A frequently overlooked chapter in human history is the sophistication of the Indus Valley Civilization (also known as the Harappan Civilization), which thrived around 3300 to 1300 BCE in parts of what is now Pakistan and northwest India.

While most people learn about ancient Egypt’s pyramids or Mesopotamia’s cuneiform tablets, fewer are aware that the cities of the Indus Valley were remarkably well-planned and technologically advanced. They constructed elaborate urban grids with uniform, standardized brick sizes, as well as intricate drainage and sewer systems that were far ahead of their time. Many houses had private wells and bathing areas connected to municipal drainage lines—an impressive feat of public sanitation unmatched by many societies until well into the modern era.

Equally intriguing is that this civilization’s script, found on thousands of inscribed seals, remains undeciphered. We know they engaged in far-reaching trade networks, crafted intricate jewelry, and likely had systems of governance and commerce, yet we don’t fully understand their language or social hierarchy. The relative absence of grandiose monuments or palatial complexes—hallmarks of many other early civilizations—suggests a social structure less focused on one all-powerful ruler, hinting at a more balanced or collective form of governance.

All of this adds up to a portrait of a civilization both technologically competent and socially stable, but overshadowed in popular memory by other ancient empires. The Indus Valley people left a sophisticated urban legacy that deserves more recognition, reminding us that our shared past is richer and more varied than commonly told.