Perspective and Learning about the Indus Valley Civilization

Perspective is a funny thing. Consider a scenario where you have two sources of historical information covering the same topic. What information do they have in common? What information does one source choose to omit or condense that the other source focuses on? Why would there be significant differences between sources? This is what ran through my mind as I discovered more about the incredible Indus Valley Civilization using two main sources: chapter one of Awakening: An Introduction to the History of Eastern Thought by Patrick S. Bresnan and the video Indus: The Unvoiced Civilization. In this post I’ll briefly compare and contrast how Bresnan and Indus explored the Indus Valley people and consider why the two sources would vary.

The achievements of the Indus Valley Civilization are astounding. Both Bresnan and Indus outlined the sophisticated and complex structures of the cities built by the Indus Valley people. These cities were built using a grid system, buildings were made of uniform fired bricks, the wide streets were brick paved, a large public bath sat at or near the city centers, there were numerous wells, and water management systems “with municipal drainage systems that surpassed anything the world would see again until Roman times” (Bresnan 6). The Indus people were not figuring out how to build homes 5,000 years ago, they were building efficient and well thought out cities that easily rivaled those of Mesopotamia and Egypt. In this image of Mohenjo-Daro the public bath (referred to as the Great Bath) can be seen at the front of the ruins.

The original uploader was M.Imran at English Wikipedia., CC SA 1.0 via Wikimedia Commons  

Unfortunately, we know little firsthand information from the Indus people. Bresnan spends little time on this topic stating “They did possess a pictographic form of writing, but it stubbornly, and maddeningly, resists being deciphered.” (Bresnan 6). In contrast, the title of Indus (The Unvoiced Civilization) is a reference to the yet undeciphered writings of the Indus people. Indus shows examples of the hundreds of writing examples we have from Indus merchant seals that scholars have spent careers working to understand. Indus clarifies why deciphering the language has proven so challenging, despite the existence of so many writing samples.

Engraved on the seal are Indus characters. These characters have yet to be deciphered. There are only about 5 or 6 characters on average, at most, 17, on each seal. This is one of the reasons why deciphering them is so difficult. The details of the Indus Valley civilization are still a mystery to us. (Indus 6:56)

Indus Valley Seals on display at the MET Museum

It was only after watching Indus that I felt the profound loss of insight due to the untranslated writings. A civilization that accomplished so much was made voiceless, leaving behind incredible ruins and relics but no understanding of their society directly from the Indus people themselves.

Why would Bresnan and Indus both focus on the accomplishments of the Indus people but have differ in treatment of one of the greatest tragedies surrounding the Indus Valley Civilization? That comes back around to perspective. Indus is an hour-long video created specifically to educate viewers on the achievements of the Indus people and the mystery of unlocking their voices. The video ends lamenting the loss. 

4,500 years ago, the people of the region built their cities along the riverbanks. When the water dried up, the cities were abandoned. To this day, the waters of the river Indus continue to flow, keeping the memory of a lost civilization locked away within its depths. (Indus 57:33)

Indus River

In contrast Bresnan’s book covers millions of years in the first chapter, from the formation of the Eurasian continent through the rise and fall of the Indus Valley Civilization which gave way to a Sanskrit speaking society that birthed Hinduism. From Hindu India, Buddhism arose and spread across Asia, where it interacted with other schools of thought, which creates an on-going evolution of human beliefs that brings us to modern day. 

In Bresnan’s introduction, he states “Awakening is not simply an historical record. Rather, Awakening follows the millennia-long evolution of a tradition that is one of humanity’s greatest achievements.” (Bresnan xiii). In his own words, Bresnan is making it clear that his book is dealing with the evolution of eastern thought, of which the Indus people are potentially foundational but not the sole focus. By this reasoning, this shift in perspective, it becomes clear why Bresnan and Indus show great appreciation for the Indus Valley Civilization but don’t necessarily give weight to the material in the same fashion.

If you are interested in learning more about the Indus Valley Civilization, here is a brief and entertaining Crash Course video to start!

Works Cited

Bresnan, Patrick S. Awakening: An Introduction to the History of Eastern Thought. 6^th ed., Routledge, 2018.

Nagasawa, Tomomi. Indus: The Unvoiced Civilization. Films Media Group, 2000. Films for the Humanities & Sciences, https://fod.infobase.com/OnDemandEmbed.aspx?lti=1&token=11655&wID=107590&loid=0&w=400&h=300Links to an external site.. Accessed 12 Sept 2021.

Wikipedia contributors. "Mohenjo-daro." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 24 Aug. 2021. Web. 12 Sept. 2021.

Crash Course. "Indus Valley Civilization: Crash Course World History #2" YouTube, 2 Feb. 2012, https://youtu.be/n7ndRwqJYDM. Accessed 12 Sept. 2021.