What were Indus homes like?
It was very hot in the Indus Valley so people spent a lot of time outside.
Most people had small homes which were also used as workshops where they made things.
Richer families had courtyards, an area with no roof which was surrounded by walls. These were nice open spaces.
People who did not have a courtyard would still have a flat roof.
Families used this space as an extra room. It was a cool place to sleep on a hot night and was somewhere they could sit with friends.
Important words
Important words on what daily life in the Indus Valley was like.
| Keyword | Definition |
|---|---|
| Courtyard | An area with no roof surrounded by walls. |
| Priest | A person who leads religious ceremonies and activities. |
| Scribe | A person who could read and write, whose job was to write things down or copy them out. |
| Workshop | A room or building where people made things. |
Watch: What was everyday life like in the Indus Valley?
Find out about the busy cities, markets and farms of the Indus Valley, and learn about the mysterious writing that still puzzles us today.
Over 4,000 years ago, in what is now modern-day Pakistan and northern India, everyday life for the people of the Indus Valley was very organised. Farmers grew wheat, barley, and cotton. They used cutting tools called sickles, and ploughs to dig the soil.
Away from the farms, people lived in towns, in houses made of baked clay bricks. Many had courtyards where families cooked food in clay ovens.
The towns had busy markets. Craftspeople may have sold goods like cotton clothes, necklaces and children's toys. Weights and measures were used to make sure sales were fair.
People also kept small statues and seals – little stone stamps with pictures. Historians think some of these might have had special religious meanings. This could show that religion was part of daily life in the Indus Valley, not just special ceremonies in places like the Great Bath at Mohenjo-daro.
The Indus Valley people also created their own writing system, although no one can read it today – it's a mystery still waiting to be solved.
Farming and trading were a part of everyday life in the Indus Valley. Many people lived in cities, and shared a life shaped by family, beliefs, and fairness.
What was it like to be a child in the Indus Valley?
We don't know how many children went to school in the Indus civilisation.
A scribe might have taught some children how to read and write. A priest, who usually led religious ceremonies and activities, might have taught religious lessons.
Even if they didn't go to school, most children had lots of things to do. They were taught how to make things, how to farm and how to hunt.
Children could play in the courtyards of houses, and probably on the flat roofs too. Children might have played board games with counters and dice. Archaeologists have found cube dice with six sides and spots, just like the ones we use today.
Did the Indus people use money?
Indus Valley traders did not use money, so they probably exchanged goods.
They might have swapped two sacks of wheat for one basket of minerals, such as copper, lead or even gold…
Archaeologists have discovered flat pieces of stone with writing carved into them in the Indus Valley.
At first they were confused, but then they realised these stones were seals.
If you pressed the seal into soft clay, it left a copy of itself on the clay.
When the clay dried hard, it could be used as a tag, which could then be tied to a pot or basket.
Over 3,500 seals have now been found!
What did the Indus seals look like?
Indus traders might have used seals as labels, to show who owned a sack of grain, or that the correct tax had been paid.
Lots of seals have pictures of animals on them, including elephants, rhinos, tigers and crocodiles.
The symbols and pictures that are on the seals may help historians and archaeologists translate the Indus script in the future.
Click through the slideshow to see some examples of Indus seals.
Image caption, This seal shows a tiger with many stripes. Tigers were common in the time of the Indus civilisation.
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Think like a historian
Have a look at the thinking points below and think about your answer to the questions. You could even write it down on a piece of paper or discuss it with somebody else if you want to.
Why might flat roofs have been used in the Indus Valley instead of roofs that slope down on one or both sides?
Why are the Indus seals an important source of information for us?
Why is it significant that the Indus people kept themselves clean?
Did you think about how flat roofs were common because it didn’t rain as much in the Indus Valley region? The area is quite a hot and dry place for most of the year, so they didn’t have to worry about too much rain on their houses. They wouldn't need a sloped roof for the rain to run away over.
Perhaps you thought about how the seals are important to us because they show images of the animals that the Indus people interacted with. They also show symbols and language that we might be able to translate one day.
Maybe you thought about how the Indus people were some of the first in the world to really take cleaning seriously. Keeping clean would allow them to fight off illnesses and live longer - even though they didn't know about germs.
Activities
Activity 1: Daily life
Click around below to find out more about daily life in the Indus Valley.
Activity 2: Jobs
Click below on these Indus people to find out about their jobs.
Activity 3: Quiz – Life in the Indus Valley
Let's find out what you know about daily life in the Indus Valley.
Grown-ups corner
Are you a parent, carer or teacher?
Take a look at some of the links below on KS2 History which are packed full of knowledge, videos, quizzes and activities.
KS2 History: Non-European Societies
BBC Bitesize for Teachers
KS2 History: Introduction to the Indus Valley
BBC Bitesize for Teachers
KS2 History: Ancient Egypt
BBC Bitesize for Teachers
Horrible Histories: Raid and Trade game! game
Play Horrible Histories: Raid and Trade KS2 History
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