PDF Shipwrecks of Lake Erie: Tragedy in the Quadrangle (Disaster) by David Frew in History

Description

When Alexander the Great invaded the Indus Valley in the fourth century BCE; he was completely unaware that it had once been the center of a civilization that could have challenged ancient Egypt and neighboring Mesopotamia in size and sophistication. In this accessible introduction; Andrew Robinson tells the story—so far as we know it—of this enigmatic people; who lay forgotten for around 4;000 years. Going back to 2600 BCE; Robinson investigates a civilization that flourished over half a millennium; until 1900 BCE; when it mysteriously declined and eventually vanished. Only in the 1920s; did British and Indian archaeologists in search of Alexander stumble upon the ruins of a civilization in what is now northwest India and eastern Pakistan. Robinson surveys a network of settlements—more than 1;000—that covered over 800;000 square kilometers. He examines the technically advanced features of some of the civilization’s ancient cities; such as Harappa and Mohenjo-daro; where archaeologists have found finely crafted gemstone jewelry; an exquisite part-pictographic writing system (still requiring decipherment); apparently Hindu symbolism; plumbing systems that would not be bettered until the Roman empire; and street planning worthy of our modern world. He also notes what is missing: any evidence of warfare; notwithstanding an adventurous maritime trade between the Indus cities and Mesopotamia via the Persian Gulf.A fascinating look at a tantalizingly “lost” civilization; this book is a testament to its artistic excellence; technological progress; economic vigor; and social tolerance; not to mention the Indus legacy to modern South Asia and the wider world.