ARCHAEOLOGICAL DISCOVERIES IN THE INDUS VALLEY REGION AND THEIR IMPACT ON MODERN HISTORICAL NARRATIVES

Abstract

Archaeological work across the Indus Valley region has  transformed South Asian historical writing by revealing a Bronze Age urban civilization with planned cities,  standardized craft production, and far-reaching exchangenetworks. From the early 1920s excavations at Harappa  and Mohenjo-daro—publicly announced in 1924—to later  discoveries at sites such as Dholavira and ongoing research  at Rakhigarhi, evidence has steadily challenged older  narratives that centered political history on later textual traditions. Material data (urban layouts, seals, weights,  water systems, burials) now anchors modern interpretations  of state formation, economy, ideology, and everyday life,  while also exposing limits of certainty—especially the  undeciphered script and debated collapse scenarios. Recent scientific approaches, including ancient DNA, have further  reshaped discussions of population history and cultural  continuity. This article synthesizes key discoveries and  explains how they reframe “modern historical narratives”  in textbooks, museums, and academic debates—shifting  emphasis from dynastic chronologies toward longue-durée social, environmental, and economic histories grounded in archaeology