Yamuna River Proximity Influenced Eastern Harappan Settlement Patterns

Eastern Harappan settlements clustered near paleo-channels associated with the Yamuna river system.

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Many Late Harappan sites appear farther east than earlier urban centers, possibly reflecting adaptation to changing river systems.

Archaeological surveys in northwestern India have identified Harappan sites aligned along ancient river courses. Some scholars associate these paleo-channels with shifts in the Yamuna river. Settlements appear concentrated near former water sources dating to the third millennium BCE. River proximity supported agriculture and transport. Environmental changes later altered settlement viability. Distribution patterns reveal adaptation to hydrological conditions. Urban centers depended on river stability. Water availability shaped expansion. Geography dictated habitation.

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Systemically, settlement clustering reflects environmental dependency. Riverine alignment structured trade and agriculture. Hydrological shifts disrupted demographic concentration. Planning adapted to moving water sources. Urban sustainability relied on predictable flow. Ecological context constrained development. Settlement geography mirrored river behavior.

For residents, river access determined irrigation cycles and drinking supply. Seasonal floods shaped agricultural planning. Children played along banks that later dried or shifted. Communities migrated when water receded. Attachment to river corridors was practical rather than sentimental. Geography enforced mobility. Civilization followed current.

Source

Encyclopaedia Britannica - Indus civilization

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