Indus Valley Civilization

Imagine a city with neat little houses all in a row, made from brown bricks that look like building blocks. My streets are straight and tidy, and a big, long river flows right beside me. A long, long time ago, my streets were filled with the happy sounds of people walking and talking and children playing games. I was a busy, happy place where everyone worked together. I am a secret that was hidden for a very long time. I am the Indus Valley Civilization.

I was busiest a very, very long time ago, starting around the year 3300 BCE. The people who lived here were so smart. They were clever builders and thinkers. They built their houses with special rooms for washing, almost like our bathrooms today. They even made tiny rivers under the streets to carry old water away so everything stayed clean. The children had wonderful toys, like little toy carts with wheels that could really roll. The grown-ups made beautiful little stamps called seals. They carved pictures of amazing animals on them, like strong bulls and elephants with long trunks. It was their special way of saying, 'This belongs to me.'.

After many years, my streets became quiet. The wind blew dust and sand all over my brick houses, tucking me in like a sleepy bear under a big, dusty blanket. I slept for thousands of years, and everyone forgot I was here. But then, in the 1920s, some friendly explorers called archaeologists found me. They gently brushed away all the dust and were so surprised. They saw my straight streets and my clever houses with their drains. Today, people visit to learn from my story. I show them how smart people were, even so long ago, and I remind everyone to keep building wonderful things.