(Also known as the Harappan Civilization). Between 2600 and 1900 BCE hundreds of settlements thrived on the alluvial plains around the Indus river, which flows from the Tibetan plateau into the Arabian Sea. These settlements, in modern-day Pakistan, northeastern Afghanistan and northwestern India, are known collectively as the Indus Valley Civilization.

Large sites such as Mohenjo-daro and Harappa have revealed neighborhoods laid out on a grid pattern, elaborate drainage systems, and houses and public buildings built with uniformly sized baked bricks. The Indus Valley people also had a complex writing system, although the script remains undeciphered. Many Indus Valley seals and ceramic vessels have been discovered, along with faience beads and gold jewelry. Anatomically detailed figurines in terracotta, bronze, and steatite have been unearthed at excavation sites, the best known being the so-called Priest-king (National Museum, Karachi) and the bronze Dancing Girl (National Museum, New Delhi). Web resources here and here. Video here.

The Priest-King. Steatite. Indus Valley Civilization. Ca. 2400–1900 BCE. National Museum of Pakistan, Karachi.