No one really knows what happened to the Indus Valley civilisation but listed below are some popular theories and conclusions of how their ways and attitudes towards life may have affected their downfall.
· Invading Aryans - Skeletons in the city of Mohenjo-Daro may be evidence of an Aryan massacre. However, there is piling evidence against this theory.
· Famine - The Indus Valley people heavily relied on produce of their agriculture and usually had many surpluses of food. If there were to be a few bad seasonal harvests, this could have forced them to move away for better land.
· Shifting river courses - This may have led to people deserting some cities.
· Climate change - Around 2000 BC some major climatic changes started occurring in the Indus Valley. This may have led to serious flooding in plains and cities
· Ecological degradation - Loss of nutrient in the soil would have greatly affected their crops and caused famine.
· Decrease in trade with Mesopotamia - Trade was an essential part of their economy, but probably not so crucial that they would die out as a civilisation.
· Tectonic uplift - The movement of tectonic plates may have caused many coastal cities to become landlocked, and this in turn could also have affected their trade.
· Faded away rather than extinguished completely - Perhaps there was no major event or disaster than completely ended the civilisation, and they just decided to move on and move out. But for what reason, for they had seemingly been surviving so well and peacefully for so long?
· Invading Aryans - Skeletons in the city of Mohenjo-Daro may be evidence of an Aryan massacre. However, there is piling evidence against this theory.
· Famine - The Indus Valley people heavily relied on produce of their agriculture and usually had many surpluses of food. If there were to be a few bad seasonal harvests, this could have forced them to move away for better land.
· Shifting river courses - This may have led to people deserting some cities.
· Climate change - Around 2000 BC some major climatic changes started occurring in the Indus Valley. This may have led to serious flooding in plains and cities
· Ecological degradation - Loss of nutrient in the soil would have greatly affected their crops and caused famine.
· Decrease in trade with Mesopotamia - Trade was an essential part of their economy, but probably not so crucial that they would die out as a civilisation.
· Tectonic uplift - The movement of tectonic plates may have caused many coastal cities to become landlocked, and this in turn could also have affected their trade.
· Faded away rather than extinguished completely - Perhaps there was no major event or disaster than completely ended the civilisation, and they just decided to move on and move out. But for what reason, for they had seemingly been surviving so well and peacefully for so long?