Final answer:
The early twentieth-century excavations of the Harappa civilization in the Indus Valley revealed that this civilization had well-planned cities with advanced infrastructure, sophisticated urban planning, technologically advanced cities, and a unique form of brick making. The Indus valley culture had a high level of industrialization and city organization, suggesting a degree of central authority. Despite its sophistication, little is known about this civilization, as its written script remains undeciphered.
Step-by-step explanation:
The early twentieth-century excavations of the Harappa civilization in the Indus Valley indicated that it had well-planned cities with advanced infrastructure. This was found out through the evidence of carefully laid out street grids, advanced drainage systems, and a unique form of bricks that were produced in ovens. The civilization is also known for its intricate urban planning and development of technologically advanced cities, particularly Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro.
The cities, which might have each had populations of around thirty thousand people, suggest a degree of central authority given the similar city organization across multiple sites. Moreover, certain areas in these cities were devoted to specific industries comprising artisans and merchants that likely served the ruling class. However, despite its vastness and sophistication, the Harappa civilization's existence was completely unknown until the early nineteenth century when archaeologists made the pivotal discovery.
The Harappa civilization stands as a testament to the human capability of city planning, organized trade, and complex cultural development long before modern technologies. Nevertheless, the written script of the Indus valley culture remains undeciphered, thereby limiting our understanding of aspects like how these cities arose and why they fell.
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