the whole city. An interesting fact is that almost simultaneously with Mohejo-Daro, other large cities located nearby were also killed.
The reasons for the death of Mohenjo-Daro
The first version. Mohenjo-daro and black lightning
An article by Professor M. Dmitriev “Black lightning over Mohenjo-Daro” was published in the magazine “Vokrug sveta” # 7, 1987. In it, the high temperature that melted the stones in the "epicenter of the explosion" was explained by the explosion of a large number of ball lightning or physical and chemical formations (FHO) (black lightning), which are unstable and a significant temperature arises during their disintegration. These formations are able to exist for a very long time and emit poisonous gases. It is assumed that it was they who "strangled" the inhabitants. Moreover, FHOs can explode like ordinary ball lightning. It is precisely the aggression of a huge accumulation of “black lightning” that the supporters of such a hypothesis explain the melted stones and skeletons of people on the streets of Mohenjo-Daro.
But what caused black lightning to accumulate in Mohenjo-Daro? The ruins of the city are located in Pakistan, near the border with India. This is exactly at the junction of the Indian and Eurasian lithospheric plates. In this place, huge tectonic stresses arise in the earth's crust. It is believed that it was the collision of these two plates, lasting millions of years, that led to the emergence of the mountain-fold belt, now called the Himalayas.
The pressure at the junction of the two plates could cause enormous electrical stress in rocks containing quartz. For the same reason, tension arises in the piezo lighter. Only the scale is continental. At the same time, there is tremendous tension between the Earth's surface and the upper atmosphere. The upper layer is ionized by solar radiation and is electrically conductive. The surface of the Earth and the ionosphere become the plates of the planetary condenser. The layer of the atmosphere between them is an insulator. You can imagine what kind of lightning can happen if you close the surface with the ionosphere. There was even a hypothesis that Nikola Tesla learned to cause an ionospheric breakdown and even said that he could burn an entire army or fleet with electricity at once.
Ancient Indian myths speak of some unbearable radiance. Perhaps it was the incredible ionospheric lightning.
If there really was an incredible lightning, then an equally incredible fulgurite should remain from it. It is a channel of fused soil that goes deep into the earth at the point of a lightning strike.
This version of black lightning is supported by researcher V. Kandyba. It recalls many ancient reports of strong air glows and all kinds of unusual phenomena in China, Ethiopia, India, Egypt, Scotland.
Second version. Mohenjo-daro and the earthquake
This version was put forward by the American geologist D. Rakes, who studied the structure of the earth's layers in the Mohenjo-Daro region. He found that in one hundred and forty kilometers to the south of the city there was a source of the strongest earthquake, which changed the appearance of the Indus Valley. It probably started with him. Apparently, the earthquake reared the earth, the Indus was blocked, and its waters were turned back. Then the onset of mud streams began. The settlements near Mohenjo-Daro were buried under a multi-meter layer of silt and sand. The townspeople tried to protect themselves, they began to erect dams, traces of which were found during excavations. But it became more and more difficult to deal with water and mud streams.
Scientists believe that the onset of the mud sea lasted for about a hundred years. As a result, the elements won, and the city perished. Some scientists believe that one of the factors provoking an earthquake may be changes in atmospheric pressure. This version became especially popular after the strong earthquake that India and Pakistan experienced in October 2005. True, this version does not explain the melted brick.
Third version. Mohenjo-daro and floods
Some historians believe that the city fell victim to a series of powerful floods - the overflowing Indus often flooded Mohenjo-Daro, and residents were forced to leave the city. As the images from space showed, the channels of the Indus River and a number of other local rivers changed their directions many times. The reason for this was the movements of the earth's crust. Moreover, the Indus flooded Mohenjo-Daro more than once. As a result, the sewage system was damaged, as a result of which, in a hot climate, terrible epidemics began, literally mowing people down. The survivors hurriedly left the city. In support of this version, the researchers refer to archaeologists who have established seven or nine layers of silt between the levels of the mature Mohenjo-Daro culture. Thus, the city was successively destroyed and rebuilt at least seven times. Each time, new cities were built on top of the old ones.
Version four. Mohenjo-Daro and the weapons of the ancients
This version was stated in their book "The Atomic Explosion in 2000 BC" ("Atomic Destructionin 2000 BC", 1979) David Davenport and Ettore Vincenti. The English researcher of the culture and languages of Ancient India D. Davenport, an expert in Sanskrit, was born and lived for some time in India. He was obsessed with the idea of translating ancient Indian texts from Sanskrit into English language and an objective interpretation of the philosophical meaning and historical facts set forth in these texts. He also lived for 12 years in Pakistan, studying the ruins of Mohenjo-Daro.
D. Davenport, together with the Italian researcher Vincenti, found that about 3700 years ago, on the top of the hill around which Mohenjo-Daro was built, there was a powerful explosion similar to an atomic one (according to various estimates, the date of destruction varies from 1500 to 2000 BC). e.). They posted a diagram of the destruction of buildings in the book mentioned. If you look at it carefully, you can see a clearly delineated epicenter, inside which all buildings have been swept away. As we move from the center to the periphery, the destruction decreases, gradually coming to naught. It becomes clear why the outlying buildings are the best preserved buildings in Mohenjo-Daro.
Upon close examination of the destroyed buildings, D. Davenport and E. Vincenti found that the diameter of the epicenter of the explosion was about 50 m. Everything was crystallized and melted at this place, all buildings were wiped off the face of the earth. At a distance of up to 60 m from the center of the explosion, bricks and stones are melted on one side, which indicates the direction of the explosion.
As you know, stones melt at a temperature of about 2000 ° C. Sand turned into glass was also found in these places. (Exactly the same layers of green glass were found in the Nevada desert (USA) after nuclear tests).
In the direction from the center to the periphery, the degree of destruction of buildings gradually decreases.
The researchers also found that the ancient city was destroyed by three powerful shock waves that spread a mile from the epicenter of the explosion. Scattered among the ruins in an area with a radius of over 400 meters are pieces of clay, ceramics and some minerals, which were quickly melted. All the people who were in the epicenter instantly evaporated, so archaeologists did not find skeletons there.
Researchers sent the so-called black stones, which were scattered across the streets of the city, to the Institute of Mineralogy at the University of Rome and to the laboratory of the National Research Council (Italy). It turned out that black stones are nothing more than fragments of earthenware, sintered at a temperature of about 1400-1600 degrees, and then hardened.
By the way, scientists find similar formations, tektites, arising under the influence of high temperature in different regions of the Earth. In 1822, in Moscow, a translation from the French book by G. Propiac "Memories in the World, or Description of Rare Works of Nature and Art Existing on Earth" (Part 1) was published in Russian. In it you can read a small, but very curious section "Glass Fortress in Heyland, in Scotland."
Surprisingly, Davenport's hypothesis was forgotten already in the 80s of the last century. Despite the fact that it explains many of the riddles of Mohenjo-Daro, further research in this direction did not follow.
Fifth version. Mohenjo-Daro and alien weapons
In the ancient Indian chronicles "The Book of Zaen" there is a legend about unearthly creatures who flew to the peaceful natives on, in modern terms, a metal ship. The book says that one day, these creatures quarreled with the locals. They moved to a neighboring city and were elected rulers there. It was then that the new leader released a large luminous spear on the city of his enemies, which destroyed all buildings and burned the inhabitants. And even those who entered the city later, eventually fell ill and died. And the new leader, having gathered all his soldiers, their children and wives, flew away in an unknown direction on a mysterious ship. Some researchers believe that Mohenjo-Daro is that burnt city, but there is no evidence of this.
A lot interesting facts and in other sources. "The Great Wars in the Sky" are described in the ancient Indian Puranas and in the ancient Greek author of the "War of the Titans" Hesiod. The Bible describes the war in the Heaven of the army of Michael against the "Dragon - Jupiter" and "Lucifer - Venus". E.P. Blavatsky, in her Secret Doctrine, also writes, referring to the Puranas, about the war of the two races that provoked the Flood. And here is what E. Tseren wrote in the book "Biblical Hills" about the famous Tower of Babel - that is, the ziggurat of Etemenanka: , which sintered from the heat into a dense mass, like molten glass. " At one time, Mark Twain, who traveled in 1867 in the Middle East, also mentioned this: “(There were) eight tiers (towers), two of which stand to this day ... melted by the lightning of an angry god. "
A.A. Gorbovsky draws attention to such facts in his book “Riddles ancient history". For example, on the walls of the Irish fortresses of Dundall and Ekoss, traces of a very high temperature have been preserved - even granite blocks have been melted, and the melting point of granite exceeds 1000 degrees Celsius! Other traces of the possible use of unknown weapons were found in Asia Minor during excavations of the capital of the ancient Hittites, Hattusas, as well as in Central America.
One way or another, in many legends of the peoples of the world there are stories about how the gods fought in the heavens using some kind of flying machines equipped with weapons. There are especially many of them in ancient Indian texts.
About 3500 years ago, the city of Mohenjo-Daro (in Hindi - "Hill of the Dead") disappeared from the face of the earth. The ancient Indian poem "Mahabharata" says that the cause of the terrible tragedy was a powerful explosion that followed the blinding heavenly radiance and "fires without smoke." The high temperature boiled the surrounding waters, and "the fish looked like burnt."
The ruins of this city on an islet in the deep Indus were found in 1922 by the Indian archaeologist R.D.Banerjee. And the data from the excavations confirmed the legend of the catastrophe.
In the excavations, they found melted stones, traces of fires and an extremely powerful explosion. So, within a radius of a kilometer, all buildings were completely destroyed. The position of the skeletons showed that before the death, people calmly walked the streets of the city. The ashes of Mohenjo-Daro were somewhat reminiscent of Hiroshima and Nagasaki after atomic explosions, where the shock wave and radiation came from above.
Let's find out the details of this story and this place ...
Among the exhibits of one of the museums in the city of Delhi, there is a small figurine made of dark metal. Having just finished the dance, a naked girl stood proudly holding her hips on her hips.Sure of success, she seemed to be waiting for admiring applause from the audience. , not without coquetry showing that she was a little tired - either from the dance, or from the weight of the bracelets
This statuette was found during the excavations of Mohenjo-Daro - one of the oldest cities in the world. In 1856, on the territory of present-day Pakistan, near the small village of Harappa, archaeologist Alexander Kanni-gum found an ivory stone, on which a humpbacked bull and unknown signs, which partly resembled hieroglyphs, were carved.
The hill where this find was found was literally "made up" of red baked bricks, which had been used for many years by the builders of the railway and the peasants of the surrounding villages. Thus, one of the unique cities of antiquity, Harappa, gradually disappeared from the face of the earth.
And only in the early 1920s, after the opening of the city of Mohenjo-Daro, the world learned about the existence in the Indus Valley the most ancient civilization... Mohenjo-Daro is almost 3000 kilometers away from Harappa, but both cities have much in common. The only difference was that Mohenjo-Daro was better preserved.
Indian scientists R. Sahni and R. Banerjee dug up the streets of the twin cities and found identical rectangular blocks with a clear layout, built up with the same brick houses. On a huge area of almost 260 hectares, there are entire quarters and individual buildings of Mohenjo-Daro - "Hill of the Dead" (this is how this name is translated). The hill was crowned with a Buddhist prayer stupa, built during the existence of the Kushan kingdom - 15 centuries after the death of the great city.
Some scientists and archaeologists who flocked here from many countries of the world have long denied the independence of Indian civilization in this area, considering it an eastern version of the Sumerian culture. Other researchers, on the contrary, believed that Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro were not like their peers from Elam, Sumer and early dynastic Egypt. The cities of Mesopotamia had a different layout, and raw brick served as a building material. Only with the gradual liberation of new quarters and buildings from the ground did the world appear civilization, which is now called proto-Indian.
The written sources of the Sumerians depict a different way of life in the cities of Mesopotamia and a different worldview of their inhabitants. And then scientists began to look for references to the newly discovered cities in the "Rig Veda" - the oldest literary monument in India. But even there they found only vague references to the "pura" inhabited by "cunning merchants". However, legends and traditions about the rich and beautiful city in the Indus Valley have existed since time immemorial. But free and beautiful people, who inhabited this city, angered the gods, and they brought down the city into the abyss. As if confirming these legends, museums as a result of archaeological excavations were replenished with more and more exhibits. Here is the head of a priest carved out of stone, women's jewelry, boards with images of sacrificial animals and, finally, hieroglyphs that have not been deciphered so far.
Until the mid-1960s, scientists believed that Mohenjo-Daro had no fortifications, although 15 years earlier the English archaeologist M. Wheeler had cleared structures that could be mistaken for defensive ones. The citadel, located in the center of Mohenjo-Daro, was once surrounded by powerful fortress walls 9 meters thick. But archaeologists did not have complete confidence that these were defensive fortifications. Further excavations showed that in the southern part of the city there was also a massive wall made of raw bricks and faced with fired bricks. But it was not established what it was intended for: to protect against enemies or to protect the city from floods.
From the citadel, a wide, straight street led to a building that scientists called the "Meeting Room". A spacious granary was located next to it, and nearby, on a massive brick foundation with ventilation openings, a two-story structure made of Himalayan cedar once stood.
Mohenjo-Daro was a beautifully planned city: all its streets ran strictly from north to south and from east to west, and thus they were well protected from the winds. According to the building regulations, not a single house was supposed to stand for the general line. The main streets were intersected by alleys at right angles, and therefore there were no back streets and dead ends in the city. The main street in Mohenjo-Daro was 80 meters long and 10 meters wide, and several bullock carts could drive along it at the same time.
Outside the walls of the citadel was the lower city, which consisted of brick houses with flat roofs, which also served as balconies. The buildings were built of bricks, which were fired in open boxes, as Indian peasants still do. Houses in Mohenjo-Daro reached a height of 7.5 meters, instead of windows, ventilation holes were made in them with gratings made of clay and alabaster. To prevent dust from entering the house from the main streets, the entrance to it was made in a side street. The walls and floor were covered with mats, the houses had bathtubs made of bricks, and the dirty water was poured into earthen vessels with small holes for seepage: these vessels were placed on the ground.
Each block had public wells, an excellent sewerage system for that time, and a water supply that supplied water heated by the sun to the second floors of buildings. In Mohenjo-Daro there was also a large public bath with cabins and a children's section. From the bathhouse, water flowed through a sewer into the main covered canal, which ran along every street; all the canals flowed into a large pit outside the city.
Most of the household utensils in Mohenjo-Daro were made of copper or bronze; for agricultural work, plowshares and sickles were made, for artisans - axes, saws, shovels, for warriors - swords, pikes, spears and daggers ...
Of the clothes, women of the city wore only short skirts with a brooch pinned to them, a pearl belt or ribbon and a fan-shaped headdress; in cool weather they threw a cape over their shoulders. The men were even more modest in their clothes, content with only a loincloth. No one wore shoes, but great attention was paid to hairstyles, and men were the big dandies. If women most often only braided a braid, then men did a straight parting and tied their hair with a ribbon, sometimes gathered it in a knot.
As far as women were unpretentious in dress, they were so exacting in jewelry. All wore silver jewelry and headbands, gilded bronze belts, curly-headed hairpins, and ivory combs.
Despite numerous studies, scientists still continue to worry about issues that are significant for the history of this civilization. Who built these cities that flourished 40 centuries ago? What race were the people who lived here and what language did they speak? What form of government did they have?
Signs of decline in Mohenjo-Daro culture began to be seen around 1500 BC. Houses were built more carelessly, and there was no longer that strict line of streets in the city. Many different versions have been put forward about the reasons for the death of Mohenjo-Daro in the scientific world.
One of them is a nuclear explosion. But it is removed immediately due to the absence of a radioactive background and the obvious impossibility of building an atomic bomb in India during the Harappa culture. According to another hypothesis, a nuclear or other explosion occurred during the launch or maneuver of an alien spacecraft that visited our Earth in the distant past. However, until now, no one has yet found a single direct proof of this.
Let's try to explain the death of Mohenjo-Daro by earthly, natural causes. What could have happened?
It is known that the ancient Greeks and Romans repeatedly described "flaming chariots" appearing in the night sky; American Indians - "round baskets" in the sky; the Japanese are "ghost ships" with glowing lights. According to the testimony of the priest Izekiel, to Palestine around 592 BC. e. “A strong wind came from the north, and a great cloud arose. And the fire was blazing from it, and the brilliance was strong, and from the middle of the cloud came a strong glow. " And the "Mahabharata" testifies: during the death of Mohenjo-Daro, the air seemed to be on fire, which was noted even on a sunny day against the background of a bright southern sky!
These are the facts. What can modern science say about this? Scientists have found that in the atmosphere under the influence of cosmic rays and electric fields, chemically active particles are formed that can form aerosol clusters that occupy vast spaces in the atmosphere. Moving in the atmosphere, particles under the influence of electromagnetic fields condense, stick together, like a snowball, and form balls of various diameters. Such physicochemical formations were abbreviated as FHO. Judging by the rock carvings, it was they who were observed by people fifty thousand years ago. A mention of them can be found in the ancient Egyptian chronicle of the reign of Pharaoh Thutmose III: “... in the 22nd year, in the third month of winter, at six o'clock in the afternoon, a luminous ball (appeared) in the sky, which slowly moved southward, terrifying all who I saw him. "
There are several types of physical and chemical formations. Some, "cold" ones, can exist for a long time without emitting energy or emitting light. Such formations, dark, opaque, are clearly visible against the background of the daytime sky, and may be shaped like rugby balls. There is a hypothesis that this is nothing more than not yet "flared up" ball lightning. Therefore, FHOs, by analogy with ball lightning, were called black lightning. Glowing PCOs, bright white or lemon-yellow in color, arising independently of any thunderstorm activity, are called chemiluminescent formations - CHLO. They can float freely in the air, stay on the surface for a long time, quickly move along bizarre trajectories, "darken" and "flare up" again.
On September 21, 1910, New Yorkers watched hundreds of atmospheric "fireflies" flying over the city for three hours. On another September evening, already in 1984, over the lands of the "Udmurtsky" state farm of the Sarapul region of the Udmurt Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic, the starry sky suddenly lit up, and dazzling white balls fell from the height. Dodging and whirling, they gently sank to the ground. It became as bright as day. But the effect was not only light: transformers and power lines were out of order within a radius of twenty kilometers.
Scientists have found that the atmospheric conditions under which PCOs are formed intensify the appearance of toxic substances that poison the air. And apparently, in Mohenjo-Daro, the inhabitants suffered from poisonous gases, and then a powerful explosion occurred over the city, which destroyed it to the ground.
It is known that such an explosion is possible only with the simultaneous presence of a large number of black lightning in the atmosphere. And if one explodes, then others explode behind it, like a chain reaction. When the blast wave reaches the surface of the earth, it will crush everything in its path. The temperature at the time of the explosion of black lightning reaches 15 thousand degrees, which is quite consistent with the finds in the area of the catastrophe of melted stones. In ordinary fires, the temperature does not exceed a thousand degrees. Calculations show that during the disaster in Mohenjo-Daro, about three thousand black lightning with a diameter of up to 30 centimeters and over a thousand CHLO appeared in the atmosphere. New data for the development of this hypothesis can be provided by studies of material traces of black lightning - smalt and slag, left after a colossal fire in Mohenjo-Daro.
The tragedy at Mohenjo-daro, however, is not unique. The total number of references to FHO in the literature exceeds 15 thousand. And on August 12, 1983, Professor Bonil from the Zacatecas Observatory in Mexico City took the first photo of the FHO. Now there are hundreds of them.
It is hard to imagine what could happen if something like this happened to Mohenjo-Daro over a modern city ... A person must learn to deal with this formidable natural phenomenon. However, today he is not as helpless as in ancient times. Modern science possesses a sufficiently reliable means to prevent black lightning explosions and to disperse FHO. For this, chemical reagent compounds are used. Scientists have already developed devices that use the effect of reagents to protect industrial production from the penetration of ball and black lightning.
Some researchers believed that the abrupt change in the Indus channel, caused by a strong tectonic shift, was to blame. Geological studies show that earthquakes more than once disrupted normal life in Mohenjo-Daro and eventually led to the emergence of a giant lake. Water often flooded the city, so a fortified wall was erected to protect against floods. However, these assumptions still require proof. Other scholars believed that the city and its population died from the invasion of the Aryans, who killed all the inhabitants of Mohenjo-Daro and destroyed their homes. The discovered skeletons of people who lived in the city in the last years of its existence do not confirm the version of the invasion of foreign tribes. Again, another group of scientists claims that no traces of the flood have been found. Moreover, there is undeniable evidence of massive fires. The epidemic does not affect people who calmly walk the streets or are engaged in business, suddenly and at the same time. This is exactly how it was - this is confirmed by the location of the skeletons. Paleontological research also rejects the epidemic hypothesis. With good reason, one can reject the version of a surprise attack by the conquerors, none of the skeletons discovered have traces left by melee weapons.
So, science has not yet given a final answer about the reasons for the death of Mohenjs-Daro.
sources
http://nnm.me/blogs/retex/mohendzho-daro-holm-mertvyh/
http://www.vokrugsveta.ru/vs/article/3665/
http://tzone.kulichki.com/anomal/civil/moh-daro.html
http://www.dopotopa.com/p_oleksenko_tayna_mohendzho_-_daro_termination.html
http://kometa-vozmezdie.ru/92-mohenjo-daro.html
Here are some more mysterious ancient structures: here, for example, and here it is. Look more at and at The original article is on the site InfoGlaz.rf The link to the article this copy was made from isIntroduction
Origin theories
Distribution area
Chronology
The city and its features
Population occupation
Political organization and social structure
Trade and external relations
Language and writing
The decline of Indian cities
Bibliography
Introduction
The civilization of Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro is one of the three most ancient civilizations of mankind, along with the ancient Egyptian and Sumerian. Of all the three, it occupied the largest area. Developed in the Indus river valley in the XXIII-XIX centuries BC. BC before the arrival of the Aryans, in the II millennium BC. e. The most significant centers are Harappa, Lothali, Mohenjo-Daro. The population during its heyday was about 5 million people.
From the VII millennium BC e. in the valley of Indai Sarasvati a manufacturing economy is developing. A special early agricultural culture stands out, which is called Mergar. In this era, man found effective method obtaining food, the optimal development of agriculture, hunting and nascent livestock breeding for the region. This created all the necessary conditions for the transition to a qualitatively new level - the formation of a new cultural and historical complex.
The Indus Valley culture was not unique to its region. Thus, Amria was preceded by a local original culture that coexisted with the Harappan culture for some time.
The Indian Dravids developed monumental construction, bronze metallurgy, and small sculpture. Private property relations were in the bud, and agriculture was based on irrigation agriculture. Almost the first public toilets known to archaeologists were discovered in Mohenjo-Darobyl, as well as a system of urban sewage.
The Indauchenim cannot decipher the writing of the valley, therefore information about the political development of Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro and the names of the rulers are still unknown. An important role was assigned to foreign trade: the Harappan civilization had a connection with Mesopotamia, Central Asia, direct trade contacts reached Sumeria and Arabia.
The decline of the Indian civilization falls on the XVIII-XVII centuries BC. e. At this time, the bulk of the Dravidian population moves to the southeast (only the ancestors of the Braui people remain on the territory of Pakistan) and loses its former level of development. This was probably caused by the deterioration of natural conditions. The last blow to the carriers of civilization was dealt by the invasion of the Aries.
Origin theories
One of the most difficult questions in the study of the Harappan civilization is the question of its origin. Explicit points of view were expressed - about the Sumerian basis of the Harappan culture, about its creation by the Indo-Aryan tribes, in connection with which the Harappan civilization was considered as Vedic. The famous archaeologist R. Heine-Geldern even wrote that the civilization on the Indus arose suddenly, since no traces of the previous development were allegedly found. In recent years, new important materials have been collected about the local origin of this culture. Unfortunately, groundwater has so far prevented archaeologists from following the lowest slopes at Mohenjo Daro.
Archaeological excavations in Baluchistan and Sindh showed that here in the IV-III millennium BC. e. there were agricultural cultures that have much in common with the early Harappan culture and with which the Harappan settlements maintained contact for a long time. In Sindh, agricultural crops appear later, which suggests the penetration of some tribes from the regions of Baluchistan and southern Afghanistan.
In the Indus Valley, the Harappan settlements appear, obviously, not immediately and not simultaneously. Probably, from some one center, where the urban culture first developed, there was a gradual resettlement of its creators. In this regard, of particular interest are the studies of the French archaeologist J.M. Casal of the Amri settlement, who established the stratigraphy from the pre-Harappan period to the late Harappan period. The local development of cultures can be traced here: from the moment when most of the pottery was made by hand, without a potter's wheel, when buildings were just emerging, and the use of metals was just beginning, to more advanced phases, marked by painted ceramics and more durable, raw buildings. The lower layers of the pre-Kharappan period have analogies with the early agricultural cultures of Baluchistan; in the later layers, the pottery of the early Kharappan settlements of the Indus Valley appears. Finally, excavations have shown that traditions typical of the Amri culture coexist with those of the Harappan.
In Harappa itself, under the city fortifications, ceramics of the Amri culture was found, and in the lower layers of Mohsnjo-Daro - ceramics of the Baluchistan cultures, which obviously indicates not only the close contacts of the Indian settlements with the agricultural cultures of Baluchistan and Sind, but also that the Harappan the civilization has local roots. It arose out of the tradition of agricultural cultures.
Excavations by Pakistani archaeologists in Kot Diji (not far from modern Haipur) showed that in the pre-Harappan period there was already a very developed culture: scientists discovered the citadel and the residential quarters themselves, which, according to radiocarbon analysis, arose in the XXVII-XXVI centuries. before and. e. The pottery from Kot Diji of the early period has analogies with the pottery of the agricultural settlements of Sindh and Baluchistan, and later with the Harappan one. This made it possible to trace the evolution of local traditions to the Harappan traditions proper, dating back to the XXI-XX Ives. BC e. The explicit pre-Kharappan period was discovered by Indian archaeologists during excavations in Kalibangan (Rajasthan), where on one hill there were settlements of the predecessors of the Harappans, and on the next one there were buildings of the creators of the Harappan culture. The pottery of the pre-Kharappan settlement has many features in common with the pottery of Amri and Cote Diji. Thus, scientists were able to trace the development of the Harappan culture on the basis of more ancient local traditions.
At the same time, the Harappan civilization was a new stage, a qualitative leap in the development of the most ancient cultures of Hindustan, which marked the emergence of an urban-type civilization.
Great importance had, obviously, the Indus river system, creating favorable conditions for the development of material culture and economy and for the creation of urban settlements, crafts and trade. It is no coincidence that most of all Harappan settlements were located along the banks of the Indus and its tributaries. Later, Harappan settlements appeared in the upper reaches of the Ganges and Yamuna (modern Jamna).
Much of the origin of the Harappan culture is still not entirely clear and needs further development, but theories connecting the creation of this civilization with aliens - Aryans or Sumerians, are currently only of historiographical interest.
Distribution area
In the 1920s, when the scientific study of the Harappan civilization began, there was an opinion about the relatively narrow boundaries of this culture. Indeed, at first, Harappan settlements were found only in the Indus Valley. Now, as a result of modern archaeological research, it became clear that the Harappan civilization was spread over a vast territory: more than 1100 km from north to south and more than 1600 km from west to east.
Excavations in the Kathiaar Peninsula showed that the population gradually moved southward, colonizing new territories. At present, the Harappan settlement at the mouth of the Narbada River is considered the southernmost one, but it can be assumed that the Harappans penetrated even further south. They rushed to the east, subjugating ever new areas. Archaeologists have discovered a Harappan settlement near modern-day Allahabad. This is how various versions of the Harappan culture were created, although in general it was a single culture with established traditions.
It can be assumed that some diversity within this huge civilization reflected a different ethnic basis and unequal level of development of those regions where the creators of this civilization appeared.
Chronology
The chronology of the Harappan civilization is now being determined by scientists in various ways. First of all, this is a comparison of Indian and Mesopotamian things (for example, Indian seals found in the cities of Mesopotamia), spectral analysis of earthenware products, carbon analysis of things, which began to be turned to in recent years, as well as data from Akkadian sources on trade relations with the East. At first, scientists very much dated the age of the cities of the Harappan culture, proceeding only from general considerations about the similarity of the development of civilization in Sumer and India. The English archaeologist and one of the founders of "Indian archeology", J. Marshall, in the early 30s dated the Indian culture from 3250 to 2750 BC. e. When the seals of the Indian type were published, found during excavations of the cities of ancient Mesopotamia, it turned out that most of them are associated with the reign of Sargon I (2369-2314 BC), as well as with the periods of Isina (2024-1799. BC) and Larsa (2024-1762 BC). On this basis, scientists came to the conclusion that the strongest ties between Mesopotamia and India could be conditionally attributed to the XXIII-XVIII centuries. BC.
It is indicative that in Akkadian texts the largest number of mentions of trade with the eastern regions, including Dilmun and Meluha, which are identified by scholars with the Indians or neighboring regions, falls on the period of the III dynasty of Ur (2118-2007 BC). .) and the period of the Larsa dynasty. Of great interest was the discovery of an Indian-type seal imprint based on one of the cuneiform tablets dating from the 10th year of the reign of King Larsa Gungunum (1923 BC). All these data made it possible to assume that the heyday of the Indian cities - the end of the III- beginning of the II millennium BC. e. During excavations of Mesopotamian cities, seals were also found in the layers of the Kassite period, which indicates the continuation of contacts in this era. In the upper layers of Harappa, earthenware beads were found, the spectral analysis of which established their identity with the beads from Knossos on the island of Crete (16th century BC). Based on this, the last period in the history of Harappa can also be dated to the 16th century. BC e.