A Peaceful Realm: The Rise and Fall of the Indus Civilization.

Jane R. McIntosh

A unique civilization emerged some 5,000 years ago in the valleys of the Indus and Saraswati rivers in Pakistan and India. The people, called Indus, sailed the seas and enjoyed a plentiful lifestyle for hundreds of years. They built cities of brick houses equipped with excellent baths and toilets. The citizens earned their living in trades, including cotton weaving. In fact, in its day, the Indus controlled an area larger than Egypt or Mesopotamia. Yet while much is now known about ancient Egyptian, Mesopotamian, and Chinese people who lived about that time, the Indus is a relatively unknown group. McIntosh reports that the reason for this obscurity is mainly that we're unable to read this great civilization's writing. While many attempts have been made to decipher Indus texts, there are few clues to go on--the meaning seems to have died with its people 4,000 years ago. However, McIntosh paints a compelling picture of what archaeologists have pieced together about the Indus thus far, which reveals them to be a peace-loving people that engaged in trade with far-off lands and was as accomplished as any civilization of its time. Westview, 2002, 224 p., b&w illus., hardcover, $45.00.