The Indus Valley Civilization - 3300"1300 BCE -

Indus Valley civilization (IVC) was a Bronze Age civilization (3300-1300 BCE; mature period 2600-1900 BCE) in the northwestern region of the Indian subcontinent, consisting of what is now Pakistan and northwestern India now. Growing around the banks of the Indus River, civilization extended eastward to the valley of the Ghaggar-Hakra River and up to the Ganges-Yamuna Doab; it extends westward from the coast of Makran to Balochistan, north to east north of Afghanistan and south to Daimabad in Maharashtra. Civilization spread over 1,260,000 miles, making it the largest ancient civilization known.

Barley and wheat were cultivated between 10,000 and 8,000 BCE, and cotton was produced in about 7,000 - 6,000 BCE. Irrigation improved about 6,500 BCE

The Indus Valley is one of the first urban civilizations in the world, along with its contemporaries, Mesopotamia and ancient Egypt. At its peak, the Indus Civilization may have had more than five million people. The inhabitants of the ancient Indus River valley devised new techniques for handicrafts (carnelian products, carvings) and metal (copper, copper, lead, and tin). Civilization is known for its brick towns, the water system, and the multi-row houses.

Indus Valley civilization is also known as Harappan Civilization, as its first discovered city was Harappa. There were earlier and later cultures, often called Early Harappan and Late Harappan, in the same area of Harappan Civilization. The Harappan culture is sometimes called the culture of the Nature of Harappan to distinguish it from these traditions. More than 1,056 cities and settlements have been identified, of which 96 have been excavated, mainly in the general region of the Indus River and Ghaggar-Hakra and its tributaries. Among these were the major urban centers of Harappa, Lothal, Mohenjo-daro (UNESCO World Heritage Site), Dholavira, Kalibanga, and Rakhigarhi.