🤯 Did You Know (click to read)
At Mohenjo-daro, the citadel mound stands several meters above surrounding residential areas, suggesting deliberate flood mitigation planning.
Excavations at Mohenjo-daro and Harappa reveal a dual urban layout consisting of a raised citadel or upper town and a more extensive lower town. The upper town housed monumental structures such as the Great Bath and possible administrative buildings. The lower town contained residential blocks arranged in grid patterns. This division dates to the Mature Harappan period. Elevated areas were constructed on massive platforms for flood protection and symbolic prominence. Access between zones may have been regulated. Urban zoning reflects planned differentiation rather than random growth. Spatial separation conveyed organizational structure. Geography encoded governance.
💥 Impact (click to read)
Systemically, division of space implies differentiated functions within urban administration. Elevated zones protected critical infrastructure from environmental risk. Planning authority coordinated both defensive and civic architecture. Social organization may have been reflected in proximity to upper town structures. Urban zoning facilitated traffic flow and waste management. Structured space strengthened institutional order. Architecture reinforced hierarchy.
For residents, the upper town likely represented authority and ceremony. The lower town housed daily commerce and domestic life. Children growing up in lower districts viewed elevated platforms as defining landmarks. Flood events reinforced the value of height. Spatial separation shaped social perception. City life unfolded within intentional boundaries. Order was built upward.
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