1961-12-20 — Page 3

even

weights-and-measures inspectors—this civilisation had them all 3,400 years ago

FOR

OR century after century, men passed by a solitary group of dusty mounds, in a loop of the great Indus river in Pakistan, without a second glance.

Only a few tamarisk bushes struggled for existence in the flat, salt-caked desert around. It seemed impossible that so arid a spot could ever have supported human life.

Then, just 40 years ago, a party of archaeologists began to dig into the largest mound, which was called Mohenjo-daro, "the hill of the dead."

air-

They made a staggering discovery. For under the mound so long ignored by passers-by there lay the remains of a great city which, 3,400 years ago, had been so "modern" as to have weights-and-mea- conditioned stores, sures inspectors, bathing-pool, and sanitary squads to keep the streets and drains clean.

Now the archaeologists have estab- lished that a great civilisation, hitherto unknown, had centred on Mohenjodaro and its twin city of Harappa, 400 miles further up the Indus valley For at least 1,000 усата, from

about 2500 B.C. to 1500 B.C., & forgotten race had spread order, security, and refinement over a far greater area than any of the ancient civilisations already known in Egypt and Mesopo- tania.

From the evidence that has been dug up, we can picture the great city of Mohenjo-daro as it was in the days of its splendour.

To the west stood the high platform of the citadel, fortifed with massive walls and square towers of Bre-baked bricks. In in the citadel dwelt munity of priests with close- clipped beards who ruled Mohenjo-daro with

though

ship.

enlightened,

a com-

£ rigid, dictator-

A curious feature of their religion was the ritual bathing they carried out in a great public bath 39ft. long, 23f1. broad, and 8ft. deep, on the summit of the citadel

They walked in the adjoining cloisters and attended meetings in the spacious, pillared asserably hall.

in

The barbarians burst like a storm on the helpless, peaceful city

The day an empire was wiped out

-by-

WILFRID SENDALL

A MOHENJO-DARU SEAL clue to the existence of an ancient civilisation.

bricks

beastful warriors who led by This collection of traditional their clan chieftains. over-ran hymns tells how the Aryan Northern India and Europe at chiefs, led by their war-god the dawn of history. Indra, destroyed and looted the forts of despised, dark- skinned, fat-nosed people. For long these poems regarded as mere myths.

After these their victories warriors gathered round their camp fires to chant songs ex- jewellery, and implements. One tolling their own daring and crafts- ferocity. From generation to outstanding specimen manship is a delightful statuene generation these songs were of a long-legged, slender danc- handed down by word of ing girl. mouth. Hundreds of years later

#

were

Now we know, from the re- cord of the bodies in the streets of Mohenjo-daro, that they were an accurate story of the end of **(London Bapress Service),

But there is a strange mis- they were written down in a a great empire. gior from the treasures of

Mohenjo-daro.

There are few weapons. Apart from the massive walls of the citadel itself, there is no sign of defensive works for the rest of the city.

chronicle called the Rig-Veda.

STAMP NEWS

THE 1904 ISSUE

TEW supplies of stomp3

N

Among their other duties, Though small guard-rooms,

they checked and recorded bales occupied by night watchmen or

of wheat as they police who kept order in the

and barley streets, have been found, there

were hauled by slaves up ramps are no other indications of mill-

Into a vast granary furnished city's tary organisation. brick foundations the massive construction were fired. And we know that in the Elsewhere craftsmen would end this proved a disastrous}

stored grain in good condition. Between the citadel and the be at work cutting the unique, omission. beautifully carved stone seals,

River Indus For one day, about 35 cen

lay received in 1904 were

the main city the discovery of which gave the turies ago, a cloud of dust rose itself-a neat gridiron of Dn

archaeologists their first clue to up from across the flat plain printed MULTIPLE

straight 30ft.-wide streets and the existence of the Indus and a host of war chariots CROWN C.A. paper. The

10ft.-wide lanes. civilisation as their spades bit thundered towards the city. first printings were On OT- the streets, municipal into the mounds.

cleared sanitary squads the The chariots bore Barce, fair-dinary wove paper but later

More these haired, bearded warriors, armed

brick drains which edged each found at with short bows and swords of printings were on chaff sur-

stone seals

street. They burst like a sud-faced paper; the 10c. volue

Mohenjo-daro. They bear ex- whole den storm on the helpless, appeared only on ordinary quisite carvings of 2 variety of animals-bulls, ele- peaceful city, phants, ilgers, rhinoceros, buffalo together with human

Decorated

than 1,200 of were

The larger houses had private forms and symbols such 28 bathrooms and lavatories. Some swastikas, crosses, and pattern had their own private well- of squares.

bronze.

Barbarians

In a few hours a community houses too, from which servants We know that for centuries which had lived for centuries drew water in decorated the people of Mohenjo-daro in security and stability was liver A peaceful, prosperous, totally wiped out.

earthen-ware pots. well-ordered life. They traded

One little group, including a tiny child, died in the lane cut- side their house. In one of the public well-houses, a party of women were struck down.

paper, and the $3 and $5 only On chalk surfaced

paper.

All. were in the same

general design as before and from plate I; and all with 14 perforations.

were

There are no varieties

to speak of, and no really

1904 issue; M.C.A. watermark

The humbler citizens drew far and wide. Their high- When the city was excavated, scarce items. their water from public well- prowed boats plied up and down some pathetic skeletons viere houses. These were the places the Indus, even making longer found where they had fallen. to Southern where the women gathered and coastal voyages gossiped, their children clinging India and Mesopotamia. to their short cotton skirts. Their caravans penetrated rank or the high Himalayan passes to

You could wealth of the women from the trade with the tribes of Central decorated Asia, probably using camels to richness of their their heavy carry their goods. girdles and from bead necklaces. The poorer wore beads of coloured pottery, the better-off necklaces of copper, silver, turquoise, jade or gold.

tell the

So strange

4c. purple on red paper

brown and duli orange

SG 77

2c.

dull green

78

Elsewhere men, women, and children were killed in the lanes or streets as they fled, and for 35 centuries they lay while the dust of the desert slowly buried them.

79

5c.

82

10c.

purple and blue on blue paper

84

20c.

slate and chestnut

85

30c.

dull green and black

86 50c.

green and magenta-

87

$1

purple and sage green?

88

$2

slate and scarlet

89

$3

slate and dull blas

90

$5

purple and blue-green.

91

far

From the irrigated fields Of the way the people of In the shops, the tradesmen which spread all around the Mohenjo-dare thought we have: weighed their produce with city, wooden carts, pulled by learned nothing at all. Their weights stone which were oxen or donkey, dragged in the elaborate pictorial writing has checked periodically for accu- wheat, barley, peas, and cotton so defied all efforts to racy by inspectors appointed by which were the main produce decipher it. of their agriculture.

the priests. Strangely, we know far more about their conquerors, about In the poorer quarters of the A mass of evidence has been the barbarians who wiped out elty smoke could be seen rising unearthed of a highly developed their city a day. from the innumerable kilns civilisation-decorated pattery, For these were the Aryans, where the vast quantities of carved stone and metal figures, the nornadic, chariot-driving.

$10 slate and orange on blue poper Stamp booklets were made up locally containing

24 at lc., 12 at 2c, and 12 at 4.; the face value was 96c but they were sold at $1. The p.m.g. report for 1904 records 3040 booklets sold in that year.